Lili Krakowski on thu 31 aug 06
Even those who never have met me, know zip about me,and don't give a
hoot, know I am a genius, a beauty, and a saint. This is because I say so,
my calling cards (printed by paper I made myself out of old
underwear) say so.
Now let me be quite clear:
I call myself genius because I have had a few ideas in my life, made some
decent pots, written a few decent lines, and because I just had a note from
a friend who really liked her birthday present, and said I was a genius.
Furthermore, as a child I often was told I had a genius for mischief.
I call myself a beauty because "Everything is beautiful in its own way," I
am part of everything, so I am beautiful. And, because, this is for the more
romantic and spiritual, all life is beautiful, nature is full of beauty,
etc.
I am a saint...because I am about to wash the kitchen walls and ceiling
(part of Fall cleaning) and believe me it takes a saint to go through
that....
I expect you all see now why I am as troubled as Fred about the business of
self-designated artists. So, move over, Fred, I want to sit on the curb
with you, till Elizabeth's trash collector comes for us.
Calling oneself an artist has nothing to do with creativity. I don't think I
have ever denied that people are instinctively creative, that creativity is
one of those "survival" characteristics, and like that. The most creative
people however are not necessarily in the arts.
There is huge creativity in daily life.....That simply is besides the point.
I may have a few characteristics of geniuses, beauties, and saints...that
does not , IMO, entitle me to call myself such...
The issue here is people assuming titles, descriptive nouns, to crown
themselves. Yes, Some on the list ARE artists. That is because we--the
public at large--having seen their work--say "Ah, yes, there goes an
artist." We all can acknowledge they deserve the title. We perceive them
as such.
What is being argued here, and, thank you, Elizabeth, I am quite comfy on
the curb, I do not need a chair, though a soapbox would be nice, is what do
you call the truly deserving when the titles have been used up? Snail is
right: "artist" is used as a job description, whether what is produced is
good or not. But what then do we call people who do great things? Vince is
right...an English speaker is not necessarily saying great stuff. But we
(fortunately) still have words like "orator" to describe great speakers.
Not everyone who can put pencil to paper and form letters, words and
sentences is a
writer....And like that.
What is being protested here is that a word that has forever
been an honorific, something people aspired to, hoped for, that was
awarded because the person was perceived as "special" has been pre-empted,
secularized and like that.
(Remember what Willa Cather wrote: "Give the people a new word, and they
think they have a new idea.") "We" don't want a new word. We want our old
one back.
And a note: Artiste (pronounced with accent on "iste" and sounding a lot
like
art-eeest is French for artist. To the best of my knowledge it was used in
the US
for vaudeville,or music hall entertainers, what would now be called "exotic
dancers"
although they were virtually swaddled compared to today's performers, and
their
gyrations very tame. I expect the term still is heard in movies that depict
the
early shows of the 20th century.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Elizabeth Priddy on thu 31 aug 06
I think we shall have to disagree, then.
I call Vince and Snail for my team, though.
I will continue to use ALL the words, at my own
discretion, as a qualified speaker of the language
(QSL), even the naughty ones that make the
conservatives cry, as Lewis Black remarked.
While you are on the curb, remember to lick the street
clean nightly and live in a box (see Monty Python for
specifics). Make Fred do his share as you are equals
there on the curb. Feel free to write soap on your
box and rant wildly to the passers by.
I'll wave like the queen as I pass by . Picture the
palm to face near-wave she uses in processionals.
E, QSL
You made my and Logan's birthday extra special!
I love to argue with you more than anyone else,
because I know you take it only as seriously as we
should. Thanks.
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
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