the artistic process of cultural production
We live in a world in which creativity is recognised only when it is productive. This notion of cultural production is explored by many modern cultural and political theorists (of which I know little of but will be learning more about when we start a new series of articles on the subject in next months issue) and although for some it is merely an academic theory for many it is a sorry fact of life. It is a damning indictment of the society we live in.
As creative beings; process, ideas, thought, observation, learning, development, filtering, examining, trial and error are all fundamental parts of making of a mark, a creative act. An act that is difficult to sustain over time, gets more difficult as you get older as it requires a phenomenal amount of energy. Energy to pick yourself up, time and time again, to stumble from one failure to another in the search of the perfect moment that can never come and you will never find. It is a vocation that takes a phenomenal will, a contrariness, an ego, an unwavering belief, an imperviousness and a knowing. For the reality is most people calculate worth by the product you produce and not the process that is your lifetime
Does this make the artist ultimately self – destructive? Is the desire to create a destructive tendency – to continually create and destroy? What does it say about someone who sets themselves up for a fall on a continual basis, who makes life difficult for themselves when it could be so easy, turning away from the quick answer and the easy option into the headwind of uncertainty and darkness…
312 total views, 1 today
