The Groove 193 - Why Relatability Matters
WHY RELATABILITY MATTERS
Maybe you have wondered why things everywhere have to be laced with complexity, enormous barriers to entry, and impossible standards of exclusivity. Technology that is upgraded daily. Works of art that are incomprehensible, as if surrounded by barbed wire. Writers who seem holier-than-thou by choosing cumbersome words and presenting alienating ideas. Fashion that’s unwearable and uncomfortable. Billionaires who live on their private islands in 40-bedroom mansions with built-in panic rooms.
But here’s a dirty little secret: producing work that is relatable to others matters now and it will forever, as it allows the creation to resonate more deeply with larger audiences. Producing accessible things fosters connection, memorability, engagement, and impact. Case in point: Amazon is a two trillion-dollar company, while LVMH is a $382 billion one. (I know, both numbers are insane anyway, but you get the idea.)
Beryl Cook was one of England’s most relatable contemporary painters. Born in Surrey in 1926, the third of four daughters, Cook had several odd jobs starting at 14 when she dropped out of high school. At 22, she married her childhood sweetheart John Cook and moved to London, followed by a 10-year stint in South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). This is where at the age of 40, after having bought paint and brushes for her son, she accidentally produced her first painting. What defined the next four decades for Cook was an honest ability to make paintings that were relatable. Here are the maxims that guided her work:
Capture the Mundane
Beryl Cook in Plymouth, UK, 1982. Goddard Archive Portraits / Alamy Stock Photo.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Four Loves: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, What! You too? I thought I was the only one!” The minute you decide to be and produce work that is relatable, you start gaining “friends” so to speak.
Cook's art highlights the beauty and significance of ordinary life. By focusing on daily scenes and activities, she tells us that joy, humor, and meaning can be found in the mundane aspects of life. This aligns with existentialist ideas that emphasize finding meaning in everyday life.
In 1975, Cook, already back in England and settled in Plymouth, had been selling her work informally from her home studio when the manager of the Plymouth Arts Centre convinced her to hold an exhibition. She had over 70 paintings in her possession and little space left to display them. She was astonished when the exhibition sold out, at around £600 for each work, £590 more than she had earned for the few pieces she had reluctantly sold before.
Beryl Cook, The Bathing Pool, 1991, oil on panel.
What followed was her unstoppable ascent: an article about her appeared in The Sunday Times, leading to exhibitions at the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Portal Gallery in London.
People were fascinated with Cook’s paintings because they were easily understood. She evoked a sense of shared experience or commonality with its audience. She honored everyday individuals and their routine activities, such as dancing, cooking, drinking, shopping, and socializing. She conveyed the spirit of British social life for the common folk with warmth and humor, making her paintings relatable to a broad audience.
There was nothing elitist, complicated or sacrosanct about her work or the way Cook saw life: “I hope my pictures convey some of the pleasure, fury, amazement and delight I feel in activities going on around me.”
When people see their own experiences, feelings, or struggles reflected in a piece of art, they are more likely to feel understood and validated, which can lead to a stronger emotional response and lasting impact.
Highlight the Joy in the Human Experience
Beryl Cook, In The Club, 1986. Oil on board.
Have you ever been in situations where your intellect muffled your heart and intuition, and the consequences were missed opportunities or taking the wrong turn? When rationality overtakes emotions, the quality of the work often diminishes as well. No matter how much AI threatens to take over, we aren’t robots.
That was never an issue for Cook. “If I saw something sad I wouldn't dream of painting that. It wouldn't mean anything to me to paint it. I might feel sorry for them, but I certainly wouldn't want to paint it.” The artist’s emphasis on human interaction and connection in her work underscored the importance of community and relationships. Her art often depicts people enjoying life together, reminding viewers of the value of social bonds and shared experiences. She didn’t need to over intellectualize what she saw or felt.
Highlighting joy tends to have a broader appeal because it speaks to common human experiences. This makes the work likeable to a wider audience, increasing its reach and influence. It can bridge cultural, social, and economic divides, uniting people through shared themes and narratives: “I love it when I see people enjoying themselves. I'd quite like to be the one singing and dancing drunkenly in the middle of a crowd!”
The More Accessible, The Bigger the Impact
Beryl Cook, Bar & Barbara, 1986. Oil on board.
Despite not being universally acclaimed by art critics, Cook's work has enjoyed immense popularity with the general public. Her prints, cards, and calendars have been widely reproduced, bringing her art into countless homes and making it accessible to hundreds of thousands of people.
In 1995, a series of Royal Mail stamps showcased her artwork alongside Rodin and Renoir. That same year, she was honored with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contributions to the field of art. In January 2004, her characters starred in a two-part animated TV series, called “Bosom Pals”, made for the BBC.
Cook was so popular because she was documenting the happy and ordinary side of life in England (pubs, beers, seaside vignettes, bridge parties, picnics in the park) and places she vacationed, like Paris (a couple eating escargots with their dog at the fancy restaurant Le Train Bleu, where nothing has changed) or New York (two ladies, arm-in-arm wearing mink coats and fashionable handbags walking in midtown, yellow cab in the background). “I only paint when I'm excited by something, and what excites me is the joy in life,” Cook often said.
Some of the most authentic and innovative artists of our era are once again engaging directly with a broad audience because they are relatable. When Beryl Cook died in 2008, she had built a happy life and was financially secure, consistently producing hundreds of paintings that by then were in the £30,000 to £35,000 price range; prices that have remained stable despite the snobbery of the art establishment.
The moral of the story is that accessibility amplifies impact. This holds true across various domains of human endeavor, from art and literature to technology and education. By breaking down barriers and ensuring inclusivity, simple but powerful ideas are strengthened to reach and resonate with a wider audience, fostering deeper connections and driving meaningful change.
Embracing relatability not only enhances engagement and understanding but also promotes empathy and equity, ultimately enriching our collective experiences and shaping a more inclusive future for all.