Visual Arts & Technologies

House Public Speaking: “Art is suffering.” 

Speech by William A, Year 11 Student

“Art is suffering.” 

I’m sure that’s a quote we all know. It’s one of those lines that has become so iconic that almost everyone has heard it, even if they don’t know who said it in the first place. Frankly, though, I’m sick of that mantra. 

As an artist myself, I find the idea that a true creative must suffer for their work to be completely inaccurate. I love the freedom that creativity gives me and the emotional release it allows. Yes, some of that release can come from pain and exhaustion: for example, when I’m pulling yet another all-nighter working on my VCD portfolio, but it can also, and usually come from feelings of joy, sorrow, fear, peace, excitement, and a million other emotions. Art is not limited to suffering; it is an expression of the full range of human experience. 

In fact, I would argue that extreme suffering often impairs creativity rather than strengthens it. When someone is overwhelmed by stress, grief, exhaustion, anxiety, or hopelessness, their energy is spent simply trying to cope. Creativity requires curiosity, experimentation, and the willingness to take risks. It asks us to imagine possibilities. Suffering can narrow our focus until all we can think about is surviving the moment. An exhausted mind struggles to explore new ideas, a mind consumed by pain often finds it difficult to enjoy the process of creating at all. 

That is why I’m more inclined to agree with the filmmaker David Lynch, who said: “The more the artist is suffering, the less creative he is going to be. It’s less likely that he is going to enjoy his work, and less likely that he will be able to do really good work.” To me, this feels much closer to the truth. 

And if suffering is not the engine of art, what is? Many things. Artists are motivated by curiosity the desire to explore the world we live in. We are motivated by love, for people, places, memories, and cultures. We are motivated by wonder, by the excitement of discovering a new technique, by the challenge of solving a creative problem, by the need to communicate an idea that words alone cannot express. Sometimes we create because something makes us laugh. Sometimes because something inspires us. Sometimes because we want to connect with others and make them feel less alone. 

So, if art isn’t suffering, then… what is art? To me, art is the human impulse to turn emotion, experience, and imagination into something that can be shared with another person. 

William A Student Art Works: