Entry No.002: Bad Art
I think bad art is so important. Too many people think that you have to be fantastic at art off the bat to enjoy it.
This ties in with some crazy philosophy I stand by, me and a friend call it process over product. To sum it up, it's just enjoying how slow things are. Today's world is so insanely fast, the search for convenience is of an immense priority. Efficiency to the extreme extent makes sense in a corporate work setting maybe but it's branched out to so many things that it shouldn't apply to and generates stress in those areas that should be void of it.
My thought process here is something I will for sure bring up so much in the future, I think it's important to recognize how streamlined the modern age is. People apply this speed to things that are meant to be enjoyed slowly, like art in this case.
I am currently in art school, and I LIVE for the process of creation. Nothing I have worked on is finished by any means, I go back to projects I've produced ages ago to readjust and add to them with fresh eyes. People don't seem to resonate with that in such a fast world. When people look at good art, rather than inspiring them they seem to think about all the time it takes to attain that skill. They think art is the product and not process.
I saw a video of a lady that made these gorgeous oil paintings, she never just uploaded the finished piece as a picture. In her time-lapsed videos, you can witness every step she goes through in her process. You can see how long it takes as the natural lighting changes in flashes. She began on piece with shapes in charcoal, carving out forms that at the time seem nonsensical. Once tired of the charcoal she'll pick up pastels, color a beautiful scene that ends up only being a mock-up. I was shocked to see her pick up paints to paint over her work that looked so finished. The final piece she showed however didn't show any of what was beneath. One couldn't guess how much time went into it as it was drawn, redrawn, painted, and repainted. In my eyes, the art isn't so much as what's on the final canvas but the video that captures every step.
Andy Goldsworthy is an artist that I think represents this same kind of concept, along with the idea of non-permanence and fleeting beauty. He takes immense amounts of time to find the materials he wants to use, to plan his piece and to execute it, all for it to be blown away within days.
Goldsworthy is a modern artist who has definitely suffered from the label of being 'bad'. His work is displayed only through photographs, in some way that might minimize the impact it may have. And whatever is lost in translation is further misunderstood by a viewer who thinks 'I can do that'.
Yes you can! Go do it!! I use to be so offended by people who would claim modernism is bad and too simply to have meaning but there is such a positive side to it; a massive group of people stand in these museums all with the same thought 'Why is this here? I could do that.' and these thoughts alone have such potential but no one seems to think bad art is okay.
I do not agree with the labeling of modern art being bad. But, but but but, I think it is so fantastic that people think that. If that is what it takes for people who are so convinced of their lack of creativity to imagine themselves creating something, then by all means yes, it is bad, yes you can make it, please, go make it. It is okay if your early works are god awful but clearly, even those could make it into some grand museum one day.
The only thing that differs you from the person who painted that canvas is your unwillingness to go through the process. Everyone experiences time the exact same way. The minute is the same for everybody. We keep track of time to see how LONG something takes. Why is a greater length of time so stigmatized? Time isn't the enemy, your fear of it is.
A closing remark: don't fear how long something could take. The tastier meal always feels so slow to prepare but ohmygod is it so good to eat. Inconvenience isn't the devil and the journey should be prioritized over the destination.
Next time I want to talk about how I apply process over product in my life! Thanks for reading :)