Why You Should Make Bad Art
I’ve seen it over and over again—people hesitating, holding back, gripping their pencils or brushes a little too tightly, afraid to make the “wrong” mark. Afraid that what appears on the page won’t be good. But I have to ask: What’s the point of making art? Is it just to end up with something pretty and polished? If that were true, wouldn’t it get boring fast? Wouldn’t we always know exactly what was going to happen?
But art—real, authentic art—thrives in the unknown. It surprises us, takes on a life of its own. It can even feel like a separate entity, something that arrives through us rather than from us. I can’t help but compare it to parenting. I remember looking at my children for the first time, thinking, Who are you? Where did you come from? Yes, I helped create them, but there was something beyond me at work too—something mysterious, something sacred. Art can feel like that too.
So why do we try to control it so much? Why do we demand that it be good before it even exists?
Even the Greats Felt the Fear
If you’ve ever doubted yourself while creating, you’re in good company. The artists we now consider masters struggled too. And it took time. Lots of time, patience and steady creating.
Georgia O’Keeffe: Fear Never Stopped Her
Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her sweeping desert landscapes and close-up flower paintings, once admitted:
"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do."
Can you imagine? One of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century felt terror, yet she kept painting. She knew the fear was there, but she moved through it anyway. She let herself make marks, knowing that hesitation would only dull her instincts.
Vincent van Gogh: The Beauty of Mistakes
Van Gogh is often romanticized as a tortured genius, but he was also an artist who deeply believed in doing. He once wrote:
"If one wants to be active, one mustn't be afraid to do something wrong sometimes, not afraid to lapse into some mistakes."
His paintings, thick with emotion, energy, and movement, were not about perfection. They were about feeling. He painted fast, following his instincts, allowing his imperfections to breathe life into his work. Could you imagine if he had stopped himself, afraid of making something bad?
Yayoi Kusama: Creating Through Struggle
Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot-covered worlds and infinite mirror rooms are now famous, but her road to recognition was anything but easy. Struggling with mental health challenges, she poured herself into her art, using it as both an escape and a form of self-exploration. She once said:
"I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art."
She didn’t wait until she felt confident. She didn’t let perfectionism stop her. She just made. And in doing so, she created something entirely her own.
Wangechi Mutu: The Power of the Unexpected
Wangechi Mutu, a contemporary artist known for her surreal, otherworldly collages, embraces the unknown in her work. She often combines images in ways that seem strange or even unsettling.
But that’s the point. She allows herself to be surprised, to let her art take its own course.
She once described creativity as something that arises outside of strict control:
"Beautiful things can happen when you act intuitively and instinctively in a moment of anxiety and do something radical."
She understands that the best art comes from allowing the unknown to be part of the process.
What If You Let Go?
What if you allowed yourself to make something bad on purpose? What if you let your art surprise you? What if you loosened your grip, stopped demanding perfection, and let yourself play?
Artists like O’Keeffe, Van Gogh, Kusama, and Mutu didn’t wait until they were fearless. They felt the doubt and did it anyway. And that’s why their work speaks to us today—not because they were perfect, but because they were real.
So the next time you find yourself hesitating, staring at the blank page, remember: the art you’re meant to make won’t come from a place of control. It will come from the unknown. It will come from allowing yourself to create, no matter what.
Because bad art isn’t the enemy. Not making anything at all is.