Me vs. the Quotes
Posted on 6 Mar 2007
Why is it that so many of us create art, and yet have such timidity naming ourselves artists or creative?
I attended an artist’s potluck at Mars Hill Grad. School, and as expected, we went around the room to introduce ourselves and explain what had brought us out. At least a handful confessed that they were not artists but liked to dabble in this or that. I believe it came from a heart of genuine humility as well as social pressure which compelled them to submit to those of us with bona fide “talent.” Oddly, I found myself mildly offended at the gesture, but then proceeded to stammer as my turn to say the “a”-word came around: [hemming and hawing] Ohhh, I’m not really an “artist.” (And what are those damn quotes doing there anyway? We don’t have an alternative definition to artist lurking out there do we? Well… perhaps.) I suppose the term “artist” is generally defined as someone who is professionally compensated by their “creative” output (more quotes). Ok, so they are Artists, capital “A”; dabblers, dilettantes and the billion others who have yet to formally subject their “creative” work to the marketplace get the lowercase. It is pronounced the same though, I might add.
So:
– a roomful of third graders are asked: “who is creative?”, [twenty-five little hands shoot to the sky]– a roomful of adults are asked: “who is creative?”, [crickets]
&thisisfunnyforareason
“Marty“
sarbro
7 Mar 2007 (22:08)
i hear you, bro, i hear you. i’m scared to death to let anyone hear me call myself a writer. ohh to have that elementary school confidence again.
Naomi
8 Mar 2007 (03:13)
I thought I was the only one who was uncomfortable…it’s good to know there are ‘others’.
LP
8 Mar 2007 (21:47)
and since when does money prove what’s really valuble?
bull. i would buy 7million copies of the album i’m listening to right now before i would buy this:
http://www.adustart.com/pg4_7thday.htm
in fact, i would go so far as to say that if your art has been tainted by money, you aren’t really an artist anymore… well, U2, they count… but so many “rich” artist these days, they are more like “poopists” than “artists”.
anyway.
LP
8 Mar 2007 (21:57)
andthisisfunnytoo:
my “occupation” on my myspace profile is “creative genius”.
yes, it is. i am not ashamed.
Joel
9 Mar 2007 (00:08)
I dislike the label “artist” because I’ve noticed that the people who claim it for themselves tend to be self-absorbed assholes. I have no problem saying that I’m a musician and a writer because I AM those things – I write and play music reguarly. But “artist” feels too abstract and elitist for me.
dan
9 Mar 2007 (17:06)
I feel that I’m truly a “poopist” at heart, but I’m uncomfortable applying that label to myself.
Zadok
12 Mar 2007 (17:54)
elitists, poopists, assholes, these are great words indeed; thank you for such insights all. may we all continue to elitely poop from our assholes–as God intended really.
vanessa
16 Mar 2007 (07:26)
artist: a self-deprecating narcissist who makes things, takes drugs, writes in all lower case letters, doesn’t eat animal products, takes meds, goes to raves, laments his miserable life, drives a shitty car or walks, feels tortured, secretly knows he is brilliant, gets signed to a major label, buys a hot shiny new car, gets the girl, sells his soul.