21
05
2008
Creativity™
Posted by: admin in The excesses of artists, Artist stereotypes, Art humor, Myth of creativity, Idealizing bohemian excess, Misunderstanding the artist's life, Doomed artist, Artistic delusion, Cult of creativity, Artists are their own worst enemies, Artistic failure in AmericaThe cartoon below says everything you need to know about why artist are doomed to failure. (Side effects of creativity include: “poverty, impaired judgement, poor health, difficulty with relationships, delusions of grandeur, alienation, anxiety, dependence on the approval of strangers, and bad reviews.”)
Entries (RSS)
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I’m confused, is this comic about the dangers of art or methamphetamine?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Ha ha. Good point Sam. Maybe it’s a little bit of both… Although I’m not sure “bad reviews” are a side-effect of methamphetamine! (Ha ha ha!)
But hey, just so you know to keep an eye out Sam, your pal Glenn and I are mixed up in a new venture: An art criticism blog for the Rake. It’s called “The Thousandth Word,” and is now included in CAFA’s blogroll links. Help spread word, and maybe it’ll survive!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
Looking forward to the new blog - the first post appears to be still in production. BTW, I thought I heard the Rake was going out of business? Must have been my imagination.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
Rakemag ceased publication of its print magazine after March, but it continues to survive with several print projects, including the recently released 10,000 Arts and an upcoming guide to the cities. It also has begun to expand its online magazine at www.rakemag.com. Note: The nascent “Thousandth Word” blog should go fully live on Sunday! Be among the first regular readers of this essential new venue for arts writing. Or be among the initial horde of subscribers to a fantastic new local arts publishing venture.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I enjoyed the first post. Your negatively is warranted and to be expected, but I think I see one possible reason for our difference of perspective. While I do see myself as part of a great tradition of past sculptors, I never think of myself as seeking to “advance the [greater] cause of art.” Such a large and amorphous goal is impossible to quantify and therefore makes for a poor motivational goal. Instead, I push myself to create the best sculptures I can, one at a time, and then put myself in situations where I can find people who want to make them a part of their life. It’s much more grass-roots, much more small-scale. I’m looking for a relationship with one person, one couple, one collector.
While in North Carolina for a show recently, I had one of the best experiences of my professional life meeting a couple and placing a major piece in their home (well, just outside their home). That is my goal, connecting on a very small scale. I would have considered the trip a success even if I hadn’t learned he was a VIP, former museum director/etc. Perhaps that will lead to the type of influence you mention, being a part of a larger movement/art community, but ultimately, that is beyond my control.
May 25th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Thanks for tuning in, Sam.
The question you take issue with was rhetorical.
Here was another such question, which, though you did not attempt to answer it, I think I already know the answer:
“Or, are we all, like everyone else, just in it for ourselves, and ourselves alone?”
May 25th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
“After all, we all have the same goals at heart, right? We all seek to advance the cause of art in Minnesota and to ensure the survival of ancient and honorable traditions that are much bigger than any single one of us? Right?”
If rhetorical, there is either an implied Yes or an implied No. If Yes, then you meant to state the obvious - in which case you agree with the statement and my comment stands. If No, then you do not believe we work to advance the greater cause of art, which would suggest we’re in it for our own, short-term, selfish goals. Your second rhetorical question must then be affirmed as well, leading to the conclusion that you believe your own work/actions, like everyone else’s, to be fundamentally selfish.
If you really wanted to get my take on the second question, it could be an interesting discussion. But I suspect you were simply trying to get in a dig, so I’ll pass.
May 25th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
My work/actions are obviously fundamentally selfish. Why else would I become a blogger?
I am interested in getting your take on the second question, if only to continue this conversation–which I find infinitely more fascinating than listening to yet another artist begging for some sort of press coverage (in what venue, I have no idea….) But that’s not really saying much.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Of course we act in our own interest, that’s not very interesting. But I was thinking of the ideological extremes, lets call them the “true believer” and “cynical professional,” that I think people tend to fall between. They are especially evident in politics/government where you have the professionals working behind the scenes, keeping the machine running irregardless of the candidate of the moment and the believers who fervently support a particular pol, or hell, maybe the pol is a true believer as well. (It happens, I just don’t think they tend to get very far.)
Artists in general tend to prefer the true believers, thinking they are more pure and righteous. Dedicated to the cause, not interested in themselves, simple conduits for a greater power. But of course they are self-interested as well, their interest merely takes a different form, usually seeking glory, respect, and egotistical reward. They usually act from a place of weakness, as Eric Hoffer says, “for those who have the skill to move mountains, faith is irrelevant.” Every now and again, a true believer will succeed, bring about massive change and command the admiration of many. They’re like the lottery, paying out just often enough, and just big enough, to keep people buying tickets.
The smart money, however, is on the professionals. They are the true motive power, attaining and maintaining their influence through skill, labor and cunning. They pull the levers and keep the wheels moving. In the process, they slowly accumulate influence and affect the structure of society. It goes without saying that they are self-interested, that does not mean that some don’t work to bring about plenty of good as well. But the important thing is that they are able to influence simply by being around for so long, by learning their craft inside and out, and maintaining.
This is very simply sketched out (and it’s quite late). It gets more complicated because I believe at their core, many believers are cynics and many cynics are scorned believers. All working in their own interest, for me, it’s a matter of whose more effective and in-line with reality. So I’m content to maintain, to improve over time, to support my family, and to find a few collectors. Before I know it, 30-40 years will have passed and a legacy will magically come into being.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Sam, these are astute observations. I can’t argue with your view of your profession in the least. Thanks for offering them up here.