Josh Ronsen wrote:
> Reed Altemus wrote:
>
> >Please elaborate on what you mean by a "higher artistic impulse". You mean like an
>aesthetic innovation or just doing what is called "right work".
>
> I don't know if I can describe exactly what I am talking about. Everytime I try to
>define it, I come up with a contradictory explanation, or something that isn't what I
>mean. I keep running into "Whatever is communicated can only be falsehood and
>falsification; hence it is only falsehoods and falsifications that are communicated"
>(from Thomas Bernhard's autobiography which I am reading right now).
>
Who is Thomas Bernhard, if you don't mind me asking?
>
> To try and put as directly and simply as possible, and in a personal manner, so I
>know exactly what I am talking about: sometimes when I am creating something, I am
>Creative and what I do seems Special to me (and sometimes to other people as well),
>while other times, it is obvious that I am "going through the motions"; uninspired
>and what I do is not special, and I want to erase it or hide it.
>
"Special"... hmmm.... I have always disliked preciousness in art. I feel it is a high
art professional attitude and it should be
done away with. All the artists with their precious objects- I feel an instinctual
"NO" My attitude is more like: first invent
something, then make a decision whether to call it art or not.
I know what you're talking about. Yes, I bore myself silly sometimes. Just today I was
working on a couple of things trying something
new and just because it was different from anything I had done before, I instantly
wanted to censor myself. My insecurities abound likewise.
>
> >I agree that self-control is desireable but too one must express the real thing
>with the first white hot impulse and without second guessing yourself.
>
> This is true, but at some point I am always going to ask myself, "is this worth
>using up any of the world's natural resources to reproduce/distribute/etc?" or "is
>this worth having anyone else pay attention to it?"
>
Well as far as natural resources goes, if you do printed stuff, do you do it on 100%
recycled paper? I do because I don't want any trees
to die for my art. As far as asking for people's attention goes, sometimes it isn't.
One way to make sure your work is worth people's time
is to have it reflect issues that "your group" are interested in, making it pertinent
and even useful.
>
> And sometimes those white-hot impulses lead to dead-ends!
That's for sure. Some ideas are not worth the time. But remember Ben Vautier said
"Anyone can have an idea."
RA
