One of my greatest fears as an artist is that I do not serve an essential function to society. In the field of Science, the quality of human life can be improved through the understanding and manipulation of precise natural laws. In the field of Industry, a man is judged worthy by the sweat on his brow, his labour and efforts, which lead to the creation of all the consumer goods we see as essential to survival. But Art... Art at its basis has no clear purpose. It is considered as a discipline devoted to entertainment, and detracts from progress by inspiring human indulgence. Time spent contemplating films and fiction is considered wasted, and because it is seen as such, that time is restricted in favour of industry and science.
This is how I feel I have been brought up by society to view the working world. It is not enough for me. It is not enough to serve a function as a mere entertainer. Certainly entertainment serves a purpose - it caters to the fragility of our emotional beings, providing catharsis, allowing us to empathise and through empathy experience the uncommon, primal feelings not associated with ordinary life. In this way it keeps our biological mainframe running smoothly, avoiding hormonal build-ups of aggression, lust, and depression. Bear in mind I am not a biologist. This is just how I understand human beings from their behaviorisms.
To reiterate, this is not enough. It is unfair to think of science and industry as the forerunners of the human race, while art is not so much in the race as it is the nutrition schedule for the athletes, in existence only to correct the errors and indiscretions of the mind. It is not enough to support. I want to know Art is driving progress, and shaping what we call our 'advanced' civilisation in a positive way.
So what is Art, if not pure folly?
What an Artist does, I term creation. Perhaps that is not the best way to distinguish them. An Industrialist creates. They mass produce according to a given design, or build according to the studied laws of architecture. A Scientist creates, putting forth their accumulated knowledge into the invention of a chemical or a machine. When an Artist creates, they twist their chosen material into an experience, a moment, or a sequence, with the intention of making it capable of evoking thoughts and feelings.
That is better. Humans create. What they create and how they create it determines their field.
My question is, "What is the use?". If not for entertainment, what function can fictional experience serve?
The immediate answer is that they inspire. Without Michael Crichton's 'Terminal Man', Kevin Warrick may never have stepped out of his field and achieved the first direct nerve-to-nerve communication. Without Jules Verne's 'From The Earth to The Moon', pioneer rocket scientists may never have dreamed it possible to reach outer space. Industrialists who had grown bored with routine may have found inspiration in Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead' and questioned the validity of their projects, and the course of their very careers. This in turn brings to light another function of Art; to catalyse ideas.
In general, Art can be said to be formed around a single concept or idea. Isaac Asimov's books concerning robots were centred on (duh) robotics, and have lead to frontier investigations concerning robotic rights and the ways one might develop an artificial intelligence. Numerous painters have used their talents to attempt a portrayal of gods and other celestial beings, which in turn evoke ideas in those who wonder at how ancient human beings saw the world. Liova Tolstoy's work 'War and Peace' centred on the idea of defining the truest realities of historical investigation and held his theories concerning the effect of freewill on a greater social movement, and his illustrations concerning that core idea.
Ideas keep our minds active. They not only help us build up an idea of reality, but force us to adapt that idea to suite discoveries, and nurture keeping the habit of an open mind when dealing with other fields of investigation.
To invent art is to twist a material into an experience; and that itself tells us about its function. More often than not, the human race is run against other human beings who stand the risk of destabilising progress by ignorance and arrogance, or alternately attempting to progress in a self-destructive direction. Art allows us to form a sense of empathy with them by 'sharing' their experiences and feelings, learning how they came about and how to work them into a more useful form. Much like psychology, it allows us to learn how other human beings work (almost like method acting) and optimise our ability to work with them through our understanding of them.
To empathise, to inspire, to generate thought. These things are what make a successful artwork, or at the very least a meaningful artwork. These things give art a use. They give it purpose.
So long as I keep these things in mind, it isn't shameful to be an artist. It is, in fact, a fairly benevolent pursuit, if I do say so myself.
This is how I feel I have been brought up by society to view the working world. It is not enough for me. It is not enough to serve a function as a mere entertainer. Certainly entertainment serves a purpose - it caters to the fragility of our emotional beings, providing catharsis, allowing us to empathise and through empathy experience the uncommon, primal feelings not associated with ordinary life. In this way it keeps our biological mainframe running smoothly, avoiding hormonal build-ups of aggression, lust, and depression. Bear in mind I am not a biologist. This is just how I understand human beings from their behaviorisms.
To reiterate, this is not enough. It is unfair to think of science and industry as the forerunners of the human race, while art is not so much in the race as it is the nutrition schedule for the athletes, in existence only to correct the errors and indiscretions of the mind. It is not enough to support. I want to know Art is driving progress, and shaping what we call our 'advanced' civilisation in a positive way.
So what is Art, if not pure folly?
What an Artist does, I term creation. Perhaps that is not the best way to distinguish them. An Industrialist creates. They mass produce according to a given design, or build according to the studied laws of architecture. A Scientist creates, putting forth their accumulated knowledge into the invention of a chemical or a machine. When an Artist creates, they twist their chosen material into an experience, a moment, or a sequence, with the intention of making it capable of evoking thoughts and feelings.
That is better. Humans create. What they create and how they create it determines their field.
My question is, "What is the use?". If not for entertainment, what function can fictional experience serve?
The immediate answer is that they inspire. Without Michael Crichton's 'Terminal Man', Kevin Warrick may never have stepped out of his field and achieved the first direct nerve-to-nerve communication. Without Jules Verne's 'From The Earth to The Moon', pioneer rocket scientists may never have dreamed it possible to reach outer space. Industrialists who had grown bored with routine may have found inspiration in Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead' and questioned the validity of their projects, and the course of their very careers. This in turn brings to light another function of Art; to catalyse ideas.
In general, Art can be said to be formed around a single concept or idea. Isaac Asimov's books concerning robots were centred on (duh) robotics, and have lead to frontier investigations concerning robotic rights and the ways one might develop an artificial intelligence. Numerous painters have used their talents to attempt a portrayal of gods and other celestial beings, which in turn evoke ideas in those who wonder at how ancient human beings saw the world. Liova Tolstoy's work 'War and Peace' centred on the idea of defining the truest realities of historical investigation and held his theories concerning the effect of freewill on a greater social movement, and his illustrations concerning that core idea.
Ideas keep our minds active. They not only help us build up an idea of reality, but force us to adapt that idea to suite discoveries, and nurture keeping the habit of an open mind when dealing with other fields of investigation.
To invent art is to twist a material into an experience; and that itself tells us about its function. More often than not, the human race is run against other human beings who stand the risk of destabilising progress by ignorance and arrogance, or alternately attempting to progress in a self-destructive direction. Art allows us to form a sense of empathy with them by 'sharing' their experiences and feelings, learning how they came about and how to work them into a more useful form. Much like psychology, it allows us to learn how other human beings work (almost like method acting) and optimise our ability to work with them through our understanding of them.
To empathise, to inspire, to generate thought. These things are what make a successful artwork, or at the very least a meaningful artwork. These things give art a use. They give it purpose.
So long as I keep these things in mind, it isn't shameful to be an artist. It is, in fact, a fairly benevolent pursuit, if I do say so myself.
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