King of Something
Its been a long time since I last wrote a blog here, and I wish not to neglect my duties to this site, so even though not much in the line of Crateart has happened let me inform.
I'm in a grey point right now as an artist. I haven't been making any new work lately, at least nothing worth presenting here, and I may not make any anytime soon. I have invested a lot of time and a lot of money into my artwork, so it is hard for me to just quit, but it may have to happen. Maybe, maybe not.
There are times as an artist when you look back on sacrifices you've made for your profession and judge if it is worth it. In the beginning the idea is to never look back, to just run and run and never pause to examine, but you get older and things change.
Over the last few months I have been exploring the idea of a new profession, but nothing really comes to mind. I don't really fear starting over, actually that idea sounds fun, I just fear doing something that will lead me back to this point, where I am not sure if I wish to proceed. I know that making works of expression may be the only thing I really enjoy, but I just am not able to find the method of comminicating my thought to others. The good Mike says, "never give up until you've done it". The evil Mike says, "spend your money and time elsewhere. Learn a new, and profitable, trade". The Mike in the middle just waits.
So as for Crateart, all I can say is that I am in a fog right now. Grey areas happen. I've been here before, before This is 7 in Prague, before I coined Crateart. This is really the time that the biggest steps of my work have always happened. When I come back, the work will not be the same, probably not even close. I may come back with writing, maybe images, I may just decide that my work is raising my son and nothing else. The time has come for me to examine my work. I must decide what I have been doing wrong, whether its worth fixing, and if not, what I will do instead. No matter what, I will report back here.
3 Comments:
hey mike, sorry to tell you this but artists are born that way. its not just a profession, its a genetic predisposition. its like being gay or having one leg slightly shorter than the other, you just gotta accept it. you and i both worked shit jobs just so we could make art, so i having nothing new to say other than that you may as well do it, 'cause if you don't you risk being horribly unhappy. take care buddy.
p.s. just to be clear, I meant that you should concider yourself blessed my son!
Oh motherfuckin please. Pretty pretty please! I like making art. I also like playing video games. Doesn't mean either one is better than the other, more rewarding, or more valuable. Money doesn't come from either one of them, nor does health. The notion that art is a disease, a disease of passion is so romantic that Fabio could be the cover model. Art is about money, just like every other profession. So to Spoooon and ANTkowiak I must hang my head low and say that "given up" has happened. I have given up the dream of rock-stardom and wealth due to my artwork. From here on, consider me a hobbiest. I make artwork out of hobby and I am no longer concerned who likes it or who buys it. I do not require money from my artwork, I can make plenty without it. So now...I get to do only what I want to do.
I do consider myself blessed, I am blessed that I can afford to not have to depend on selling artwork. Marketing myself as an artist has been the most frustrating thing I have ever done. It makes me feel hollow and it makes the artwork I create feel hollow. If that is the price of artistic success, than let me please step aside on not get in anyone's way. I'll be in my new Florida studio making and expressing something only I understand, and you can call it art or whatever else you like.
That art-as-disease and mute-whispering-in-my-ear shit is just a shot of whiskey arists drink to keep them warm at night. Why do I make art? Why am I engaged to a profession that will almost certainly land me in the poor-house, a profession that will always misrepresent me and, at best, only pay me attention after thirty to fifty years of serice? Why...well because I was born that way, because I have a fire inside that just can't be put out, the muse talks only to me and I see dead people.
Mike's opinion as to why artists do what they do: At a certain point in a person's life they feel as if they can do anything, which is in fact true. Some people reach for that which is obtainable, taking little risk and insuring success. Others, out of passion or daring or even stupidity, reach for the unobtainable knowing that there is little, if not any, chance of success. Artists do this because the idea of obtaining the unobtainable is truely great. To the artist (remember, I stated that this was an opinion), there is always time to achieve the obtainable.
Jag Fu.
who the fuck is Spoooon anyway?
-M
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