Out of style

So after a morning working in Max and contemplating what it means to be an artist in the back of my head, there were a few thoughts I had that I felt were worthy of writing down.  Hey, its an art blog, I can do that.

I think I agree with Austin Kleon.  The concept of the Artist as a tragically beautiful creature impossible to truly get close to yet worshiped by all as some great pinnacle of tortured creative passion is getting old.  The days when sleeping around and doing copious amounts of drugs having everything to do with having the "Artist lifestyle"  are getting fewer and farther between and I think it has everything to do with the evolution of the Artist as a human being.  We evolve past things as a species every day.  The fact that you can turn on a machine and read what some stranger writes online on the other side of the planet is proof of that.  The internet has also enabled us to connect to others like ourselves in a way that hasnt really been presented to us before.

We can reach out to other people that are wanting to go the same direction and not be part of a tired old stereotype and I think this may have everything to do with how the guy that doesnt make a living from art views those that do...and also how we view each other.  Nobody is impressed in awe of the Artist that dies way too early anymore.  Artists dont have to wait until they are dead for their art to be worth something.  We finally found a reason to be healthy for the sake of living longer to make more cool shit.  The rise of the geek has been crucial to this as well.  All those kids that grew up reading comics that wanted to never have to grow up can now do that AND be a contributing member of society and culture without being an antihero or poster child for what not to be like.  Its a good time to be alive as an Artist, folks. 

Fans root for you cause they want to see the best you got and your fellow painters, sculptors, tailors, filmmakers, musicians, writers and otherwise want to see you do well and (if youre not a complete asshole) work with you to make even MORE awesome stuff to throw at fans and, well.....I guess the point that was in there somewhere is...I dont think our culture needs the tired old perpetually inebriated Artist that abandons it for an afterlife, leaving the thought of what could have been.  Its a romantic thought, but it got old.  The idea of the Artist 2.0 is much more appealing to all parties involved.  The one that gets its shit together and organizes things so that valuable pieces can actually be produced and appreciated rather than waiting for the next issue that may never come.  Take care of yourselves, my friends.  We dont have to be a hopeless mess that everyone expects to die young to be beautiful anymore.

Just for sharin's sake, heres what I did this morning.  Its a crest that is going to wind up being integrated into the design of a house a little later in the quarter.