Narrativising Artistic Discovery : Creating a Unique Artist Identity through Critical Self-Reflection

This book explores how artistic identity evolves through creative practice, self-reflection, and philosophical inquiry, using the experience of artist Ralph Klewitz as a case study. Klewitz’s research evolves through active questioning, reinterpretation, and self-discovery, demonstrating how these dynamics continuously reshape his artistic identity. His introspection serves as a model for artists, showing how self-reflection can foster growth and identity formation. Using the Socratic method, Klewitz engages in a continual process of inquiry that informs his research. Reflecting on both his artistic process and the interpretation of his art, he integrates philosophical perspectives from thinkers like Bergson, Derrida, and Barthes, examining how personal experience intersects with philosophical thought. His journey illustrates that artistic identity is fluid, shaped over time through critical inquiry. Klewitz examines how gaining a deeper understanding of one’s work enables artists to communicate more clearly, thereby enhancing audience engagement and actively contributing to the discourse surrounding their art. Artists, art educators, researchers in creative practice, philosophy, and social sciences, as well as students exploring artistic development, will find this book essential. It also offers key insights for the wider art world community and individuals in the creative industries, particularly those interested in the intersection of art, identity, and social engagement.