Art for Art’s Sake
You might think artists are insane and I don’t blame you. We are constantly trying to do something that’s really hard and the payoff often is just the satisfaction of having done it. We are not getting wealthy. We are likely getting poorer actually and we are certainly not getting famous. We are making art for art’s sake.
Why do we do this?
The most basic reason is that we enjoy the craft of our specific part of the art world. Dancers love to dance. Painters love to paint. Filmmakers love to tell stories and share imagery. Actors love to become different characters. Writers love to craft tales and share knowledge.
But why do we enjoy it? Is it just that we are good at it and it’s fun to do the things you are good at? That might be partly true, but it’s also a lot of work to get to the point when you are good and then the work has to continue forever. And, artists tend to spend more money on supplies, software and lessons than they make. It’s a thankless job in so many ways. So why do it?
It’s a need to express oneself. For a true artist, giving up one’s art form would be like giving up the ability to speak. It’s some sort of natural method of communication that really can’t be explained. Talking to friends and family is great and important to leading a fulfilling life, but art takes expression to a whole new level. It’s something unique. Art is like snowflakes; no work of art is exactly like another work of art. Art can be beautiful like flurries or painful like a snowstorm.
Beyond that, it’s the artist’s need to take action. It is the hope of helping society, that by sharing stories or visions, others will be inspired to do the same or take an action they might not have taken without that artist prodding them and pushing them forward. It’s about making connections and letting people know they are not alone. It’s about a sense of accomplishment when you can take a step back and see what you made.
When I see something unjust in the world and I become increasingly frustrated with it, I suddenly find myself writing a screenplay about it and imaging what it will look like on screen. I can’t help it. It just happens. I don’t plan it. It just pops in my head and festers until I have to get it on paper and eventually onto the screen, however I can, by any means that I can. I need to shout it out to the world.
I express my pain and frustration through stories and characters in the hopes that others will stop and think and maybe just maybe I’ll move the needle in the right direction. Any time a film of mine connects with how someone else is feeling or changes someone else’s mind about something or just makes a person think about something they never thought about, I know I’m a success.
For those of you who went to school and were taught to go earn a living with your art first and foremost, I feel for you. The greater measure is if you look back on your life one day and think my art had an impact. I made a difference. I am going to leave the world a better place.
And yes, art is a way to shout from the rooftops your fears, your hopes, your dreams for the world. It is cathartic to create. There is something to be said for that. Something to be said for being heard, even if the audience is just ten people. Well, that’s better than none.
Independent artists that stick with their art for a lifetime, learn that just spinning 20 times in a row or writing funny jokes or making a silly short film that says nothing is not enough to drive you forward. Those that do that tend to not last long. But the dancer who understands there is more to dance than doing tricks, might go on to teach others or choreograph for others, the writer that knows how to make people laugh will use that to also make people see something in society worth thinking about and the filmmaker will show the world what is in the deepest parts of their souls.
Only once we truly look at ourselves as a society can we change our course of action. Art is the catalyst for change.