DUTY OF THE ARTIST

A sense of duty runs through our society. What it means to me may not be what it means to you. But what does it mean for the artist? If you are given a gift that makes you an artist, do you have an obligation to share it?

To be sure, technical skills are valued and rewarded with good paying jobs and paid vacations. But artistic jobs are harder to find. Granted, if you land one of them you can certainly be well-compensated for your talents. It seems that art is little valued in our faced-paced electronic world. Of course, technical skills and mechanical skills create products and services that put food on our table and feed our bodies. Art, on the other hand, is mainly about feeding our souls. Prioritizing them is therefore quite easy. Ya gotta eat, folks!

But can a society be well adjusted by only feeding the body? I don’t think so. A well adjusted society must include the arts. We are unique creatures, we humans, in that we draw (and share) inspiration and create beauty with our own hands and minds. Not everyone can create it on a scale that transcends mediocrity. Most probably cannot. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t! I believe that more people have artistic gifts than we imagine. I think we reject these gifts, sublimating them in order to please our families by getting a “good” job and putting food on the table. I personally believe you can do both. I have.

Art for profit and fun! Have many of us artists are made to feel like complete and abject failures if we do not get rich from our talents? Sure, we want to achieve the money and freedom that goes with commercial success, but that cannot be allowed to define who we are and how we go about sharing our creativity. In short, the artist must have fun! At least some fun… How else can you drag yourself away from making money to pay the bills and take another stab at creating and then sharing your art? When we lose the joy of art we deny part of ourselves; a vital part that makes up who we really are. That’s why I always tell creative people to make sure that the person they marry shares their dream instead of indulging it. If I couldn’t continue to create, I would become a far different person; a very different person than the one my wife fell in love with many years ago.

Now, about the duty of an artist: you and I have an obligation to continue to explore our world through art, either by observing or creating AND to encourage everyone else to do the same! Even if someone protests that they are not an artist, nor do they “get” art. Plant the seed for them encouraging them to give their creative side a chance to breathe.

Who knows what they result may be? The world may get another Picasso or Michelangelo. Of course, the result might be another Tiny Tim… or Tom Arnold…

But I still think it’s worth the risk.

I’m just saying...