No. The End. Thank you, have a nice day! :D

LOL, just kidding! I will elaborate and explain why I think this. AND let me tell you.. it took too many (LIKE, TOoo0oo MANY) years to come to this conclusion. (facepalm + side-eye) (.. or maybe it took me just enough, we are all on our own journey and learning things in our own time.)

Okay! here it goes... I like to think ALLLLL the wayyyyy back to when I was a peanut-brained child smearing paint on paper with my fingers. Then I ask myself, "How did that feel?," and "Why did I do it?".

Easy answers: it felt good and I wanted to feel good.

Yet, As I got older, I was being forced to conform to "Adultness". The little things I witnessed people doing or was told to do by others had a similar thread: As an adult, you should restrict Play and the Joy of doing something for "No Reason, or just because we want to."

You must be controlled. You must walk not run. You must stand still, not dance. Don't make weird noises. Just act "NORMAL". You must Stop acting like a child.

Similarly, as I entered the adult art world, many teachers and experts kept saying or implying "you neeeed A CONCEPT," "That is what makes GOOOOOD work," " A concept makes you a REALLL artist".

After so many "Don't do's" and "Have to's" I got tired. I was so tired because I lacked the joy that doing those non-adult things like making art JUST FOR FUN brought me. This lead me to feel unmotivated to make anything (for YEARS) because I thought I needed an amazing concept to make art. I had created too many mental barriers that left me stuck and I didn’t feel good enough to make ANyThInG! (Sad face)

That's why I am choosing "No Reason" or "Just for fun" to lead my art practice now.

It gives me the freedom to make whatever I want to make, regardless of if someone else thinks it isn't "good art".

Of course, I am not saying you CAN'T have a concept. Or that it is a bad thing. I'm just saying that it is ok if you are one of the people who would rather do without it. (MEEEEE! I am one of the people)

On the other hand (ALSO MEEEE), Sometimes I feel inspired to make art with a concept, but I've learned that I don't NEED to do that all the time.

Sometimes creating work with a concept helps you focus and increases your creativity. Sometimes it does the opposite, it can make you feel contained, unmotivated, and unworthy of making art. Depending on your own unique goals and motivations YOU can choose to have a concept OR choose to not have a concept OR choose a mix of both.

So if you are like me and you just aren't feeling the "concept" thing, I give you permission (lol, not that you need it.. YOU need to give it to yourself) to CHOOSE if you want your art to have a concept, no concept, or a mix of both.

And keep in mind, this doesn’t need to be fixed, you can always choose something else in the future as you grow and evolve. (I'm in the Mix of Both category at the moment because I like the balance it creates in my art practice, but I'm currently leaning more towards "No concept").

- Kelli :)