A work of art needs to be carefully considered. You spend time thinking about your brief; you do the necessary critical and contextual background research, gather the necessary resources and create your work of art only when every aspect of it has been well thought out. The result is, hopefully, a piece of work that communicates your ideas in an imaginative way. An essay is no different - you still need the right balance of elements; you need to carefully consider how you are going to approach your brief, do the necessary background research and think about what textual analysis, quotes from theorists, and contextual information is necessary in order to effectively communicate and evidence your argument.