Embracing Uncertainty

So many people hate and fear uncertainty. It causes much stress and anxiety and we often prefer certain bad news to doubt. We turn to technology for certainty, only to find we become dependent, addicted—and more anxious than ever. But artists live with uncertainty: unsure how their work will develop, whether it will succeed or, if it does, why. Yet they have agency and independence, taking risks and running towards what they don’t know. It has never been more necessary for us to become creative actors in our own future. So what is it about the way that artists live and work that gives them such great capacity not just to endure uncertainty but to use it so productively? Margaret Heffernan argues for the vital integration of art into all aspects of our lives and for artists to guide us using their stamina, independence and endurance.