"And artists themselves, outside of unionized industries like
television and movies, are unlikely to perceive defending the value of what
they do as an interest they hold in common. But it is not necessarily in their
nature to be any more individualistic or competitive than anybody else, and
they may have a lot to teach the rest of us about the meaning of work. If the
supposedly self-involved members of the creative class can organize to assert
some control over what they make — the magical stuff now routinely referred to
as “content” — then maybe other residents of the beleaguered middle might be
inspired by their examples.
"Inexpensive goods carry hidden costs, and those costs are
frequently borne by exploited, underpaid workers. This is true of our clothes
and our food, and it is no less true of those products we turn to for meaning,
pleasure and diversion. We will no doubt continue to indulge all kinds of
romantic conceits about artists: myths about the singularity of genius or the
equal distribution of talent; clichés about flaky, privileged weirdos;
inspiring tales of dreamers who persevered. But we also need to remember, with
all the political consequences that this understanding entails, that they are
just doing their jobs."
To which I will add, buy art from living artists such as me, because then I will help the economy by buying more art supplies to make more art, feed my dog, pay my rent, you know, by being a "maker."
.JPG) |
| Samwise Gamgee, the Art Dog. What's his breed? RESCUE! |
No comments:
Post a Comment