Out of the Rain • by Jared Knight

Art Constantly Saves
I was graciously asked by Jenny to tell my story about how art can save. Art is the only consistent thing that has ever been in my life. It's like I was born with a brush in my hand and I just never put it down. When people ask me how long it took me to paint a painting I tell them it took all of my life to finally paint this painting. So my story is not one of how art saved me in one particular incident or not. It constantly saves me.

Packed Up and Drove
I could talk about the school years but I prefer to jump straight to the meat of the story. Like leaving home for the first time. I packed up my car and drove to Colorado. I then sold my car and started taking trips, and hitch hiking across the country. A lot of times I would give plasma to supplement my income from painting portraits on the street. I simply do not know what I would do without art.

Making it Through the Day
This one time when it was raining outside I had nowhere to sleep so I went to a coffee shop to drink as much coffee so that I could to stay up through the night. Of course I had my scrapbook and I was drawing like a madman because of stress and well I guess caffeine. A table next to me noticed me drawing and came over to ask me if they could see them. They just so happen to be owners of a record store. They were renovating a place where the record store would open. It was very modern looking. They hired me on the spot. I then had work for about six months. I got a small apartment and got out of the rain. Exposure is exposure and you never know what is going to happen. You always have to play your cards and pay your dues to the simple act of creating in public. Let's not even get into mental sanity. People who do not live like this or think like this have no idea of what it is like to have to rely on your self-expression just so you can make it through the day.

Art Therapy and Learning to Let Go
There is so much work of mine out there that I have no idea where it is now because I've completely lost contact with it. This is the problem of being an artist and a vagabond and having photographic problems, storage problems and a host of many many other obstacles. There was a point when I was in a canyon with some friends and I built a catapult from junkyard goods. I then began reading aloud to the pages of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road as we launched my paintings into the canyons of Colorado. If I would not have done that I do not think I would have been able to move on in my life and would have been stunted artistically. Here we can see how art saves, even in its destruction of it. I guess I wouldn't call it destruction ... maybe more of a transition. Art gives you the ability to think beyond the box exercising your creative mind to where you can see the truth of the reality before you.

Now that I am in my late 30s, I am always painting not only out of habit but also respect to my teacher, the teacher I call art. Due to the consistency and the passion that I had in my 20s painting now has an even deeper meaning.

Out of the Rain
Art saves me by giving me the ability to converse with myself and this has given me self-awareness that I can always be doing better. Art saves me by giving me the experiences of contacting the universe every time the brush strokes the canvas. Art saves me by knowing I have a place to go out of a rain.

Jared Knight is a painter. Learn more about his work at jaredknight.com.

Comments

[Jodi Ohl]

Amazing story Jared. You've lived a life that only a few can relate to in a lot of ways, but at the root of it all is how art has 'constantly saved' you. Creativity is definitely in your blood. So many of your quotes are inspiring to me. I especially like, "It took all of my life to finally paint this painting." Thank you for sharing your story!

[Laura]

Thank you for sharing your personal story Jared. It is great to know a bit more about you and will be interesting to follow along to see where your art takes you next!
My motherly instinct is urging me to tell you to stay out of the rain! :)

[Randi Nervig]

The image of you catapulting your work into Colorado canyons while reading Jack Kerouac makes me smile. I don't have that kind of courage and admire you for doing it.

[Gia]

This gave me a whole new insight into your life and frame of mind. This is a really great story Jared. I loved every word you wrote as every one of them had meaning. You are a true artist.