Permission to Make Ugly Art

Some of my paintings looked like they were completed during a Carolina hurricane. After staring at the mishmash, I realized those awkward paintings often taught me more than the pretty ones.

"Whoa!" you may say. "How can that be?"

Let me explain what I mean by ugly. I'm not talking about art that's bad. I'm talking about art that isn't trying to win a beauty contest.

When someone is learning a new creative skill, the results can be messy. Imperfect lines, spilled paint, pastel smears, or a project that simply doesn't come together the way we hoped. That isn't failure. It's the journey. Every brushstroke, every mistake, and every experiment moves us one step closer to becoming the artist we want to be.

But "ugly" can also be something much deeper.

Sometimes our art carries anger, grief, loss, or sadness. Those emotions aren't pretty, and they aren't supposed to be. Joy may appear as flowers, butterflies, and bright colors. Grief may arrive as rain, dark clouds, or a storm that refuses to pass. Creating those images gives our emotions somewhere safe to exist outside of ourselves. Whether we paint, quilt, draw, knit, sculpt, or work with another creative medium, giving shape to difficult feelings can transform them into something meaningful.

So today—or any day—I hope you'll give yourself permission to create the "ugly." Let the page hold your storm clouds, your gray skies, or your lightning. Let it hold your practice, your mistakes, your questions, and your emotions.

Because ugly art isn't the opposite of beautiful art.

Sometimes it's simply the first step toward healing, learning, and finding joy again.