It's kind of funny. I have been trying to post on this blog daily, while a friend does the same thing on hers. I'm a day or two short. The funny thing is, our blogs have been almost consistently similar. Check out Daleymuse.Wordpress.com.
With the increase of population and the ability to easily communicate via the web, we are inundated with data, words, information, music and images. As with the law of supply and demand, the over-abundance of all of this can tend to cheapen it.
Take for instance a writer who slaves over their work. My friend, Alan Heathcock was an overnight success. It only took him 12 years to get his short story collection, Volt, written and published. Twelve years. Overnight sensation. Yeah, the math doesn't really work. Let's say that he gave up trying to get this done along the way. He gets discouraged by the cool reception of the publishers and decides to self-publish. Would that cheapen his art? Let's say he just leaves it in digital form from his computer and posts it as a blog entry. Can you still relate to his raw, beautiful characters?
I think you could, but you would have to wade through an awful lot of information to find it.
True art, while not having to be recognised by a commercial entity like a publisher, is usually better experienced live and in person. I remember walking in Downtown Disney and being stopped be the music of Drew Tetrick. He made his violin weep and sing. We stopped and listened and chatted with him and purchased his CD's that he signed. Listening to them now is good, but hearing it live... That was awesome!
I'm sure we would all recognise the Mona Lisa because of an art class, or from a movie, or some other book. Can you imagine seeing it with your own eyes at the Louvre in Paris? Can your computer monitor show you the scale of the Sistene Chapel? Or of the David?
The point is, get out there and either create or enjoy a museum or gallery. PRINT those pictures off the memory stick and frame it. Give one to a friend. Print off the story and mark the hell out of it. Let someone you know will be honest critique it.
Log off and create! It's what you were born to do!
Don't they always say great minds think alike? :) In all seriousness, you make several great points; it's a pleasure to read your musings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing more details about Alan's story. I met the guy about a year ago and have come to respect him tremendously, now more so, knowing of the long road he's traveled to get to where he is today.
Oh, and thanks for the sharing the blog love, Steven! I'm pretty sure you and I are going to make this a great year.
Best,
Amber