This blog entry focuses more on creating than destroying, but the questions are common ones that I think many creative folks struggle with from time to time. So, as you may already know, I’m interviewing lots of artists as research for my book. Some of them have been creating art for years; others are just beginning to experiment. Some make a living from their art; others never will (and not all of them even want to). But this question of making a living from art came up in a recent interview with a guy from New York.
For most of his adult life, this guy has been a businessman. His resume includes titles such as “founder” and “CEO,” which might explain his point of view with respect to what it means to be a “real” artist: A real artist makes a living from his or her art.
This definition of sorts came up in conversation in a way that demonstrated his modesty – that he was not a real artist (as are several of his relatives). Instead, he was just experimenting. He was looking for a creative outlet. He wanted to engage in some act of self-expression. But I had to ask: Isn’t that what real artists do?
But, as eager as I was to point that out to him, I find myself sometimes projecting the same money-oriented value on my writing. I remember very clearly how, upon getting my first paid gig as a writer, I declared that I was finally a “real” writer! I would sometimes correct myself and substitute “professional” for “real,” but I was surprised at how difficult that substitution was.
I think that equating “professional” and “real” leads to some of the confusion around the subject – that and the fact that in our society, we use money as a surrogate for value. Though the cost of something actually is determined by a great many things, in the end things that cost a lot are generally considered valuable, and those that are inexpensive (or free)… well, not so much. And yet, there is no way to assign a monetary value to the things that many of us value most in life – friends, love, health, truth, freedom.
So, I’ve been contemplating all this for a few weeks and noticing when I’m slipping into what I’m calling a flawed way of thinking with respect to “professional” vs “real” or “valuable.” It happened most recently while at a fiction writers’ group. Though I’ve been a professional writer for close to a decade now, I’ve yet to be paid for writing fiction. Most of my work has been educational or journalistic, but I’ve written a couple screen plays and have several others and two novels in various stages of completion.
In this group, there are several writers who have sold screenplays, written for television, or have published novels or other stories. And I often find myself feeling very self-conscious when I’m contributing something to the group. Deep down, I want their approval or some acknowledgment that my idea is in fact good. Because they (I still find myself saying) are real writers. They even have agents!
In fact, in Los Angeles, having an agent is a bit of a holy grail. It’s not quite as good as selling something, but it’s assumed that if you’ve got an agent, then you must be good. Again, it’s an external-oriented approach to value. An artist’s painting has value if someone buys it. My writing has value if an agent deems it to be worthy of his or her representation (i.e,, they think they can sell it). At the same time, we all understand that selling screenplays for example – in addition to requiring talent -- has a lot to do with connections and timing and commercial factors.
Then last night, as I was interviewing yet another artist for my book, I was reminded of this whole other approach to art… more of a bohemian approach… an art for the sake of art approach… as if self-expression and the drive to create were as natural and important as breathing (might it be true?). And, just as you wouldn’t ask permission to breathe or seek validation for your ability to breathe, then why seek outside validation — why ask another person to put a value on your art?
Similar questions have been addressed in the other blog site I write for (blog.artasmoney.com), and some pretty lively discussion has ensued. I leave you only to contemplate the differences between “real” and “professional” and between money and value.
