Why do we feel so compelled to create? What drives the human soul to make something out of nothing? Is it a god complex? And if so, why do we need to feed that greed? Nothing lasts forever. Not even the notes of Aristotle. As an artist, I feel the need to communicate not with my words, but with the pictures I can paint in your mind. They say that a single image triggers thoughts, tastes, sensations and smells that lay dormant in your mind. Either of memories past, or of ideas about the future. "A picture's worth a thousand words". While we can't all be the next Monet, every artist still strives to leave their impressionistic mark on the world. Trying, just as the ancient Egyptians did, to be remembered throughout the millenniums.
As an artist, I am humble in the understanding that there are many MANY artists out there better than I. And yet I have to make my living at it, selling the idea that I am better at fabricating ideas than any other. This is not me. It's not even my own personal ideals. However, I must conform to this stereotypical megalomania that seems to embody most artists. I pay top dollar for an education that states that I can do what I had to prove I could do just to attend the school that I do!! It's redundant. It's trivial. And I'm sick of it all... A hundred thousand dollars later, I'll be starving on the street, but will have the paper to prove that I can do the one thing I have always done best... It's funny, how backwards our society works.
Artists, as a general rule, hide behind their work. Afraid to be scrutinized for what they come up with, or state in a drawing. And yet it's ourselves we're really selling. A name, a reputation. Later Van Gogh's sell for millions, all because of the name. Not necessarily the skill level of the artist. Hell, Vincent's earlier work is AMAZINGLY striking... Yet it's the later works we all realize. The tortured cries of a man gone mad. Not one piece of his work sold during his lifetime. In his time, Vincent Van Gogh was a failure. Mankind feeds off of the kind of insanity we are constantly told to fear. And yet we still suffer from the god complex... we have to understand it, so we study it... So backwards.
So when you see an artist's work, try not to dwell on whether or not you like the composition, but go farther. What color scheme did they use? How about their variation of line? What are the materials used to construct it? What was their process? Maybe this will help you to understand an artist's piece, or maybe you just think I'm a kook. Either way, just remember that an artist must face thousands of rejections every day. If one person likes a work, then it is a success. We leave it to the mercy of the viewer.
Well, thanks for reading my thoughts. Until we meet again~
~Later Datez~
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Just a figment of your deranged imagination...
Community Member
Life is a process -
Art is not about leaving a mark -
it is about making an impression.
Only God creates -
we just form things out of what he gave us.