“Simple Pictures are Best”

…is a children’s book I am quite familiar with. The story goes something like this:

There is a sweet old couple who lives on a farm and is getting their picture taken with one of those old throw-a-black-sheet-over-the-photographer cameras. But each time, right before he takes the picture, they think of another and another and another thing they could put in it. Eventually, they have their whole hat collection on, produce selection in their laps, and cats by their feet… and then a bull gets loose and blocks the entire picture when it finally does get taken. 
“Simple pictures are best” warned the photographer.

In art we can overcomplicate everything. But it’s unwarranted. Art only needs to be as detailed as the artist wants it to be. There isn’t any rule on the minimum number of brush strokes to make a legitimate portrait. There isn’t a minimum number of glue sticks used to make a legitimate sculpture. 
And for my recent AP 3D portfolio, I found just because I think it’s easy to make, doesn’t mean anybody else thinks that. The message is there, and it’s illustrated in a way as to not to provide distractions. People aren’t marveling at the detail of the braid or the dresser in my “Rapunzel” piece… they’re taken aback by the image that is presented to them, and are reminded of the dark reality they live in. The rough draft gave a similar reaction to the final piece, and the rough draft only had a string and a stick figure.

I’m at times a crippling overthinker. But thankfully with my art I’ve been able to pull back and say “Nah. I like it like this.” and be satisfied with what I’ve created whether or not anybody else agrees. Whether or not it fits into an imaginary standard of effort. 

Art doesn’t have any rules to follow... so don’t bother trying.