From: "E. Shaun Russell" <e_shaun@uniserve.com>
> What the reality of art is is that not everybody can be an
>artist, just as not everybody can be a scientist. There is more
>to it than just the outpouring of words, the strokes of a brush or
>the playing of notes. Beneath the surface of a true artist there
>is a fierce conflict between tragedy and passion, and this war is
>always being fought. No matter how much output a true artist has,
>he will never be satisfied --never be content with his
>accomplishments; instead he will be tormented by the things he
>could never quite express. However, this conflict creates a drive
>to *try* to attain the perfect expression of one's essence. A
>true artist will never be able to stop creating for fear of losing
>the impetus of expression forever. Without this drive, the artist
>will stagnate, and his desire for his own understanding will be
>lost. This, to a true artist, is death. However, for a true
>artist to be successful, the social and cultural standard towards
>art --innovative art-- must first be raised.
Sorry, I could not possibly agree less. This notion that not everyone can be an artist is a cultural myth, usually promoted by those who like to call themselves artists, while insisting that you are not.
I will refer again to the culture of the island of Bali, there the ability to draw, to paint, to sculpt, to carve, to weave, to sing, to dance, to play musical instruments, to act, to write poetry, etc are considered the skillset of every normal individual.
"We have no art, we do everything as best we can."
I remember watching an ethnographic special on Bali, when asked who he was one of the islands best known "artists" replied "a fisherman."
A humble artist, try finding one here.....
Brian
Member, Extropy Institute
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
E. Shaun Russell Musician, Poet, ExI Member
==============================> Transhumanities editor for Homo
Excelsior
Kineticize your potential. http://www.excelsior.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------