The Wisdom of Yayoi Kusama
“From the point of view of one who creates, everything is a gamble, a leap into the unknown.”
I’ve been immersing myself in the life and work of Yayoi Kusama recently. Hers is an extraordinary story. Lesser souls would surely have given up in the face of the trials she’s experienced; from a harrowing childhood and a disapproving family, through to escaping rural Japan and then trying to making it as a woman in New York, the epicentre of a macho and patriarchal art world.
This quote is one of my favourites from her. It nails an important truth - one which belies the notion of ‘creative confidence.’ True creativity depends upon doing things that have not been done before, so one can never feel truly ‘confident’ about the act. There will always be doubt, fearfulness and uncertainty; it comes with the territory.
Forget about confidence, courage is the thing. Because, as Yayoi herself has proved, if you’re brave enough to take the leap the rewards can be many.
