Things Artists Might Not Need to Give a Hoot About ...
Sharing an old favorite from the archives about figuring out your priorities and boundaries in your own creative process. And wondering what you don't give a hoot about creatively.
If you were my one of my Patreon subscribers circa 2022 then you’ve seen this before, but most of my readers here didn’t know me there and as I was going through my archives, this one stood at as one I wanted to share again.
If you give a hoot about the things that I write, it would be really helpful if you opted into a paid subscription.
I just finished reading Sarah Knight's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck." This parody of the Marie Kondo book is all about "how to stop spending time you don't have with people you don't like doing things you don't want to do." In other words, it's about figuring out what you do and don't want to give your time, energy, and space to and then learning to let go of caring what other people think about your decisions (with the caveat that you can do so without "being an asshole.")
Why "Give a Hoot"
It got me thinking about all different kinds of things in terms of priorities and what we give ourselves to. About the things I want to give a hoot about or don't. And about the things artists might be empowered to not give a hoot about, especially if it helps their mental health and overall wellness,
Why am I using the term "give a hoot" instead of "give a fuck"? Well, I personally don't have an issue with swearing at all. But I've met people who do, and I've realized that overusing swear words can immediately turn them off and tune out the message that you're sending.
But honestly the reason is that I think it's more fun and funnier to say "I don't give a hoot." It feels light to me, and that actually feels good. I think that there are some serious boundary-setting things where I might feel better saying, "you know what, I am not going to give a fuck about that" but for all the littler things, I think for me it's better to be like, "ha, I don't even give a hoot about that."
Two Steps of Giving a Hoot
Knight identifies two parts to this. First, you identify what you do and don't give a hoot about in the sense of "do I care about this at all?" This applies to small things and big things. For example, she notes that despite everyone's seeming interest in these things, she doesn't give a hoot about travel to Iceland or listening to Taylor Swift or reading The New Yorker. She does, however, give a hoot about things ranging from the show Shameless to the issue of climate change. So, this part is just an ongoing process of asking yourself, "do I care about this thing?"
And then second is the literally giving of hoots to things, meaning giving your time, your energy, your money. You can care about something and not have the hoots to give to it in this way. And it's okay to identify that, say that you can't, and let it go. Or limit your giving.
In other language, some might call this knowing how many spoons you have and allotting them to things accordingly.
The Only Rule About Giving a Hoot
Knight argues that the number one thing is that you have to learn not to give a hoot about what other people think. Easier said than done, of course.
And she points out that this doesn't mean that you don't care about people. You can refuse to give a hoot about their opinions but still care about their feelings. So, in some instances, you might not care at all about the thing that they want you to do with them, but you care about their feelings and know it's a big deal to them, so you go ahead and choose to give some of your hoots to that anyway.
Things I Don't Give a Hoot About in Crochet
Crochet has been my main creative outlet for a long time and also a way that I’ve made a living in various capacities over the years. In crochet, there are a lot of things that I don't give a hoot about that a lot of other people in the industry care about a whole lot. So I’ll use that as an example for you about things I don’t give a hoot about at all or kinda give a hoot about sometimes within the context of a craft I do give a hoot about.
Mainly, I don't give a hoot about imperfections. Some people want their work to be as perfect as possible. I don't. For me, it's about process, and it's about the finished product looking and feeling good to me, which is more about color and stitch choice than perfect details. So, as a result of this, some of the things that I specifically don't care about in crochet include:
Following a pattern to the letter
Following a pattern at all
Leaving in a mistake that I don't notice until later (for those who don't crochet, a mistake doesn't affect the integrity of the work - the fabric won't come apart because of one error - which it sometimes can in knitting in other crafts - so it's just a visual thing)
Perfectly weaving in my ends; I hate sewing and although I do okay with crocheting over my ends, I don't actually care if they poke out
Blocking my work, which basically means using various techniques to stretch it to get the right size and drape. Don't care. Never do it.
Using lots of complicated stitches. I know how. Sometimes it's really fun to learn. But I don't use them often.
Shaping garments properly. I don't care. I use super simple shapes, which may or may not end up flattering on a body. I care how I feel in the piece but not that it's shaped exactly.
Even in crochet, I have worried about what people think about this. I work with a lot of professional crochet designers, authors, and teachers. As a result, these issues come up. I've at times felt embarrassed about my lack of professionalism.
But you know what, I don't have to give a hoot. I crochet for myself and as gifts, so it's not like people are paying for my finished work with a mistake in it. When I'm doing professional work, I approach it a bit differently.
I've written crochet patterns for the web and for magazines, I've edited crochet patterns for blogs, and I care that there aren't mistakes in those patterns. Why? Because people are using the patterns. Moreover, sometimes I do block work and take better photos and try to perfect a piece because I am doing it for someone else's website. That's my job. I give a hoot about doing the job well and about setting that other person's small business up for success even if those aren’t things I give a hoot about in my own creative process.
I don't give a hoot at all about doing my own crochet work perfectly. In fact, embracing imperfection in crochet is one of the things I'm all about. I write about it a lot in my exercises in my book Hook to Heal. Because life is messy. And if you can let go of perfectionism and concern and giving a hoot in crochet, it helps you learn how to do it in harder areas of life.
Other Creative Things I Don't Give a Hoot About
Crochet is my main creative outlet. But of course I also write for a living and I do collage art for fun. There are things I don't give a hoot about in those things too that I am "supposed to." For example, I don't care about typos at all. They don't bother me. They never have. In fact, when I see them in someone else's published work, I often find them charming.
I really don't care at all about fixing typos in my own writing. I try to do it in work I'm doing for other people because, again, I care about my job. But I've also found honestly that if I give my attention to the parts of the work I do give a hoot about (getting my facts straight, sharing my opinions clearly, writing authentically) then that part actually matters a lot less to most people anyway.
I also don't care about properly citing things. I care about giving credit where credit is due. If I use a source, I make sure to find some way for readers to be able to easily locate that source. But properly citing it in APA or MLA format - don't care at all. I've done it for jobs and I don't give a hoot about it and if I can get away with not doing it, I do so.
Collage there's less pressure because I rarely share that work with anyone. So there's not much there I even think I need to give a hoot about at all. But one example is that I always use double sided tape when working on collages whereas for various reasons most artists use different types of glue. I don't give a hoot about the right glue.
I do give a hoot about making a sustainable living off of my writing and that requires paid subscribers here on Substack. I do give a hoot about doing solid work here on a consistent basis to build a library of information and resources exploring the complex relationship between art and mental health. I do give a hoot about building community and supporting others in their journeys here. If you give a hoot about any of that, please give me one of those hoots with a subscription!
Things Artists Might Not Need To Give a Hoot About
So, I think it could be valuable for artists to consider honestly what they do and don't want to give a hoot about in their work. I listened to a talk by Judy Chicago, who shared her ongoing struggle throughout her career to determine if she gave a hoot about critical reviews of her work. On the one hand, she didn't, or she would have stopped making the work when it wasn't well-received. On the other hand, she did, because without that support she couldn't make a living. The distinction really was that she didn't give a hoot what the critics thought about her work but she did give a hoot about getting enough support to be able to keep making her art.
Each artist has to decide for themselves what they do and don't give a hoot about and how many hoots they want to give to things. Neither I nor Knight are suggesting that this is about not caring about anything or anyone at all anymore. Instead, it's about figuring out what you truly do care about and what energy, time, money, space you have to give. You only have so much so it's really about prioritizing giving your hoots to the things that you actually, well, give. hoot about.
And I do believe that this is especially important for artists with mental health challenges, artists whose mental health symptoms can impede their art making as well as other areas of life, and artists in general who are sensitive to maintaining overall wellness. So, with that in mind, some of the things that artists might decide not to give a hoot about include:
Using the "right" materials
Knowing how to use all or most of the materials in an art category (oils, watercolor, acrylic, for example)
Art history (comprehensive or specific)
Going to art school
Growing a social media following
Posting consistently about art online
Knowing how to do specific tasks within their art field (complicated crochet stitches, for example)
Reading reviews of their work
Getting their work reviewed at all
Having art shows, exhibits, getting published, etc.
Having art shows, exhibits, getting published, etc. in the "right" spaces
Getting recognition from the leaders in the niche
Applying for grants
Having an art studio or dedicated art space
Making art a full-time job, a part-time job, getting paid for art
Working on specific themes (when everyone's making climate change art, it doesn't mean that's your issue to care about)
Art market trends
Prolific creation, daily creation, creation on a schedule
Perfectly framing finished pieces
Finishing pieces
These are just a handful of examples off of the top of my head. Artists (humans) get to choose what they give a hoot about. And the hoots you give might change over time. For example, I really gave a hoot about getting a publisher to hire me to write a book when I was in my twenties and early thirties. I don't give a hoot about that now. Instead, I give a hoot about writing books I care about and getting them into the world by whatever means make sense for that project, perhaps with a small publisher or perhaps a big one or perhaps self-published.
Artists (humans) do give a hoot about a whole lot of different things, big and small. But we don't have to, in fact we can't, give a hoot about everything. We have to determine for ourselves what matters to us as creative individuals. And we have to find a way to, graciously, let go of what people think about the rest.
Your list of things artists and creative people might choose to not give a hoot about is great. Knowing what we care about and what we can let go of (regardless of how others do it) is really important as we find and maintain our own balance.
I absolutely resonate with your perspective on the art of not giving a hoot. Your list of things artists might not need to give a hoot about is thought-provoking, offering artists the opportunity to reflect on what truly drives their passion and what might be causing unnecessary stress or pressure.