Art is the Proper Task of Life
By: Erik Rittenberry
We have art in order not to die of the truth.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche once said, “Art is the proper task of life,” which speaks to the very soul of our living, breathing lives.
Art is an essential part of life. Without art's depth and enrichment, our lives would dry up like the desert dew at the break of dawn. Art enhances the human experience by offering beauty, inspiration, and a means to navigate and interpret the complexities of existence, the magic, the mayhem, and the throbbing mysteries surrounding us.
In the words of Jean-Luc Godard: Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self.
The creative act is an activity of our inner life — the dominion of spirit over the material world. It serves as a metaphysical lens, enabling us to perceive life with greater depth and nuance.
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
— Picasso
Art is the true calling of life, for what we call reality is but a reflection of our inner world, a creation of our own making. Anaïs Nin once observed, “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.”
Indeed, we shape reality with every thought, word, and breath, crafting it unconsciously or with deliberate care. With his bold clarity, Nietzsche reminds us of a truth we often shy away from: we are all far greater artists than we dare to believe.
Yet, only the fully conscious—the ones who walk with eyes open and hearts attuned—take full responsibility for their creation and align it with the depths of their will.
'The voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls.'
This is Nietzsche’s distant call to us: to awaken, to take hold of this sacred duty, and to embrace the power and burden of shaping our own world. To engage with art is to engage with life itself, not as a passive wanderer but as a bold creator, shaping the raw substance of existence into beauty and meaning.
As he once wrote: “In this state one enriches everything out of one's own fullness: whatever one sees, whatever wills is seen swelled, taut, strong, overloaded with strength. A man in this state transforms things until they mirror his power—until they are reflections of his perfection. This having to transform into perfection is—art.”
In this act of creation, one transcends the mundane and the illusions of the three-dimensional world, awakening to the depths of one’s own creativity and the boundless richness of expression—the highest and most meaningful pursuits a person can embrace.
In pursuing your creative passions, you’ll discover life as something new, yourself included. That’s when LIFE, in its truest sense, becomes a work of art.
Art is essentially the affirmation, the blessing, and the deification of existence.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
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“Art is the proper task of life." I totally agree with that statement, Erik, for what would life be without it?
Art is what gives expression to that higher part of ourselves that exists beyond materialism and all those little petty victories and hostilities that barely get us from day to day. Art shows us that there is more to life than we can possibly imagine! Perhaps even some sort of God!
So art is indeed "the deification of existence", but only if we awaken that part of ourselves that can do this!
I was hewn from the womb as an artist. Yet from childhood on through my entire life until 5 years ago, I was pulled off course by the lure of success as defined by capitalism, eg: acclaim, awards, an endless series of day jobs, adjunct teaching, the fruitless pursuit of tenure, and EGO. Since losing my last day job to the pandemic, my primary preoccupation is making art and I've never been more at peace. Fully immersing myself in making art is a fundamentally selfless act because I'm more tuned in to the creative source that binds as all. Making art is how I become the best version of my self and enrich the world with kindness and compassion.
Speaking of tuning in, Erik: you've really been on an extraordinary roll with your postings over the past couple of months. Today's is my latest 'all-time favorite'. Might you consider writing a book? Perhaps a collection of Poetic Outlaw posts that focus primarily on your own provocative writing? We would all cherish such a publication and I imagine the sales would help sustain your 'Proper Task of Life'.