Michael McDowell on fri 26 jun 98
Kayo,
It's nice to see you at last venturing to express your opinions publicly on
Clayart. I hope you keep it up, though I also rather hope that the tone of =
your
posts does not always remain as strident as the last two.
I'm willing to accept that neither =22hobbyist=22 nor =22professional=22 are=
adequate
terms for describing the concepts I was attempting to present. Still, I do =
feel
that the percentage of total income that a person derives from the making of
clay objects has much to inform us about the attitudes and pressures under =
which
that person is operating. If I =22chalk in=22 hobbyist for the zero percent =
end of
that continuim, and professional for the 100 percent end, could you suggest =
some
meaningful replacements for those terms? Perhaps we might also try to derive
some meaningful =22labels=22 for those who operate at various midpoints =
along that
continuim.
I agree that it is a shame that I feel significant financial pressure to =
derive
income from my =22art=22. At least it's not as bad now, when I've brought =
the
percentage of my total income it represents down to about a third, as it was=
in
the middle years of my work with clay when I plunged in to the marketplace =
100
percent, in the mistaken impression that it would lead me to true excellence=
as
a potter. I have since made a steady and deliberate effort to move myself =
toward
the =22hobbyist=22 pole of that continuim I describe above.
Interesting that you chose Van Gough as an example of a dedicated artist, as=
he
would fall very near the =22hobbyist=22 terminus of that continuim. If only =
we all
had such understanding and supportive relatives, the world, no doubt, would =
be
awash in =22great art=22.
Michael
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