ITS HARD TO BE AN ARTIST

IT'S HARD TO BE AN ARTIST

... but we are useful and have so much to offer to the world.  The world needs us, whether it sees it and knows it or not!

A letter from Merton to a dear DA friend, on the subject of "It's hard to be an artist" and the artist's purpose (for his/her self and the world).  In this communication, I define artist as anyone creating in any area of the arts.  Further, I have defined artist as any human, period, since we all could (and should, I feel)  consider ourselves artists, each having aspects of our lives and our lives as a whole that ought to be approached in an artist-like way).

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My dear friend,

Here is response to your comment.  I realize I have gotten much more serious and philosophical than was probably warranted, but this is what your comment spun me off into these thoughts.  Hey, I'm silly, long-winded Merton... what do your expect?!?  Wink.

I do not think that non-musicians in general have too much concept of the complexity of technical aspects of music, and the importance of musicality and aesthetics in music.  This is not surprising, though, with the state of pop music today.  I know that refutes my thesis that "all are artists" and my criticism of art snobbery and groups that are too snobbish and precious with their rules here on DA... but there we have it. I am complex, I contain multitudes (as Whitman, I think said, or something like that)!

There are many places all about us where we may listen to great music or see great art (and experience great variety on all levels), but I do not think the population as a whole seeks these out.  Thus, we have a populace that just sort of eats what is given by the media machine.  Maybe this is a bit less so today (with the net, satellite TV and radio, etc.), but it is still true.

I do think that DA/YouTube, etc. (and such venues) are great, for they encourage folks to create and see all sorts of work/creations/expressions in all sorts of areas of the arts.  These kinds of media destinations do present a great panorama of creativity of all sorts, with all levels of skill, and with all sorts of voices of expression.

Still, as a whole, what people tend to consume, like pablum, is the same sound or the same fine art/theatrical/cinematic expression said over and over.  What becomes popular gets imitated over and over, for at least a decade.  Then something a little different, but often not much, comes into vogue, and that gets imitated over and over for another decade.  I see this over and over with my young students who come in, sing or play for me, with the same ornamentations, noodlings, sounds, inflections, etc., that one hears on the car radio or in over the loudspeaker at a public place.

This is not surprising, since young artists often emulate.  However, I think they want me to teach them the latest in vogue stuff... and what I intend to teach them, in addition to technique, is to find their own voice, to hear their own muse, etc.  That is a much harder job, but ultimately much more satisfying and beneficial to true creativity and artistry.

I think it IS hard to learn an art or a craft, to find one's voice, and say something new and vibrant with it.  It is hard to always be listening to ones muse and growing and creating.  This requires focus on one's self, on one's art, etc. It is also the most natural thing in the world, once we learn to get quiet, to listen, to respond, and to redo and organize our life to promote it in us.

Unfortunately the world is set up to make our focus be on consuming things and making money so that we can buy that new car, replace that carpet, put food on the table, pay for all our insanely expensive (and often useless) insurances, have the latest technological gadget, etc.  And, many times I find, especially in my younger students, they are interested in their art being a vehicle for acquiring these things.  Again, this is not surprising in the young, for young people (especially in our acquisitive society) do seem to (naturally?) want these things.  

If our society were different, would our youth so naturally yearn for these things.  Would they yearn for things of the mind, heart and soul more, if our world promoted things of the mind, heart and soul instead of material things?

One wonders.

But, young or old, here is the question, I think:

How can one be an artist, find oneself, know oneself, be in touch with one's muse, work on technique, expand into new genres, sharpen and express one's vision, care for oneself (so that one is healthy and rested enough to create etc.), when the world does all it can to make sure that ALL our energies are depleted with making money to afford the things that I describe above (and then continually replace and maintain them)?

The answer?:  One can't.  One has to pull away from the world and all its incessant grabbings at the soul.  

Of course I am lucky that I have a partner who wants to work in the business world.  I have a wonderful hubby (a perfect artist's spouse) and am a bit more comfortable than I would be, if I did not have such a partner.  But even if I did have him as a part of my life, I would still be the modified art hermit that I am. I might be a little less comfortable, but I would live as I am living now.  I would find a way to do it.  

Just as working out my current schedule over the past three years of my midlife crisis has been my creation, if I lived on my own, without my wondrous, hardworking partner, finding a way to continue to live as a modified "art hermit" (my term) on my own would be my creation.

I think it is hard to "get good" at our art and it's hard to be an artist.  It is also hard to get good at the art of taking care of our unique self, to find ourselves, and to be a calm, peaceful, rested, self aware, creatively fulfilled human.  I think if we are these things, we can hear our muse, create, come into our true selves, create beauty as we define it, etc.  Thus, we can send wonderful, creative energy out into the world, and help and bless others (in the way and at the rate that is appropriate for us).

We can do this by selling our work, teaching, performing, or even by creating, evolving, praying, etc., completely alone with no one seeing or experiencing our work, and just trusting and knowing that we all are connected and one, and thus the energy we send out by the aforementioned is received.  (I know that is a big, Thomas Merton-esque, very "spiritual" leap of faith, but I believe it).

It is hard to do and believe the above.  It is hard to give oneself permission to do and believe this when the world does all it can to pull us into the morass of our  riddiculous, harmful, soul-eating, consumerist society... which is anti-art, anti-creating, anti-spirit, anti-muse, anti-rest, anti-peace, anti-listening, and anti-everthing that artists (and humans, really) need.  It is hard to do this when the world may be critical of us for doing and believing this, and wants us to live in the fashion that the great majority of humans do, i.e. under the yolk of the machine that is the modern way of life.

As I stated in a recent essay, we are all artists, really.  We all have the capacity for art, fine art or otherwise.  All sorts of things can be art... cooking, caring for ourselves, caring for others, creating a wonderful home, designing and organizing our lives, etc., etc.  This is the purpose of artists, I think, to help others see that an artist's approach to life and living is so beneficial.  We humans can have the outlook of artists (following our muse, honing our abilities, creating beauty) and make our lives fit us, a perfect creation which heals and nourishes us, thus allowing us to send our best energy into the world.  

We can know that, extrovert or introvert, out in the world or more hermitted, practical or more metaphorical/conceptually oriented, we are creating a self, an individual world and a world as a whole (since we are all one and connected) that is wondrous, flexible, and joyful.  With a little imagination, tolerance, effort and thinking "outside the box," we can (by accessing our inner artist)  create a world that is lovely and meets EVERYONE'S needs.  

Why should there be homeless folks with all the empty buildings in the world.  How can there be hungry people when every night there are dumpster full of food thrown out of restaurants and grocery stores?  How can there be lonely people when all over the world there are millions longing to talk and cuddle?  How can there be sad and useless feeling elderly when they have so much wisdom to give (and why don't we want that wisdom)?

There is enough for all, and there is room for everyone and all sorts of modes of living.  This is how we were meant to live, and our spirits and the plentitude of the world (spiritually and temporally) can easily provide for this.  It is our current, greedy, economic-centered, power oriented, hierarchy prone structure that prevents this.  

Artists, can help the world to understand this, by refusing to live as the world wants us to, insisting on living differently, following our muse, making our art (whatever or however it is) whether the world currently approves or not.  We can encourage the world to think about such things, to see what the world and its system does not want us to see, to think differently and to just think (about what is, what truly is, what might be, what things mean, etc.)  We are good and useful for the world, whether it sees it currently or not.  We are good and useful for the world, whether the world views us and frivolous and self-indulgent or not.

But right now, with society and the world as it is, it is not easy to get good at our art (as we and our muses define it) and to be artists.  The world is designed now to discourage anyone who would seek to do so.  But those especially called to be artists, despite this, have a special mission right now to help the world change (because it must, since life as we know it is not set up to promote joy, health, peace, calm, rest, creativity... all the things humans really need and yearn for).  Those of us called to be artists, are, I think, especially in this day and age, to be the sort of iconocastic ones that insist on living differently.  

We are to be those for whom creating is life, who create beauty as we see it, who  insist that this is our work, who insist that "sale of our work" does not necessarily define its worth/importance. Work, say we artists, is not to be that which we hate, but must do in order to afford our new cars, new carpet, roofs over our heads, bills, insurances, food, etc., etc., etc.  Our work is to be an outgrowth of our souls, our increasing understanding of ourselves, our spirits, our purpose, etc.

The day IS, say the artists, supposed to be balanced, filled with joy, rest, peace, work as we define it, helping others as we define it, etc.  Each day knows what it wants to become, each person is to be on a joyful, unfolding, calm, wondrous journey that is NOT a prison-like box that asks way too much and kills the spirit.

A prison-like box that kills the spirit is a pretty good description of what most modern people's lives are like.  Their lives ask so much of them, that all they have energy for is to come home to the nice, newly carpeted and heavily insured homes they work so hard to afford, in their expensive cars from their life sucking jobs, and watch TV till it is time to get up and do it all over again.

Sounds horrible when put that way, doesn't it?  But isn't that a pretty accurate representation, if many (or even most of us) are honest?

I think it is the artists job to say (with their insistence on following their muse, getting good at their art as they define it, expressing their inner and unfolding journey with their art) that there is more than what I describe above.  It is the artists job to remind the world that the hampster wheel that most humans are running in (if they are not starving or killing each other, like the rest of the world not in a hampster wheel) is just that... a hampster wheel.

There is more. Yes, it is hard to get good at one's art, to improve one's technique, to learn to listen to one's muse, and find one's artistic voice.  It is hard in today's world to be an artist and make a life which allows us to create.  It is hard, but we are called to do it.  Others might call us selfish, self-absorbed, indulgent, wastrels, etc.  And, we might be tempted to just create what is popular, so that we can become rich and famous and continue to have REALLY nice cars, carpets, well-appointed houses and insurance policies.  

Yes, the above paragraph is so, but nonetheless I have spent the last three years of my well-documented midlife crisis creating something.  And, that something is a me that accepts myself as older, as an artist (with all that this entails), and as one with less energy but still the desire to create.  What the last three years for me has been about is creating a life that is calm, peaceful, and pared down to a quiet life in which I can hear and respond to my muse.

That has been hard, but I am glad I did it.

I stay home.  I do not go out into the world much.  I do not work nine to five in the world (or 12 or 14 hours as many do.). I used to, but I don't anymore.  I cannot do this anymore.  I would fall apart and implode if I did.  I understand myself and my limitations.  I do not make a lot of money, but I make some, enough... I take care of me, love and care for my doggie and hubby, bring a little joy with music to elderly people once a month, teach a few students each day, and do some creating each day.

That is enough.

I tried, did, created much in my life. I burned my candle at both ends.  I tried to be my artist self and live the way the world wanted, with many hours of work and many material possessions.  It nearly killed me and wore me out.  If I knew what I know now, I don't think I would have tried to do what I did as a young man.  But I did it all.  ("and did it MY way"... lol).  I guess I have much experience, and am a good/varied teacher, artist, writer and musician for having done all I did.  

Yes, it is hard to be an artist.  It is hard to be a human.  It is hard to get good at our art and good at understanding us, the world, our purpose, the way it is best for us to live, what is realistic and what is not, etc.  It is hard do, be, and figure out all these things.

I suppose that is why we come/came here, we humans.  I suppose that is why we came here, we artists.

Maybe that is the function of artists.  Though it is hard, it is our job to help the world and humans understand that we all are artists, that all we do, are, and learn is an art.  Maybe it is our "job" (paid/paid well or not) to help all, whether they consider themselves artists or not, to see that living and being human is an art and something we must approach in an artist's way (differently, like an iconoclast, with listening, perfecting, seeking of beauty, etc.).  

It is an artist's journey for all of us.