Vince Pitelka on wed 30 aug 06
Yeah EP, you said it, and you said it well (see part of her post below). I
get the thing about the subjectivity, and I think that is what scares a lot
of people about art. People want to compartmentalize things in a much more
rational and neat fashion, and they are afraid of things that can only be
judged subjectively. But aside from that, if you proudly proclaim yourself
as anything, don't you open yourself to scrutiny and critical appraisal?
Besides in my idea of a better world, the term "artist" would not be so
extraordinary in itself, and a professional artist would be another
respected profession, instead of someone viewed with a varying combination
of curiosity, wonder, and suspicion.
I expecially like one thing you said - "People who cannot call themselves
'artists' are afraid of the consequences of that act - subjective
judgement." In this age, too many people are becoming much more comfortable
with the idea of absolute quantitative judgement using some kind of
supposedly infallible scale, like the absurd falacy of standardized testing,
and less comfortable being judged by personal opinions and subjective
critique. That's too bad, because it hurts the arts.
- Vince
E. Priddy wrote:
> What is wrong with that is that to say that you are an
> artist is to invite criticism, because you are
> inherently saying that you make things that are to be
> evaluated subjectively.
> Because of that, you must be "out there" for people to
> decide how good or not good you are, because americans
> evaluate each other by what we do, not how we are as
> we do it. We ask directly of strangers, "What do you
> do?", a rather rude question in many cultures, but an
> essential part of our collective psyche.
> People who cannot call themselves "artist" are afraid
> of the consequences of that act, subjective judgement.
> I am an artist. I am not afraid to say so. It
> intimidates some people to hear it professed coldly
> and openly, and so it rightfully should. It takes a
> certain amount of chi to claim that you are a rather
> useless cog in society going about your business
> making things you think ought to be rather than things
> determined useful by others.
> Yeah. I said it.
Elizabeth Priddy on wed 30 aug 06
To say
that you are an artist is simply an admission that you
make art. What
could
possibly be wrong with that?
- Vince
_______________________________________
Well now you are down to brass tacks:
What is wrong with that is that to say that you are an
artist is to invite criticism, because you are
inherently saying that you make things that are to be
evaluated subjectively.
Because of that, you must be "out there" for people to
decide how good or not good you are, because americans
evaluate each other by what we do, not how we are as
we do it. We ask directly of strangers, "What do you
do?", a rather rude question in many cultures, but an
essential part of our collective psyche.
People who cannot call themselves "artist" are afraid
of the consequences of that act, subjective judgement.
Some are so afraid of the consequences but so covetous
of the title, that they don't even want others to have
access to the word. So the snicker and laugh in the
sidelines trying to pressure others to be as
weak-minded as they are about this subject.
I realize what I said was harsh, but I take words
seriously. Spelling and typing, not so much. But
words are precious.
I am an artist. I am not afraid to say so. It
intimidates some people to hear it professed coldly
and openly, and so it rightfully should. It takes a
certain amount of chi to claim that you are a rather
useless cog in society going about your business
making things you think ought to be rather than things
determined useful by others.
Yeah. I said it.
E
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
__________________________________________________
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Lee Love on thu 31 aug 06
On 8/30/06, Elizabeth Priddy wrote:
>
>
> I am an artist. I am not afraid to say so. It
> intimidates some people to hear it professed coldly
> and openly, and so it rightfully should. It takes a
> certain amount of chi to claim that you are a rather
> useless cog in society going about your business
> making things you think ought to be rather than things
> determined useful by others.
>
It really is all personal opinion. All dependant upon your
perspective. I see the title of craftsman as being above that of the
title of artist. Anybody can crap in a bucket and call it art. But
craftsmanship is evident in the work.
As we say in dairy country, it takes "Cheeze" to say you are a
Craftsman. Extra Sharp Cheddar! ;^)
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
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