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The Creative Act
17 years ago
General
Got something for you to listen to: Marcel Duchamp, "The Creative Act" Or for those of you out there who can't understand him or are more of a reader type, here's a transcript. Okay fine, how about I have someone summarize and analogize it for you? It's near the end of this video.
I see people here debating the value of their art for many reason. "Should I do porn?", "Why won't people comment [deeply] on this?", "I post a chesty vixen and it get ten times the attention my emotional opus garnered!", the list is nearly endless and baits flame like a pile of oily rags in the summer sun. Really I'm just in to say I find the interplay of artistic expression and social reaction just an amazing thing to watch here. Like Ze said, audiences were hard to come by in his day. But what about now? What about here? The amount of raw art here being refined, being realized, and receiving status... Makes my head spin.
So should artists care about the opinions of the observer? Should the observer be able to drive the hand of the artist with their conjecture? Who's to say? All I can hope is some of my favorites out there and the wonderful artists I have yet to find keep dumping that raw ore in that keeps driving this site so I can enjoy it for a long time to come. Not to mention keep producing my little threaded byproducts of the refinement process.
Don't get down, don't get discouraged, and don't surrender anything you don't want to lose. Don't stop praising, don't stop questioning, and be ready to pick a fight if you feel there's something there worth fighting for.
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║ Commissions & Pricing ║
╚═══════════════════╝
Status:
░▒OPEN▒░ Just note, shout, IM me and we'll talk!
Prices:
» 2" Merit badge - $10: Ilkarin, Mocha Mephooki
» Special badges - $20: Dragon Head Patch, Sukebe Badge, Spunkzilla! Badge, #2 Love Patch, Verm Badge
» Small name patches- $15: N/A
» Billfold or purse wallet - $50: Liz's purse wallet
» Custom bag - $75: Digitalis Sketchbook Bag
» Baseball cap - $25: Black Dragon Cap
» Shirts, Hoodies, ect. (note me for details): Hopping Foxes Shirt, Legend of Zelda, The Official Lizardbeth Hoodie of Awesomeness (provisional title)
» Aperture Science Gear - $30: Portal Polos
╔═════════════╗
║ Current Queue ║
╚═════════════╝
Need to Mail:
jirlae, Kitoxa Patch
Zim-Gekko, Pincha patch
Seeking approval:
Need to run:
Have art, need to make designs:
wolfattwilight, Lyric Puzzle Contest Winner!
Need Art From:
mochi, Mochi Badge
soundhound, Penny Badge (?)
Need to Figure Out Art For:
magicalhatz, Rockin blue pony hat
dnapalmhead, pure Bliss
En Parlay:
jirlae, Second Project
ChocolateKitsune, Aperture Science Polo
sirtrips, Small Wallet
gasmaskdragon, Aperture Science shirt
wingsofjudas, Patch!
retrorodent, Patch!
Hit List:
bingo, Bingo Badge
hida, I'm not telling!
I see people here debating the value of their art for many reason. "Should I do porn?", "Why won't people comment [deeply] on this?", "I post a chesty vixen and it get ten times the attention my emotional opus garnered!", the list is nearly endless and baits flame like a pile of oily rags in the summer sun. Really I'm just in to say I find the interplay of artistic expression and social reaction just an amazing thing to watch here. Like Ze said, audiences were hard to come by in his day. But what about now? What about here? The amount of raw art here being refined, being realized, and receiving status... Makes my head spin.
So should artists care about the opinions of the observer? Should the observer be able to drive the hand of the artist with their conjecture? Who's to say? All I can hope is some of my favorites out there and the wonderful artists I have yet to find keep dumping that raw ore in that keeps driving this site so I can enjoy it for a long time to come. Not to mention keep producing my little threaded byproducts of the refinement process.
Don't get down, don't get discouraged, and don't surrender anything you don't want to lose. Don't stop praising, don't stop questioning, and be ready to pick a fight if you feel there's something there worth fighting for.
╔═══════════════════╗
║ Commissions & Pricing ║
╚═══════════════════╝
Status:
░▒OPEN▒░ Just note, shout, IM me and we'll talk!
Prices:
» 2" Merit badge - $10: Ilkarin, Mocha Mephooki
» Special badges - $20: Dragon Head Patch, Sukebe Badge, Spunkzilla! Badge, #2 Love Patch, Verm Badge
» Small name patches- $15: N/A
» Billfold or purse wallet - $50: Liz's purse wallet
» Custom bag - $75: Digitalis Sketchbook Bag
» Baseball cap - $25: Black Dragon Cap
» Shirts, Hoodies, ect. (note me for details): Hopping Foxes Shirt, Legend of Zelda, The Official Lizardbeth Hoodie of Awesomeness (provisional title)
» Aperture Science Gear - $30: Portal Polos
╔═════════════╗
║ Current Queue ║
╚═════════════╝
Need to Mail:
jirlae, Kitoxa Patch
Zim-Gekko, Pincha patchSeeking approval:
Need to run:
Have art, need to make designs:
wolfattwilight, Lyric Puzzle Contest Winner!Need Art From:
mochi, Mochi Badge
soundhound, Penny Badge (?)Need to Figure Out Art For:
magicalhatz, Rockin blue pony hat
dnapalmhead, pure BlissEn Parlay:
jirlae, Second Project
ChocolateKitsune, Aperture Science Polo
sirtrips, Small Wallet
gasmaskdragon, Aperture Science shirt
wingsofjudas, Patch!
retrorodent, Patch!Hit List:
bingo, Bingo Badge
hida, I'm not telling!
<3
*half awake*
One - he meant for us to give more credit to the "everyday" artist, that's good.
Two - By doing so he claims everything is art, including those pre-bought kits filled with glitter and googly eyes at the store. So now EVERYONE can be an artist, effectively killing off the "artist with patron" thingy and the lady in the kitten sweater who paints smiley faces on rocks is just as much of an artist, using the same word - "artist" - as people like Caravaggio, Raphael, Picasso, etc. That does irk me terribly.
His over inflated artist statements are now a dime a dozen, and I see so many "modern art" paintings anyone could do by splattering some paint on a canvas going for $1000s because of some deep sounding statement about angst n human souls n shit.
The joke in art school is : if you can sell the artist statement (get the teacher to believe it) you can do just about anything (especially without effort)
*I know this isn't terribly ontopic to what ya said, I'm sick and rambling XD
Yeah, he called the discarded urinal, "The Fountain" signed it Mr. Mutt and threw it into gallery space. Mmmn, found objects in art. They hid that behind a curtain. Should tell you what the gallery thought about it at the time. About what you think about it now.
I think it's all semantics. Besides, we classify great artists as "masters" now. A title I don't think Thomas Kinkade will ever be able to garner. But I agree it's sad artist seems to lack the power to signify what it once did.
Is part of the experience of the art the statement? You know, a little theater to go with my black line on white canvas? That's part of the social value of the piece. I think there are multiple areas in which art can have value, and I think they can all be influential. Monetary, social, cultural, personal, historical... You've hit on personal value with what you're saying. And at core I think that's the most important for both artist and observer, but don't underestimate any of the others ability to undermine personal value as #1 in a piece of art.
But really, how do you feel after the sale?
I like the art that is different or uncommon, yet still took a lot of skill to do. This is one of the reasons I watch you and try and give good, if not decent, comments on your art. I mean, I still have yet to find someone on here that can do what you do with a needle and thread (yes I realize that you probably use more than just a needle and thread, but I hop you know what I mean).
On a -slightly- off topic note, what about the writers? They say a picture paints 1000 words, but really? Only 1000? Most of my stories get around 1500, and they are only decent. With a picture, you're limited to that frame (granted there are comics), but with well written stories, you can visualize almost every action with your minds eye.
Okay, I'm gonna stop there, just because I feel like I'm starting to rant, and because I know this argument about visual art vs. written art has already gone on. But I hope I got my point across. Also, please don't flame me out, these were just some observations.
Writing is still an art. Spoken word, written word, music, all forms of self expression that evoke. But what do they give you? I think the best in any art can pull multiple senses together. When you see an image of a field in summer, do you think of a warm breeze? Do you smell the grass? Can you hear it's rustle? If you describe something in words does it craft not just a visual, but can it push an emotion as well? I think the real triumphs give you a sort of artistic synesthesia. Don't just hope your writing makes the reader visualize, you've missed four other senses there.
And don't get down on yourself or angry about the written word not being a hot ticket on here. Do something to shake it up. Find an artist who will illustrate portions teasingly. Get someone with a voice to audio book it. Compose a theme to it. Or find someone who can share that with you. Who knows? Maybe it will help your whole "vision" evolve.
Though, I try and do a little bit of every thing... Well not everything. The two things I won't be able to do, at least not in the near future are flash and music. But aside from that, I try and hit both mediums of mainstream art, pictures and writing. Not because I feel it will get me more page views or watches, but because I want to broaden my horizons.
My gimmick is that I have been good at a great many things, but great at nothing in particular. Kinda the quantity over quality mentality. But, that has not stopped me from working to get better at what I am good at