Dear Artists, Fuck You. Love, the Audience.
I’ve had this post, or something in this vein, brewing in me for a while. And, it’s rearing its ugly head now for two reasons: 1) TBO’s very reasonable request that my ass no longer appear at the top of my blog should he be looking at it at work (though, I have to say, hits have soared since my bottom made itself known), and 2) as a response to a comment from the recent Spout Off TBO hosted between myself and Hounderama, namely “if art's whatever you say it is, should ANYONE be paid to be an artist?”
My quick answer to the question, which I grant I am taking out of context and whoring as my own little point of departure, is NO, nobody should be paid to be an artist. The key to the statement being “should” – I have serious, um, what did that social worker ex-girlfriend like to say? oh, yeah, issues with that word. It is entirely acceptable, even highly desirable, that an artist may be paid, will be paid, but NO artist SHOULD be paid.
It can’t be art and be your job for the same reasons. If you are doing it, whatever it is, primarily to be paid, it’s a job, and if you are doing it primarily to speak or love or be, then it’s art. The twain may negotiate, but shall never meet.
And, when I step back and look at art from the side of the audience, or rather Audience (lets get archetypical), I want to say fuck you artists for not remembering, for too often disrespecting, this fact.
I’m sick of hearing artists bitch about apathetic audiences, about a community that doesn’t understand the value of art, about any variety of angle on “nobody gets me.”
Where is the magic time of artists paid to create work without regard for audience? From where springs any notion that the Artist SHOULD be paid? Art is a negotiation between artist and audience always. Artists earn the right to fail by engaging an audience honestly and without expectation, and only sometimes even then, and mind that failure here is not “disliking” a work of art, as value is gained when an audience hates in the right way, but rather failure is the inability to demand engagement. If an artist works to paid, finds some should in his work, the work has to be about the audience. If the artist renounces the should, works for another reason, it can be about the artist, and perhaps they will still get paid.
I just get the idea talking to some artists that they care fuckall for what audiences want, until it comes time to draw a paycheck. I think if you care fuckall about the audience you have to care fuckall about the paycheck, and can’t even really mumble under your breath “well, I SHOULD be getting paid, this is my work, I’m an artist.”
Having it both ways is such a rare and wonderful thing that you make it crass to have any sense of entitlement to it.
So, artists, fuck you for not caring about us, and still wanting our support. Fuck you for belittling our support for art you deem unworthy. Fuck you for thinking you have the high hand at this table.
And know, too, that when it all comes together, when you get us in spite of ourselves and you love us in spite of yourself, we will fuck you. As much as you want.
My quick answer to the question, which I grant I am taking out of context and whoring as my own little point of departure, is NO, nobody should be paid to be an artist. The key to the statement being “should” – I have serious, um, what did that social worker ex-girlfriend like to say? oh, yeah, issues with that word. It is entirely acceptable, even highly desirable, that an artist may be paid, will be paid, but NO artist SHOULD be paid.
It can’t be art and be your job for the same reasons. If you are doing it, whatever it is, primarily to be paid, it’s a job, and if you are doing it primarily to speak or love or be, then it’s art. The twain may negotiate, but shall never meet.
And, when I step back and look at art from the side of the audience, or rather Audience (lets get archetypical), I want to say fuck you artists for not remembering, for too often disrespecting, this fact.
I’m sick of hearing artists bitch about apathetic audiences, about a community that doesn’t understand the value of art, about any variety of angle on “nobody gets me.”
Where is the magic time of artists paid to create work without regard for audience? From where springs any notion that the Artist SHOULD be paid? Art is a negotiation between artist and audience always. Artists earn the right to fail by engaging an audience honestly and without expectation, and only sometimes even then, and mind that failure here is not “disliking” a work of art, as value is gained when an audience hates in the right way, but rather failure is the inability to demand engagement. If an artist works to paid, finds some should in his work, the work has to be about the audience. If the artist renounces the should, works for another reason, it can be about the artist, and perhaps they will still get paid.
I just get the idea talking to some artists that they care fuckall for what audiences want, until it comes time to draw a paycheck. I think if you care fuckall about the audience you have to care fuckall about the paycheck, and can’t even really mumble under your breath “well, I SHOULD be getting paid, this is my work, I’m an artist.”
Having it both ways is such a rare and wonderful thing that you make it crass to have any sense of entitlement to it.
So, artists, fuck you for not caring about us, and still wanting our support. Fuck you for belittling our support for art you deem unworthy. Fuck you for thinking you have the high hand at this table.
And know, too, that when it all comes together, when you get us in spite of ourselves and you love us in spite of yourself, we will fuck you. As much as you want.
posted by JJisafool at 10:16 PM
<< Home