Message Board Topic 1/5

[Comsie]

The thing about the average 'artistic' mind...is that it is always trying to create. Trying to do something unique and original. I had a teacher tell me once, that every artist's true ambition is to create something so original, so personal, so amazing...that it can never be duplicated. Never once, by any other person in existence. And that ambition can fuel an artist's creativity until the stars burn out...indulging in new ideas that have never been seen before with each new achievement.

 

But...can the 'artistic' mind go so far as to not be appealing to the general public any more? Can artists get so lost in the clouds and the smoke and mirrors of 'originality'...that they make their art inaccessible? Can a story get so complex and so 'out there' in concept and format, that people simply can't grasp on to the idea of it? And if so...should the artist 'tone it down' a bit so people can enjoy it? Or should they just enjoy being ahead of their time, and wait for the public to 'catch up'? What are your thought on this?

[Graeme]

It depends on what the artist is trying to achieve. If they are creating art for art's sake, then the audience isn't important -- it doesn't matter if the general public doesn't understand or appreciate it. If they are looking for public adoration, then they need to create something that appeals to their target audience. They will never create something that appeals to everyone, so they should look at who do they want to like their work and create accordingly. That could be an audience of one (themselves), or it could be wider than that -- that's their choice.