I
once got into an argument with a friend about the nature of art, and
what can properly be classified as art. We were talking about one guy
in particular who uses the exact same subject matter in everything
and really treats it as a logo. I argued that it was really design
because he wasn't taking advantage of all his skills with the medium,
but instead focusing on the design of his works. My friend said his
subject didn't matter as much as how successful he is with his work
and that it was art because of the methods he was using to create it.
I
brought up an analogy that ended the conversation pretty flatly:
knowing how to make art and not using your skills in producing, is
like knowing the Bible and ignoring everything it tells you about
life. Maybe it was a jump, but it did exactly what I wanted, ended
the convo.
To
me, there is a certain level of discernment that should happen when
acquiring knowledge, all the information in the world can't help you
do anything if you can't make a decision about it for yourself. But
it seems like some people are rather pleased with their views to
begin with, whether solidly founded or not. I personally can't live
that way. At what point does a person say, alright, that's everything
I'm willing to learn and experience in my life?
It
is crippling, to me at least, not to use my knowledge and my
decisions about the world, and equally not to gain knowledge and
experience. Sometimes our society will put certain people on a
pedestal for seemingly no particular reason, as the guy in the
aforementioned story is in my opinion. You can use your energy
fighting that, give up, or you can focus on yourself. I can spend my
time criticizing the guy, or I can accept that people don't see that
same way I do, make a decision about what that means for my art, and
move forward. I hope I can always choose the latter option.
Clothes
make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
- Mark
Twain
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