“Art is the giving by each man of his evidence to the world. Those who wish to give, love to give, discover the pleasure of giving. Those who give are tremendously strong.” — Robert Henri, Artist
The generosity of spirit that the artist has to expend is often ummeasurable. He commits significant resources for his education, puts in long years of study, and often accepts very poor renumeration or job security in order to gain experience, meanwhile competing tirelessly with those around him, always weary of the up-and-coming younger, and now cheaper talent, to replace him as he matures. This reality makes it very hard for many to work and stay working in the arts. And this is so even in a booming art/entertainment economy. What happens when such economic fortuity changes?
There are those who give and there are those who take.
I’ve never understood how companies (and their representatives) can ask so much of their employees but give back so little in return. To demand of them increasing quality and quota on tighter and tighter deadlines, offer less and less security all the while imposing ever more restrictions on their creativity at the same time. Well, perhaps I do; the answer is likely greed and indifference. Human (i.e. worker) productivity has never been greater in human history and the wealth gap between the investor (owner of capital) and that of the employee (labour) has also never seen such a wide chasm. And this will not stop as long as a society, meaning all people in general, continue to condone, if not endorse its continuance. The price is not just the ruining of the many crafts that lend beauty and meaning to our world, or even our individual mental sanity, but perhaps the survival of our species. No one wins in the long run. Are we happy to make advertising (propaganda) our ultimate artform and guide to living? How much more can we drain from our resources, both human and environmental? Systems and societies that become overly stressed fall and fall hard; gross inequality — large gaps in relative wealth — create immeasurable stress that taxes everything. This when study after study has shown that the obsession with constant and increasing accumulation (after a certain point of comfort) gives none of us any real reprieve from our unhappiness. Honestly, if you’ve got many millions of dollars, will more money really solve your problems, problems which are clearly more likely to be psychological than physical? And what about the spiritual or ethical implications that we so often ignore if they’re not staring us directly in the face?
The most dangerous thing for the artist is to become too tightly concerned with success — money, fame, respectability (conformity) — these things turn one’s energy away from creativity and the joy from making art. Provided he reaches a level of decency in material comforts, it’s best to keep those abstract preoccupations at bay. The reason is that the obsession over those superficial concerns blunts the sensitivity of the creator who needs every ounce of energy to observe, listen and imagine possibilities. Furthermore, conventional success is always intimately tied to the aspect of time. Accumulation alone isn’t ever enough as we must also get it all as fast as we can. We’re always rushing because that’s what we’re told to do. This explains the lure of formulas and shortcuts, the very things that bypass real learning and understanding not to mention real innovation. But an allowance for time is necessary for honest perception. Time and space give our minds clarity and health, and it is only a healthy emptied mind that attains the high level of sensory acuity that enables him to pick out what is new, unique and beautiful, not just in art but in everything in life. The artist studies to appreciate, and then, to germinate ideas from which he can cultivate into fully-bloomed discoveries, discoveries that benefit not just himself, but countless others in perpetuity. Think of the joy people today still get out of great music, architecture, movies and painting created years and years ago.
“Those who express even a little of themselves never become old-fashioned. The only true modern movement is a frank expression of self.” — Robert Henri
Hence, we need a powerful will to do what we do. The artist must keep a generous spirit. For it is the only way to live — with fervor, dedication, and love in all that he does and in each moment that he does them. For only then can the need for expression be satisfied. The closed off and repressed individual suffers unbearable psychological damage. An artist can withstand ridicule, rejection, even poverty, but he can not ignore his creative impulses. Each person needs freedom from conformity. It is his way of staying new, alive and relevant. His art is personal. His life is personal and not “just business.”
In closing, I wish to leave you with this insightful yet prescient quote from Robert Henri. It serves as a warning, especially given our technological advancements that make our impact as a species so remarkable yet also so dangerous. His hope, and mine, is that we might begin to understand that in examining our relationships — with our craft, with each other, and with the planet — we see the whole and vice versa. For, as cliché as it sounds, we ARE all connected.
“We have a very little idea and sight of big things, but a splendid idea of little ones. This is the reason that war could occur. Such evil growths as its cause would otherwise be foreseen. People have not looked largely at life, mainly because our education drowns us in detail. We don’t see the why of it all. Even the superficial thing is important if you can see way beyond it. This is true of painting. Much can be said with a few elements if you can see each in its place.” — Robert Henri