Proust's advice to artists

Don't worry about what other people think

Proust’s advice to artists

Hidden away in Proust’s In Search of Lost Time Vol. 2 is a wonderful little piece of art-theory. In fact, Proust had written several essays and critical reflections on art and artists before starting his magnum opus, and some of his opinions make their way into the book, where they show up as miniature disquisitions. One such passage asks a seemingly simple question: What does it mean to be a genius?

In this wonderful passage, Proust argues against the cliché of the genius as an isolated thinker, born too soon, only to be appreciated posthumously. He takes implicit aim at Schopenhauer’s famous aphorism that, “talent hits a target no-one else can hit, genius hits a target no-one else can see.”

Against this stereotype, Proust comes up with a radically new theory of genius. He disregards the ‘great-men’ theory of history, to instead argue for a much more humble and ultimately emancipatory conception of creativity. His basic point: a genius is not a visionary, but rather someone who creates the very world in which their work is retroactively validated. In other words, a genius is someone who has the courage to work against the mainstream, taking pleasure in the work for its own sake, and in so doing builds an increasingly large community. To put it in Hegelian terms, the genius a master, not because he sets other people free, but because in his work he is so absolutely free that he allows others to imagine themselves becoming thus as well.

As Proust puts it:

It is his work itself which, by fertilizing the rare spirits capable of appreciating it, will make them grow and multiply. (And in so doing) create what was missing when the work appeared: people capable of liking it.”

It’s a seemingly simple, yet quite complex argument. Proust is essentially making the point that instead of worrying about whether or not your work will be remembered, you should focus on creating a community around it, and in so doing, you essentially create the very preconditions by which it can have an impact on people’s lives. The genius is a ‘master’ in the sense that he serves as a role-model for others, essentially saying, “look, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can do things differently”. His very freedom is so absolute that it helps other people free themselves. Think about your favorite artists, be they musicians, writers, or painters. They all have one thing in common: they proved it could be done differently.

This is what the German idealist philosopher Hegel would have characterized as positing the presuppositions, namely the process by which the effect retroactively appears to determine the cause. Which is to say, the very idea of genius is paradoxical. As soon as someone is crowned a genius they are already too popular to be one, and vice versa, if someone simply works in obscurity thinking themselves a genius, then they never really become one. As Proust cautions, the genius who works with an eye towards posterity is likely to remain in obscurity, whereas the work which creates its own posterity can only be known after the fact. As Proust puts it, every artist “launches their work towards the depths of the distant future.”

Proust’s advice to the artist -if one can really call it ‘advice’- is therefore to stop worrying about popularity, be it current or posthumous. He suggests that the true artist through his work creates the very preconditions through which it will one day be seen and possibly recognized. It’s also a tacit injunction to create something that you would like to see exist in the world. And if you create fearlessly and independently, your work will speak for itself and attract others like you.

And in a sense this is exactly what Proust was able to do in his own life. In Search of Lost Time is a novel like no other, and that’s precisely what makes it so unforgettable. It’s an important reminder that as an artist your ultimate responsibility is towards yourself. Don’t worry so much about what other people will make of it. Instead, take your work seriously, commit yourself completely, and trust that it will find its way into the right hands. As the contemporary expression goes: “real recognizes real”.

This one goes out to all the artists out there.

Never stop creating. Never compromise your vision. Cultivate patience, focus, and determination. But above all, place trust in the intelligence of your (future) audience. As Proust writes, “the work has to create its own posterity.”

Julian

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