Art is something that should transcend any economic motivations. It should be placed on an island far away from the greed and hate spawned from little pieces of paper. Art exists in ream of value that lies beyond and beneath mere economic considerations. The starving artist is someone too pure to simply "make it" in this world. When I make my art, I do not strive for fame or for money. I get sick of the rappers "flexing" on how much people have paid for their recordings. If your "art" appeals to the masses enough to get paid for it than it isn't art. Period.
That being said, I have to eat. So, I took a commission assignment. Amanda in my building wanted me to paint a portrait of her family. She sent me a photo and asked me to reproduce. The photo had Amanda and her two kids, posing under a pier on a beach. The kids wore matching outfits with wide smiles across wide smiles across their faces. Getting paid for art is a different experience from doing art for the sake of art. There is the pressure of your audience paying for the art. I specialize in F-you art. Art that the audience sees and hates. They hate it for what is says about them. This photo, with a pelican sitting above the pier was the complete opposite. Amanda made it clear she wanted me to put my creative flair on it. So, I blew the pelican up 300 times and made it look like it was part of the family, posing next to Amanda and Jake as a somehow not awkward third wheel to the family. I don't know what statement I was trying to make, but Amanda's face when she saw the painting was perfect.
After I giving it to her, I went to Mr. Evan's funeral. I was scared of the energy that I had felt coming from the event, but recognized the importance of respecting the dead. I went home to paint. Saw a bright blue haze and went to sleep.
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