What is it about the artist that makes him/her immune?
It is madness. It is the irrationality of the Serious artists that enables him to avoid succumbing to the techniques that underpin the driving mechanisms of our modern, mediated, capitalistic way of life. It is the willingness to take risks, confront rejection, and embrace isolation. The Serious artist is able to comment on the moment because he has nothing to lose; he is not playing the same game. It’s easy to be critical when the stakes are not as high, when there is no instant accountability. This is why so many would rather reflect on the past or try to envision the future. It is a way of avoiding the present, which may be the hardest to face, but is definitely the most immediate with respect to our current situation.
1 comments:
I would say that artists are easily labeled "mad" because their outlook on life differs from that of conventional society. That willingness to take risks and confront the rejection is the only way they know how to breathe and move in the world. Maybe they have nothing to lose, or perhaps they will lose everything if they behave in any other way: they will lose themselves.
The second half of this is a little unclear to me
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