The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur - The Atlantic: Pronounce the word artist, to conjure up the image of a solitary genius. A sacred aura still attaches to the word, a sense of one in contact with the numinous. “He’s an artist,” we’ll say in tones of reverence about an actor or musician or director. “A true artist,” we’ll solemnly proclaim our favorite singer or photographer, meaning someone who appears to dwell upon a higher plane. Vision, inspiration, mysterious gifts as from above: such are some of the associations that continue to adorn the word.
This article is incredibly interesting. I was most struck by what it said about the definition of art as “craft,” because I think that that definition still lives on, even now when art bends that definition. Art can be beautiful, it can be stirring, it can be emotional, enlightened, etc. but what I think is forgotten sometimes is the skill and time taken to create something. Aside from that, each person has their own definition of art; can we really create an objective list of qualities to check off in order for something to be art?
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, I read an article by Malcolm Gladwell on the impact of social media on activism, and it said something similar to this article about social media and networking. When creating networks through social media, Gladwell argues that one is creating a “loose-tie” relationship, more of an acquaintance than a partnership or friend. In the art world, I think the same thing happens when people try to spread themselves over several mediums or across wide networks of people. The amount of time that must be devoted to a project, when split across several, becomes insufficient. Thus, artistry and skill fall to the wayside, replaced with convenience.
The article starts by emphasizing the mysterious connotations that come with the word “artist.” I definitely agree- I’m familiar with the idea of the “poor starving artist,” and the solitary hermit. Creativity comes with some secrecy and mystique for those who are more academic (for lack of a better word). But I grew up with two artist parents- a graphic designer turned freelance painter, and a retired oils and acrylic painter. With the word “artist,” I only saw my parents and myself. While I don’t have the same experience the article applies to the reader, I do have first hand experience with the idea of the artist becoming a creative entrepreneur. My mother is now successful in her niche creative world, selling her gorgeous watercolor paintings in stores in our hometown. But, for a while, she was in tension with this feeling that she needed to be more successful (in the monetary way). While I’m frustrated that this took her away from some of that mysterious creativity, I’m immensely proud that she was able to find a way to retain some of it in the modern world.
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