Like many of us, I am an artist who has defined my artistic career by the institutions that granted me entry. This quarantine is causing them to suffer, which is causing my colleagues and mentors and teachers to suffer. In this moment of tremendous uncertainty, where the future of these institutions is unstable, it feels like our future is too.
2 comments:
The idea that entertainment is a byproduct of an artists art is actually really important and profound, especially in a time like this where people are turning towards entertainment as something they need and rely on to get through this. For artists, their art can root from many different sources and reasons, many different purposes- and when it gets down to the core, it’s usually not to entertain. For audiences, they consume art for a primary purpose of being entertained, which is fostered by the institutions that also cultivate artists who create for a different purpose. It’s a contradicting dynamic almost, but it is one that is the foundation of what we have developed in a theatrical, performance art society. In it’s ultimate- I think that the biggest takeaway of this for me is that you should return to your source as an artist, because your source is what made you an artist, and what gave you the authority to commit your time, energy, and livelihood to create.
I really needed this article this week. It's really hard to feel like there's no purpose in your art because there's no huge institution backing it at the moment. It feels like we need permission to create what we love, but we shouldn't. It also bears a lesson beyond quarantine: we should make art for more than profit. It seems simple, but it's easy to forget. I understand that it is not always possible, but I think believing in your art is really important. Not every show/project can be the best or most important, but it's always better when it is. Where the author says that our purpose is to explore deep questions in life, but it's really easy for us to just go through the motions of art. I really want to try to apply the idea of this article within the confines of quarantine because I think keeping it in mind helps keep art important and meaningful for its artist.
Post a Comment