I was clearing through a few months worth of papers and reference materials when I came across a yellowing photo copy given to me years ago by an artist I much admired. It was a list of 20 questions every 'young' artist should ask themselves. I was blown away by how long it had been since I had read these and wondered why I hadn't been reading them everyday.
These are REAL questions for today and jump off the page as I write now. I think they bare on a lot of the issues being covered in the art blogosphere over these last few weeks and months. So without further adieux:
20 QUESTIONS TO MYSELF AS A YOUNG ARTIST
- ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ART FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?
- DO YOU MAKE ART AS IF THE WORLD MATTERED?
- COULD ART BECOME A THING OF THE PAST; DOES ART HAVE A FUTURE?
- HOW DO YOU MAKE ART FOR A SOCIETY IN DISARRAY?
- WHO DO YOU MAKE YOUR WORK FOR?
- CAN YOU MAKE ART FOR BOTH THE SELF AND THE WORLD?
- WHAT DOES AN ARTIST BRING TO SOCIETY?
- IS SAYING I AM AN ARTIST A STATEMENT OF PRIVILEGE AND/OR RESPONSIBILITY?
- WHY IS ART ESSENTIAL TO YOUR WAY OF LIFE?
- CAN YOU IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ART?
- WHAT IS THE NEXT JOB OF THE ARTIST?
- IS THE ARTIST BECOMING THE GUARDIAN OF THE "SERIOUS"?
- IS THE ARTIST THE BEST CRITIC OF SOCIETY?
- DO YOU MAKE ART "AS IF" NEW YORK DOES NOT EXIST?
- BEYOND COMMODITY AESTHETICS, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
- HOW DO YOU MAKE ART FOR LEAN TIMES?
- ARE THESE "DIRTY WORDS" COMING BACK: BEAUTY, SPIRITUAL, FORMAL, ETC.?
- WHAT CAN ART BECOME AND WHERE CAN IT GO?
- HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR WAY TO YOUR PLACE?
- AFTER NOW WHAT?
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2 comments:
These are great questions. I think I'll print this out. Thanks
Glad you two like these. I really do think they touch on important issues inherent to making - and why we make art. Please pass them on...
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