How The Mona Lisa Taught Me to Separate Work from Passion

Oct 20, 2023 | 0 comments

For a long time, I’ve always wondered what made the Mona Lisa such an iconic painting. There are many theories as to why this is, ranging from the fact that DaVinci was an esteemed artist at the time up until this very day, to the fact that it was stolen so many times that it adopted a level notoriety and infamy, and my favorite theory which I will focus on today, the fact that it revolutionized the art world by being the first piece of art that was done for the sake of art, and not purely for commission.

Around the 1500s and before then, artists were considered tradesmen. They were commissioned for their art which was usually portraits of members from high class society. What made the Mona Lisa revolutionary in this aspect is the fact that DaVinci created a work of art that was clearly an inner working of his very own creativity, inspiration and innovation. This is significant to me as a writer because it makes me think about how I approach writing.

I’ve been writing fiction since I was a kid. I would write both books and short stories in elementary school. I always did well in English and reading classes and scored a level 5 consistently on the Reading FCAT (state exam in Florida for primary school). Then in middle school and high school, I entered a Fine Arts competition with the church I attended and competed in the flash fiction category. I placed 2nd for two years in a row and placed 3rd my last year competing with thousands of other talented teens across Florida. The point is, I’ve been writing for a long time and have always taken writing seriously. I’ve written in many capacities like the competitions, for school and for pleasure. Whether it was the short story I wrote for my creative writing class in college, or ten-page papers I wrote on the distribution of wealth or meaning of life for my philosophy major, I always found myself enjoying writing regardless of the capacity and circumstance I was writing. I just thoroughly enjoy getting ideas on paper.

Now, I’ve had many people encourage me to write books and publish them and monetize. This is a tough conversation for a lot of artists and writers. I say that because of the DaVinci example earlier. His most famous work was one that he didn’t do for the sake of money, he did it because he enjoyed it. I think in today’s world of capitalism, there is a lot of pressure out there to monetize everything you could possibly be good at. The issue I have with this is that it takes the focus away from the inspiration and creativity that comes from the journey of art creation, and it puts the focus on chasing money. I’ve established a difference between what I do for work and what I do for passion. And I believe for most people, it’s most beneficial this way. I think on the flip side, there are so many ways to make money in today’s world that we can keep these two things (work and passion) separate if we want to.

I know many creatives and writers that deal with writers’ block. It comes with the territory. Writers’ block is a serious thing, and it can last for days, months, and even years! I personally feel that a big reason why many writers experience writers’ block is because we let the extraneous things get in the way of our inspiration. When you’ve stressed yourself out by creating the equation in your mind that Writing/Publishing = How I make money, How I pay rent, How I feed my family, etc., there’s no wonder that this pressure would cause anyone to freeze up. There are many other reasons for writers’ block such as having a difficult time organizing your thoughts and ideas, worrying about the opinion of others, or simply just having a lot of other things going on in life. We can only focus on so much at one time. But I’ve realized that my most inspiring work and thoughts come from when I’m inspired. And for me to be inspired, I need the space and freedom of time to take as long as I need to organize my thoughts and feel my feelings to put my ideas onto paper. This process, if done correctly, can take time. And I think the best pieces of art—whether the medium is words on paper or oil on canvas—comes from a deep state of introspection, reflections, and intimacy with Self. And you simply cannot rush that work. And work that is rushed is not good work.

So personally, I separate what I do for work from what I do for passion. And this has helped me a lot as a writer dealing with writers’ block from time to time. There are many reasons to resonate with the Mona Lisa, whether it be the intriguing sfumato technique DaVinci used, or your love for portraiture in general. I resonate most with the fact that this was the shift in the art world towards creating art for the sake of art, which evolved into art as we know it today in the modern world.

There are many inspiring pieces in the Louvre Museum, but of course, the Mona Lisa continues to be the most widely known piece of art in the world. And it only felt right to share my reflections and appreciation for this work of art. My closing thoughts are this: if you are an artist, writer, poet, singer-songwriter, creative, etc., I encourage you to produce your art for the sake of it. Don’t worry about how many hits it’ll get, don’t worry about its virality, don’t worry about the money. All of that will come if you approach your art with sincerity, integrity, and inspiration. In a world of capitalism, monetization, and commodification, don’t be afraid to separate what you do for work from what you do for passion. Who knows, it may just cure your writer’s block!

blog tags: art history louvre museums philosophy