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Mar. 18th, 2004
Musings on creative ebbs
Mar. 18th, 2004 11:17 pmI haven't been feeling very wordy lately. Perhaps it's part of working in numerous creative paths at the same time...there's an ebb and flow to everything, and I've just had several months of enthusiasm about the written word. Now I seem to be having an ebb in general. Not spending enough time outside, is my guess. I've been trying to make time to meditate and let my mind wander and dream, but since I'm not on my own schedule, it's a little forced (o.k, I have a free moment NOW, ready, GO!). I don't actually have that big of a problem with that. I figure there's always something, and if you live with people and have a kid, you do what you can when you can, and sometimes that actually facilitates the process of creation. If I actually had all the time in the world to myself, could I use it to greater advantage than the scraps I have now? Probably not. Art rarely exists in a vacuum, and when it does, it's rarely good art. Although I'm willing to entertain tales of exceptions to that generalization.
Alexis and I had the beginnings of a conversation the other day in which we discussed the amount of Stuff in the world, and art in relation to that. How much responsibility does the artist have to create things that don't just add to the overall level of meaningless crap everywhere? At what point is it justified to use precious resources or toxic chemicals to make something (and so much art and craft is made with toxic chemicals at one phase or another)? We've both thought about this and talked with other people about it. I don't think this line of questioning is anything that can be easily and glibly answered, and I believe creative expression is a necessary part of being human, so I don't think people should stop making art.
Two things do come to mind, though:
Overpopulation is not helping this situation.
and
More art, less meaningless crap would be better.
Ok, I've had my say for the week.
Now reading: Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich.
I am a fan of Bernd Heinrich. He's like the Indiana Jones of field biology.
Alexis and I had the beginnings of a conversation the other day in which we discussed the amount of Stuff in the world, and art in relation to that. How much responsibility does the artist have to create things that don't just add to the overall level of meaningless crap everywhere? At what point is it justified to use precious resources or toxic chemicals to make something (and so much art and craft is made with toxic chemicals at one phase or another)? We've both thought about this and talked with other people about it. I don't think this line of questioning is anything that can be easily and glibly answered, and I believe creative expression is a necessary part of being human, so I don't think people should stop making art.
Two things do come to mind, though:
Overpopulation is not helping this situation.
and
More art, less meaningless crap would be better.
Ok, I've had my say for the week.
Now reading: Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich.
I am a fan of Bernd Heinrich. He's like the Indiana Jones of field biology.