TENET 1

THE THREE TENETS OF ART

Stoic Werewolf is not just a space for an arrogant a-hole to feel self-important; it is that, but not just that. If you feel a misguided and misunderstood beast inside you, with the desire to tame him through creation, then this is where you belong. Submit your work, and if it is good, then it will find a home here.

Your mom lied to you. Not all work/art is good. But, if you understand that, you can start towards making yours so. What constitutes good? I don’t know, but here’s a template I’ve messed around with.

1. Hard Work: To create anything of merit, some work must be put into place. It’s called artWORK for a reason. Any asshole can put a box on the ground or scream in an auditorium and call it art. It’s not. Put some thought and sweat into it.

TENET 2

 Talent/Skill: This one’s tough. Not everyone is talented. You’re just not. Though - skills can be acquired through hard work. (See rule one)

If you are willing to commit to rule one, you can cultivate many skills and talents or just one very good one.

Armed with that skill/talent, you can then begin to create. No one gets to show up on day one and paint a masterpiece, shoot a perfect double, throw a spiral, or write a story worth telling. It is possible you never will, but if you aim at it, and continue to get better along the way, you can get damn close.

Some are better off than others. That’s a hard fact of life. Some people start ahead of you, whether it be genetics, social standing, or who they know. It sucks, but it doesn’t mean you can’t close the gap.

Plus, you have no idea what they sacrificed to get there, and you never will until you are willing to do the same. Maybe it was handed to them, and if it was, I can promise you, if you put your head down and keep charging, you will pass them.

You will because they don’t know what it means to work hard, and even the most talented will not get anywhere without hard work. Somewhere along the way, they will trip over their inflated sense of self or arrogance and reach a point where their talent can no longer help them because someone just as talented is already there. When the “talented” reach this point, you pass them.

So, like I said, keep your head down until you smell blood, then pop it up and use that person as a “rabbit” of inspiration.

Nothing feels better than passing a talented and lazy rival. Nothing. Sex? No, nothing. (I went off on that one. My bad, but you get it.)

TENAT 3

It must evoke a feeling.

This is where things get tricky. Art is the human expression of our existence and meaning in a piece of tangible creation. 

These creations are our interpretation and exclamation for why we are here.

They have played out in the past and will continue to be played out again and again in different paradigms because these creations evoke feeling, something familiar, as though we have known them all our lives.

It is how we carved out our existence and our understanding of our own consciousness. 

Art must cause you to feel.

The past, the present, the future, fear, anger, joy, sorrow, and mind-shattering insanity are the feelings and places art must take us. 

It is why we feel nothing when a poor actor indicates his emotions instead of putting the emotion behind his words. (That “I don’t buy it” feeling you get when you watch someone who can’t act)

It is the same reason we feel insecure and confused by the box on the ground at the “contemporary” art exhibit.

It doesn’t evoke anything. It is nothingness disguised as creation. You feel confused because you think you should be feeling something, and yet there is nothing.

Art is not art that is without emotion and reason to guide it.

So, with those thoughts in mind, if you deem something worthy of sharing with the world, head to our contact page and email it to me. I will get back to you as soon as I can with my take and try and find a place for it here at SW.