Living with the unknown: The Art of Uncertainty
During my school years, one of the greatest products of the internet age transformed our relationship with knowledge: Wikipedia had just arrived and could answer almost any question or provide any fact to quench my endless curiosity. Teachers warned us about the trap of easy answers, just as today’s teachers caution against relying too heavily on ChatGPT. This wonderful new way of accessing information helped me develop the belief that the modern world was providing more and more certainty in our lives.
After leaving art school, my illusion of certainty collided with reality and quickly shattered. Working on the phones at the ambulance service exposed me to many situations without any straight or easy answers. Long-term illness and mental health crises are just two examples of how real life strips us of certainty. It became clear that no amount of data or preparedness could guard us from life’s messier truths — the unknown wasn’t an exception, it was the rule.
The problem isn’t that science is flawed or leading us astray. I still believe it’s the best path to truth and understanding the world. But along with it, we must know that knowledge is finite, flawed and limited. Up against the vast and random nature of the universe, we must learn to deal with uncertainty as a part of everyday life. Faced with this unpredictability, I questioned how we, as a culture, handle the unknown. What tools do we have to face it, and which have we lost?
Ancient spiritual traditions embraced the unknown, often personifying it in gods who were, by nature, beyond human comprehension. In contrast, today’s culture, emphasising immediacy and answers, can leave little room for uncertainty. The modern world is missing this acceptance of our limitations. Instant gratification and easy access to knowledge only fuel our desire for immediate answers.
Ideally, when a question arises, the journey becomes the answer. The lone knight on a quest into the unknown faces many challenges, each shaping them. The urge to explore the world and resolve our problems sets us on a journey — one likely to transform us in unforeseeable ways. Finding the courage to go on this journey and to face uncertainty is a key part of being human and growing as an adult. Think of countless stories like The Green Knight, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or Aladdin.
After navigating turbulent personal experiences, like living through COVID and the invasion of Ukraine, I’ve learned to accept the unknown. It’s not just life’s terrible twists, but its sweet surprises too — a burst of sunshine, discovering a new café when you take a different route home or the spontaneous things you do when someone cancels on you. We don’t all need a great quest to go on to have a transformative journey, but transformation often unfolds through times of uncertainty.
As an artist, I’ve come to see that the unknown isn’t just something to endure — it’s where creativity lives. Every blank canvas, every uncertain idea carries a spark of possibility. The journey of creation is a slow one, fraught with uncertainty. Embracing the process of chance happenings and chaotic outcomes is where art and beauty collide. I love going to the studio and not knowing exactly what I am doing or ignoring my plans to explore a new idea. Magic often happens in these unplanned moments.
