The Curse of Desire
1 December 2008
18 Commentswhat is the curse? it is a basic desire to express oneself, and to be heard.
is there something pathological in this? is art a perversion that arises from the leisure time humans gained as a result of mastering agriculture? is there something autistic, some way of seeing that is innate to artists, a metaphorical landscape where language will not take us?
If this is so, then art is a form of alchemy, a search for meaning, something universal. however, in a world where such divisions exist, i.e. those giving rise to artistic vision, there is only the subjective.
the curse is found in this paradox, knowing that art is a form of play that longs to be serious but never can be, given the premise of itself.
in light of this argument, art is essentially a hobby, something done outside of the shared communal concerns (security, nutrition, family), as a leisure activity, and professional art is a kind of scam, a historical creation, that has questionable social value. in fact, the existence of an art professional construct minimizes the basic pleasure of art by making analytical, what starts as an exploration of desire.
most of us have experienced the change, from teenage creative exploration into the academic discourse of art. this argument is not meant to tear down notions of the artist as a social agent, and I’m not convinced completely of this argument, but I am trying to tear down this tension in order to free myself completely to make work that has a creative purity to it, if that is possible.
As-Salamu Alaykum
Akbar Lightning
I’d attempt to answer this and this should be a huge discussion if you ask me. More so than any art market or lack their of. I believe we are cursed and it’s nearly curable with the right medications that might make us drool. We have a complete social disorder that allows us to not function in normal society. The handful who figure out how to make it as artists i believe have figured out the scam. And a scam it is.
Creativity is genuine and natural to all children but most find a way to cap it when they realize that general society has no need for it. Continuing the journey of an artist into one’s lifetime is hard, and lonely. The one’s who continue develop deep seated social, emotional, and psychological disorders because they continue to chase this ghost when society rarely deems their desires worthy.
I hope I’m wrong.
ah, this is good right here.
i think its a matter of balancing motives that are selfless and contrary at the same time. Selfless in the sense that one is adding or giving to the world a new idea, form or cultural meme. Contrary in the sense that that new thing may contradict norms (even, and especially ours). it may upset people (like my student’s outdoor piece did today at school:))
Of course we find that balance in different anxiety- ridden ways. And perhaps sometimes we err toward too much of either. And, yes, the professional aspect of art is a game that can be played or not. If it is, it must serve the art and not the other way around.
good good lets try 2 keep this up
I think children are creative because they don’t know anything. Why is the sky blue, grass green and dirt brown? They have no idea. They are growing up in a world more complex than their young minds can comprehend. They are always asking questions… sometimes to grown ups, more often to themselves. Their creativity comes from trying to come up with an answer to all those mysteries with no real worry about tomorrow. How much great creative mythology was created by the ancients to explain things they did not understand?
Eventually, they learn a few things, stop asking questions and start worrying about what brand of shoes their wearing.
The curse is self inflicted. It’s the result of taking things to seriously. Artists are not the only ones with that problem. Every career has participants who are driven to the point of excluding all good things and good thoughts in life. The curse is also a result of thinking we’re too important… Too much “chasing after the wind.”
Frank you are right about the silliness of the professionalization of creativity, which i do think is a basic human need or function. I know that 100 years ago probably none of us would “be” an artist, certainly we would be occupied doing other things, like working in factories or on farms all day long. But i still think that creative function would still be there, perhaps in the form of folk art, music, etc.
In the end, it’s all folk art cuz its all made by folks!
I think the curse is a bit more specific to careers in the arts. There is general usefulness in most career fields and society gives them the respect they deserve. For example being a policeman or teacher. Those are very admired and respected fields to be in.
In my experience when one tells someone at a party or in greeting that they are an artist, the usual follow up question is, “So what do you do to make a living.”
Now after listening to that for fifteen years or so and still trying to convince my own mother that I would like to pursue a career as an artist it begins to really weigh on one’s soul (if we have souls).
And often times I wish I could just be like everyone else and enjoy life instead of trying to always correct it, improve, and and make it better through some sort of creative action.
So to me it seems to be a curse and that’s only because society has deemed it to be so. I believe if you are making objects society deems appropriate you might see it otherwise. Your creative talents then are not shunned but accepted. If you make work outside the “norm” I believe all artists begin to feel a bit ostracized from society and begin to feel they can only talk about their work with a small few. And as you grow older I’m sure that small few gets smaller and smaller until you find yourself all alone, making work nearly no one cares about. The one conviction that one can stay true to then, is that you were dogedly true to your vision and in return true to yourself. I’m not sure how much comfort that would give you on your death bed surrounded by a bunch of artwork no one wanted or cared to try and understand.
I believe this curse is more specific to contemporary artists who are making work that questions the status quo. If you are painting flowers, teapots, and pretty landscapes you most likely don’t feel this way. And for that you should be thankful.
This is interesting Byron because I also feel pressure to justify what I do in terms of its usability. One way I do that (and it has not been intentional) is to say the nature of my work is such that it will allow me to get a full time university teaching position. Even tho one doesnt drive the other really, it helps in those awkward party situations.
what if the status quo has become the destruction of the status quo?
what are we left with when we have eliminated the grounds for a tradition?
are we free, or are we lost?
have we proven ourselves useless?
Is there a need for a new defense of art? and would that new defense require a new set of parameters, and therefore a defined set of values?
sallie mae and freddie mac
Yes. There is a need for a new defense of art. First I need to know what the old defense was.
Sometimes I feel like I keep making art just because I’ve already made so much there’s no turning back. I feel at some point something good will happen and that will justify all the time and effort I’ve put in.
All desires are corruptible if they are worshipped. Food, drink, sex, beauty, importance – when they are taken out of their place, those desires run unchecked and rampant, then you have destruction
The same for the desire to create, to be understood… It seems to become destructive if placed on too high a pedestal. I remember back in college, a few professors stated in amazing arrogance, that art was the most important calling in life, and logically, artists are the most important people in a society. Their view of an artist was as a person charged with seeking and speaking the truth, regardless of harshness. In essence, that would make the role of a modern artist equivalent to the old role a priest, pastor and philosopher. Their work involved some system outside themselves that gives them a basis for truth to work from. By some definitions, the contemporary does not have that luxury. That is a crushing weight to bear. Just because is person sees things that are wrong, doesn’t mean they know what’s right.
On the other hand, this is a strange time we live in. It is entirely possible, if not probably, to go weeks without quiet. TV channels, internet, movies, and music are everywhere and readily available. Without quiet, people can’t think. People can’t think, they don’t question. How often do you see someone other than homeless, spend a day sitting in a park just thinking? There is a place here for Art, poetry, and such to prode people to stop blinding themselves with distraction.
Bryon, having worked both as a teacher and police, I can tell you that the respectability of those fields is pleasant for a moment, but they don’t do any better a job of justifying my place in life. Hmm, I’d have to say in either capacity, I found as much disrespect as respect from folks. The level of respect and admiration often depends on how much you give someone what they want (and everybody wants to be #1).
I paint flowers and landscapes. I returned to landscapes a while back after seeing some horrific dismemberments on the job. My current choice of subject was a direct result of what I needed as a human. Why a person paints a particular subject can be as important in purpose as a piece that questions the status quo.
Is all the questioning of the status quo an honest search or really questioning why things are not done the way we’d like to see them?
Akbar is buddha. Interesting question.
Should we all not be questioning the status quo, especially after the current financial crisis?
So want then? Are we back to helping define beauty?
Frank, if I was a cop I think I might be doing more than painting flowers but to each their own. I guess you need some escape from the job and I’m sure painting landscapes would be a nice get away.
I’ve always dreamed of being a cop and painting what I saw on the beat, or even painting all my cop friends in uniform. Especially the fallen ones. I could even see painting the symbols and icons that one sees as a policeman on a daily basis. The gun, the stick you guys use, tazer, shotguns, and the weapons of the trade as icons and how they are icons of our culture. Shut, the badge even. What an icon of power. Maybe we were meant to meet so I can paint those myself.
I don’t think I as much question the status quo as I do question myself which happens to be a part of the status quo I am questioning.
Maybe artists need to get internal and ask themselves what they believe in now, or at least I do, since the world seems to not believe in anything but it’s own desires and consumption.
Somewhere the goals of artists as being truth seekers got lost along the way. Frank, are you sure your professors stated it that way? It seems what they were getting at had some truth to it, as artists have historically always held a high place in cultures hierarchy. The cave painters were thought to be magical shaman I’ve heard, or maybe I made that up.
I need an art professor to chime in here. Where is one when you need one?
I think we can replace the idea of artist as the enlightened soul bestowing truth for all who are wise to listen with the simple idea of artist as meme maker. Artists attempt to influence society with new perspectives, perceptions and ideas. Now, it can be argued that we are in a period when artists are not really equipped to do that very well.
I swear, at the end of every Pixar movie I have ever seen (especially the newer Wal-E one) I feel like I am in the wrong line of biz not because that is more glamorous or lucrative (and it may be those things as well), but because that medium is a powerhouse meme maker to the max.
But then I realize the main thing an artist can potentially offer is an individual, non-consensus derived perspective. And i admire what Byron just wrote about questioning one’s self which i interpret to mean questioning one’s role as well as one’s product. We are no longer the major meme-makers, so it seems,unless, we come to see Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull as showing society’s shit to itself rather than blissfully and cynically playing along. Time will tell.
my mommy met a meme-making mime many months mago.
Mark…I just finished watching Wal-E tonight with my toddler and had the exact same feeling again. that I should have gotten into 3d modeling or movies somehow.
Then thought about how many people it must have took to make that movie and how only a handful had creative decision making on it and was comforted about how making my own crazy art is freedom since I have full creative control. Even though I have a complete creative (writers) block right now I feel comfort knowing that when I get hit over the head again by an idea that does work for me it will be all my idea to complete and not two hundred productions artists, directors, producers, and writers. Might be nice though for a day job. How to convince Pixar that I have something to add to their creative genius might be a better question?
What was your idea for the name of Globatron Mark. I know it had Meme in it somewhere.
I like how meme’s creep into society like a virus. Interesting point. Maybe artists are only meme makers now versus truth seekers. Seems artist’s such as Warhol and Duchamp showed us the udder ridiculousness of art making and yet their work seeped way down into our cultural memes. I definitely see Hirst as a meme maker. He might not be seeking truth other than showing us our crap and polishing it up nicely.
i love this topic. i could talk for hours on it b/c it’s interesting to hear why artists do what they do. i personally believe that the gift of creating art is God given and perfecting & pursuing that gift and developing it into a talent is my job in life. i’ve been creative in one way or another ever since i can remember. i used to blame it on being a super shy child… it kind of goes with what Frank said, not being super social and not having a ton of distractions forced me to look at the world around me, internalize, think, and in turn see the world’s detail & beauty inspired me to replicate or express it some form or another.
i have a day job as a medical insurance adjuster for an auto insurance company and i speak to injured people all day long, some people i talk to think they won the lottery at the expense of another person’s well being, i talk to other people who have had several dui’s and they just don’t care and keep getting behind the wheel of a car. i deal with some people who get in car accidents on purpose, it’s their main source of income. there’s a lot of fraud i deal with, a lot of lying and manipulative attorneys and medical providers, and on the other hand, i deal with people who’ve lost their son, daughter, husband, wife, arm, leg,…etc. either way, it’s exhausting dealing w/ the uninjured opportunistic people and the truly inured people. i say all that to come to the point that, when i get home, the last thing i want to think about is my day job or any form of harsh reality that plagues our media outlets anyway.
i primarily paint childhood memories of mine, it’s nice to think back and remember those simple, uncomplicated times in my life when a bright hot sunny day meant unlimited fun and not global warming, when all your problems would go away with ice cream, when you ate something that fell on the floor w/out a second thought and antibacterial anything was the last thing on your mind while
i don’t mind tackling real issues w/ my art, but i deal w/ real issues on a daily basis in my life already, whether it’s my day job, family issues, health scares, whatever…
one amazing thing i found out about my art is that it makes people smile. i was selfish when i started this series over 10 years ago and did it for my own escape from reality reasons, but when all types of people found they could relate to my work and told me their stories of fond childhood memories and how i helped them remember, i was really surprised at the positive impact. not to mention the kids who relate to the work too. it’s pretty cool to see them look at it and get it.
the great thing about art is there is someone for every type of art: decorative artist who just wants to make things pretty, the conceptual artist who can prove that art can be made out of anything, the world changing artist that knows exactly how to send a message of hope to the viewer, the political current event out spoken artist that keeps up on the daily news and finds the conspiracies and releases them to the public for their viewing pleasure, …. there’s a place for everyone.
i don’t know if i’ve ever categorized artists as “enlightened souls” or smarter than anyone else. we just have a place in this world to do what we do best, it’s no more important than a doctor who saves lives or a garbage man who picks up after us. we need them all. i don’t pretend to know everything, i just speak on my life, my history, my experiences, my wisdom, and keep the door open to keep learning and never stop, in the process if i can make some people smile or bring light to their life, well,that’s just icing on the cake.
now, making a living as an artist? that’s a whole other can of worms. we’re definitely needed in society, we make society better, just like the garbage man. we would be truly missed if we disappeared. having a society appreciate what we do, i believe, starts with educating the public, if football and monster truck shows is all you know, then seeing a photo of a Pollack isn’t going to impress you, but learning the history and process and seeing one in person will open up a whole new world for the average person. unlike the garbage man, who keeps us from being waist deep in our own consumption, an artist is needed to visually stimulate society. this stimulation can be anywhere from utter confusion to the sense of tranquility. we influence people not just visually, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually, …
i think most artists just want the opportunity to create, when a day job gets in the way of that, then that’s when wanting to do it a career steps in. then there are some artists who are exhibitionists, kinda like football players, if you truly love the game (or the art) you would truly be happy doing it at any level, but if fame, power, glory, & money are your real goals, then you won’t be satisfied till you get to the level you see in your dreams. don’t get me wrong though, if you are an artist and you are capable of changing the world with your art for the greater good of man, then by all means, do it.
emerging theme: all artists are idealists.
one, they either create ideal memes to escape the imperfect world or
two, they critically confront the world with their work, implying and ideal alternative.
what does the accepting artist look like? the one who sees the universe as perfect and just?
Is the universe perfect and just, or has God made some mistakes?
God and spirit has become part of the free market, one of the many kinds of shampoo and breakfast cereal. But what is God? What is the universe?
As artists, we accept everything and anybody, but we also in a strange intellectual way avoid the big questions.
Emerging subtext:
many of us are working to attain a higher class ranking, like playing a role playing game, hoping for more powerful potions, and a larger castle, myself included, so that we may ‘then’ do the masterpiece.
what masterpiece is there inside of us? what are we waiting for? everything written here is posed to myself, not to you from me, to us from my intuitive center.
all the previous opinions are true, all the shared experiences are true.
akbarinius ligitinitus
That was beautiful Yvonne. Thanks for sharing such personal details of your creative process. Really wonderful to read.
“Unlike the garbage man, who keeps us from being waist deep in our own consumption, an artist is needed to visually stimulate society. this stimulation can be anywhere from utter confusion to the sense of tranquility. we influence people not just visually, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually.”
I like how you put that Yvonne.
Bryon, although I paraphrased, I recall two professors saying that. It stuck with me. Bothered me alot. Of course that was 20 year old Frank listening… he tended to be little severe and thick headed at times, not like current 38 year old Frank.;) Also, if that sort of things interest you (police & such icons), you should come on a ride along.
Frank. You have a deal. When I recover from my surgery let’s do a ride along. It will be January, February but let’s do it. Sounds fun and real. Like a real experience vs. a digital one. I need more of those.
Like I said, maybe that’s why we were supposed to meet.
Yeah, I can’t imagine paraphrasing art professors from fifteen or so years ago. Some of them were evil incarnate to me back then but I’m sure they meant well and my 18 year old brain wasn’t ready for what they were attempting to say. Not saying you weren’t, but now that I’ve had a lot of time to think about that experience I could have brought my game face to the table when going to art school, but I was a silly little kid fixated on kids and partying.
I think I got a few words of wisdom out of the whole experience. Number one being if you want to learn something teach yourself, and that never give up jazz.
Great discussion all.
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The alter ego of contemporary art.Chief Contributors Include:
Father Mapple Moab Adzu III | Morrison Pierce | Akbar Lightning | Patricia O'Brien | Byron King (Founder) | Logocentric
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