Art, and Why it Matters
Note: This article is the first in an ongoing series of “Motivational Monday” posts, designed to help you get your week off to a productive, insightful start.
What is Art?
Jackson Pollock was a famous painter, but millions of people still look at his paint-slung canvases and say to themselves, “I could have done that.”
In 1987, artist Andres Serrano urinated in a glass, tossed a crucifix in, took a picture, and won some major awards and recognition as an artist. That’s shocking, yes… but is it art?
Each and every year, hoards of naive art and design students graduate with honors and loads of debt, get hired on by short-sighted companies, and spend the next 40 years of their lives running photoshop for the guys who call the shots, trading countless passion-stripped hours for a few dollars here and there. They’re better-equipped, they’re more relevant, and they’re the future of the world, but they have a CEO standing over their shoulder saying, “Make it blue. I like blue, so my clients will too.” He pays the bills, he calls the shots, and we’re just artists.
An Outdated Definition
If we look up the word “art” in a dictionary, it’s going to say…
That’s what they told us in design school as well. The problem is, this textbook definition doesn’t hold up in the real world. It doesn’t challenge or change the status quo, and it doesn’t produce work that’s worthy of the world’s attention. This is a nod to the practice of decoration. The textbook definition of art backs us into a corner, when what we really need is freedom to open up and do something that matters.
A Better Definition
Consider this alternative view of art, taken from an excerpt of Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin”
“Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.
“What makes someone an artist? I don’t think it has anything to do with a paintbrush. There are painters who follow the numbers, or paint billboards, or work in a small village in China, painting reproductions. These folks, while swell people, aren’t artists. On the other hand, Charlie Chaplin was an artist, beyond a doubt. So is Jonathan Ive, who designed the iPod. You can be an artist who works with oil paints or marble, sure. But there are artists who work with numbers, business models, and customer conversations. Art is about intent and communication, not substances.
“An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artist takes it personally.
“That’s why Bob Dylan is an artist, but an anonymous corporate hack who dreams up Pop 40 hits on the other side of the glass is merely a marketer. That’s why Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, is an artist, while a boiler room of telemarketers is simply a scam. Tom Peters, corporate gadfly and writer, is an artist, even though his readers are businesspeople. He’s an artist because he takes a stand, he takes the work personally, and he doesn’t care if someone disagrees. His art is part of him, and he feels compelled to share it with you because it’s important, not because he expects you to pay him for it.
“Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn’t matter. The intent does.”
What Seth’s saying is that true artists are committed to work that matters (at least to them), and they’re committed to changing those who experience their art. They’re also committed to doing the work, making the art, and causing action.
That is why Andres Serrano is an artist. His intentions, goals, and methods may be… unconventional… but he’s definitely putting in the work and eliciting a response from people. How many designers of products or packaging or print ads can say the same? When was the last time you caused a response through your art? Not just a reaction… but an action?
This is why, while you may very well be able to create similar works to Jackson Pollock’s paintings, he’s the artist… and we’re talking about his work. He lived the art, made the commitment, and dealt with sweat and tears and paint in his eyes, and we’re standing around and debating it, instead of the other way around. He, too, created more than a two second pause and a shrug.
And You?
When you go to work today, how can you take ownership of your art, put in the sweat, and create a measurable response in those who experience it?