On 03/Dec/15 08:34, dave miller wrote:
"What if an artist’s work doesn’t fit - architecturally, conceptually, traditionally - within a gallery’s programme? Increasing numbers of artists
If you are walking in the 'stellar spaces' of certain kinds of individual creativity, you are generally alone. That's what I've discovered. Like Randall says, behind or ahead of the dominant times. No way to really determine which when the impact of work cannot be measured easily in the social system.
For example, I have a network of a couple hundred people who are interested in what I do, and on occasion, they show that support by purchasing certain forms of work (mostly photographic prints). Much of my 'work' though is totally not about product, but either process, or, ultimately 'praxis' -- the holistic way of going that includes all expenditures of life energy. People who don't know me have no interest in the products, while those who know my praxis realze that the products and their fiscal support allows me to continue my creative praxis. Problem is, though, when one's work is seemingly completely irrelevant to the surrounding social system, it can be very difficult to rationalize ones life, and to find the force to continue forward.
Then there is the time/money issue -- if you can get paid for doing something that furthers your praxis, wow, what a luxury. Most of the time, the work required to get paid to survive in the social system requires that one pay with time away from ones praxis. I go by the route of *not* getting paid for furthering my praxis. It doesn't help with fiscal security, but at least I get some small satisfaction that I am getting something done that I believe needs doing in the very biggest picture!
Ah, it's always a conundrum. I think a Buddhist approach is that anything and everything one does is leaning in the direction of that creative praxis, but it's hard to maintain such thinking in the face of a ruthlessly materialist society. I have many friends from my engineering school days, some working in Big Oil, Wall Street, and such -- and to see the difference in social rewards for them, versus folks working in the 'cultural industry' sector can also be disheartening... But some of these same friends support my work both fiscally and psychically through their friendship.
In the end, I value my human network over everything else like jobs, cash, status, and gallery shows...
So it goes! JH PS -- one of my personal mottos is "Fuck Art, Let's Dance!" -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD grounded on a granite batholith twitter: @neoscenes http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
