You have made bad artwork. This does not mean that you are a terrible artist. The fact that you’ve made bad artwork in the past is actually a good indicator that you are a very good artist. There are no great artists who have not made subpar artwork. But the point of this essay is this. You have pieces of your own artwork, and they are just bad. What should you do about it? Well, you’ve come to the right place. I have made A LOT bad art. I am still in possession of some of it, and I have found a way to release some into the next dimension. Here is my basic advice:
Do it yourself. You come across a bad painting. You don’t want it anymore. You think, “Maybe Grandma would like this for her birthday?” NO. Grandma should not have to be tethered to the guilt of canning a bad painting by her grandchild. Or worse, Grandma has to keep that horrible spectacle in her presence for her few remaining years, and when she dies, it will come back to you as if to haunt you for what you did to Grandma. Also, if someone you have given or sold a piece of artwork asks you if you want it back, the answer is YES. Save them the same burden you have just saved Grandma. You made the bad artwork, only you can dispose of it without guilt.
Discreetly buy your work back from shameful places. If you see an awful drawing or print of yours in a 50 cent picture frame at thrift store or garage sale, (likely purchased by a dear friend or relative who wanted to support you at the time, but then realized that no place in their home could do your unsightly work justice), just buy the “frame with artwork”, quickly and get the hell out of there. No one else you know needs to see your name scrawled on this bit of shame.
Find those sketches at your parents house and burn them. Should you burn your old sketchbooks? Probably not. But if you happened to have taken a lot of those life drawing classes where you did a million giant gesture drawings on newsprint, with charcoal and chalk, (that still gets everywhere, even after 10 or 15 years), take a quick peek through them, just in case there is gold of some sort, and then say goodbye and add them to the cozy fire in the basement woodstove.
There is Gold! It’s true!! Your bad artwork is full of gold. You can laugh at it on a rainy day, it can give you new ideas on a good day. You should, most definitely, keep the bad art that some part of you still loves, if you have room for it. But don’t let it impede your life. If you are moving, or have chosen a light footed vagabond lifestyle, thank your bad art for its service to you, a la Marie Kondo, and set it free. Only you can, and should, do it.
Methods. It doesn’t really matter the method, though some ways seem less honorable for something you have made. Of course, what the art is will sometimes indicate the method of its disposal. I will just make a quick chart that may, (or may not), be useful to you.
Burn-Yes. Watching your work return to the elements is satisfying and when it is gone completely, that feels good.
Garbage Can-No. It feels yucky to watch your drawings mingle with hot dog wrappers and banana peels.
Recycling-Yes. Sometimes this is ok, especially when it’s just a bunch of scribbled sketches or something.
The Dump-Maybe. If you have made a refrigerator sized metal sculpture, there is a chance it can be recycled at the transfer station, which is a good thing.
Donate or give to new owners-Maybe. See bullet point number 1. Know that the piece might come back to haunt you. If you are ok with that, and you really believe that the new owner or establishment wants and loves your discarded artwork, then it’s ok.
Reuse-Yes. Cut it up and make a collage. Turn the paper over and draw on the back. Let your kids scribble all over it or color it in. It’s ok, and who knows, it might actually turn into something amazing.
Good luck and happy disposing of your bad art! Trust me, you are going to feel great about it. And if somehow you do throw something away that you wish you hadn’t, let it be a lesson to you, that you are actually a great artist and you must start making new, amazing, better and more gorgeous artwork right away!
