Articles/Zen Junk, Crap Art, and the Quality vs Quantity Debate
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Home < Articles < Zen Junk, Crap Art, and the Quality vs Quantity DebateThis is a huge topic that I will most likely write a book about, so I don't expect to do anything but scratch the surface here. However, it seems to come up a lot these days, and it's a very important issue for me, so I do want to hit the high points.
Here are a few of my theories on the subject:
Contents |
The Nature of Art
- Art is not entertainment.
- Art is a right, not a privilege.
- Art is a concentrated expression of the individual.
- Art is creativity in "solid" form.
- Art is content.
- Art precedes theory and criticism.
- Art is its own reward.
The Nature of Quality in Art
- Quality is 100% subjective.
- "Great" does not equal "Popular."
- "Perfect" does not equal "Beautiful."
Tom7's Crap Art Manifesto
Reprinted from http://crapart.spacebar.org
| Hi!
Crap Art is a new art movement. We're still working out our manifesto, but here are a few of our principles: 1. The practice of art should be primarily explorative, and the creation of art should be discovery rather than invention. 2. Popularly held views about what constitutes art, or what constitutes artistic talent, are elitist and discourage other forms of art and artistic talent from being explored or utilized. 3. The creation of art is more important than its consumption. Therefore, aesthetics (except in the biased eye/ear of the creator) are overrated as a judgment of the worth of art. 4. That which is created rapidly and in high quantities contains more variety and is more likely to be successful/innovative. Applying the 80%/20% "rule": If only 20% of the effort is needed to get 80% of the quality, then spending by spending only 20% of the effort, we can create five times as many artifacts at 80% quality! The Crap Art movement tries, above all, to avoid the elitism and more-artistic-than-thou attitude which has effectively kept the creation of art solely in the hands of "artists". We hope that everyone can make art. The name "crap art" does not mean to indicate that crap art is somehow worthless or foul-smelling (indeed, we believe that it is more worthwhile than most of what is commonly considered "art"). The name is meant to sound honest and down-to-earth; to make you think, "I can make crap art!" perhaps. And you can! Anyone can participate in the movement, as long as the attempt is honest. You can hear some examples at our Album-a-Day page, one of the Crap Art projects. In the meantime, it's easy to make crap art: Just sit down and do it! Try to forget your conceptions of what a "painting" or "drawing" looks like, or what a "song" sounds like, and make lots and lots. Don't spend too long on any one item. Afterwards, look or listen and discover what you've done. Perhaps you'll find something that appeals to you? If you do, you've won! If you don't, open your mind and try again! |
Art is Content
Art is content and information. Not all content and information is art, but I propose that a bit more of it is than we give credit for. If I am correct in my theory that art is creativity in "solid" form, then any individual undertaking a creative endeavor is in fact creating artifacts that share at least some artistic value. A good number of programmers will admit that they feel their work is creative, and some (like me) even consider some of their programming work to be artistic. But I digress.
We have seen with the success of YouTube, image-sharing sites like Flickr, music sites like Fuzz and various other social network variations that communities can be built around content. I propose that there are 2 clear kinds of content - that which records, and that which creates. In reality, those 2 distinctions are probably ends of a spectrum in which most content falls somewhere between. A snapshot of your dog may be viewed as a record of your dog's cuteness, but if you take time to frame the shot, working to get the best light and waiting for just the right facial expression from the pooch, I might suggest that you have moved towards the creative/artistic end of the spectrum.
So is that photograph art? Maybe. Photography can be art, right? Is it mediocre art, then? How can it be... it's a photo of your dog. You, your dog, your camera, the sun, God, the Universe and Everything conspired to visually fix a moment in time to provide you and your friends future pleasure... who are you to say that's not art?
Music is even more deliberate. It's possible, though highly unlikely, to accidentally make music. Most folks make music on purpose. And most musicians make music to the best of their ability at any given moment. And even when not at their best, it's still music, still art.
Quality is 100% Subjective
Quality is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. If the artist loves what they have made, then it is great art. If they hate it, it may still be great art. Exercise: tell any 2-year-old that the bear they just colored purple has potential, but needs work and probably would sell better with a couple of co-colorists. What, you don't consider the fruits of this poor child's intense creative endeavor to be art? Have you ever watched the attention that a child puts into trying to stay between the lines, or the beauty that can erupt if they ignore the lines all together?
Art is a Right, Not a Privilege
My point here (there is at least one, I promise) is that art belongs to us. Art is a right, not a privilege. For many years, teachers, critics, reviewers, A&R execs, songwriting coaches and cynical forum whores have worked to convince us that art is the blessing of the elite. You couldn't possibly make a record of any worth without a record contract. Without a producer and a big studio, you couldn't possibly make anything but mediocre music, or worse, music with "potential."
Well, punk, DIY, true indie, lo-fi, etc - all kicked that idea to the curb at some point. But still it seems we don't get the essence of the message. People create, they make art. Art has value. Art should be created. To not create or release art because it doesn't meet some elitist illusion of quality is to sell yourself and the world short.
Art is a Concentrated Expression of the Individual
Now to the value part. Creating art is valuable to that artist. The process of creation is akin to seeking enlightenment. We learn about ourselves by making. Art is a concentrated expression of the individual.
Now the important part: sharing art is valuable to everyone. Social capital is created by the sharing, not the making. Sure, specific works of art may be deemed more or less valuable in comparison of the social or financial capital they generate. But the sharing of any art creates value for the artist and the community.
Quantity vs. Quality
So, quantity vs quality? I see one clear answer. Artists need to define quality for themselves, and gain confidence in their ability to use that definition to determine when a work is "finished." Period. Once that is accomplished, an artist should create and release as much work as they can that meets their own quality measurement.
Forget "popular" and "perfect." Make art that is a perfect example of exactly what it is, and nothing more. And then move on. If you wait for the proverbial planets to align to produce and release your one masterpiece, it will probably never happen, and all of the other art that would have followed it will die before conception. I cry for the songs that die without ever drawing breath, because of the elitist BS that convinces us that our "baby" is too ugly to live.
Art is Not Entertainment
I should take a moment to speak about point 1: Art is not entertainment. That is not to say that art isn't entertaining or that entertainment can't be art. It means art and entertainment are not the same thing. That seems to make sense.
Except for the fact that the music industry is part of the entertainment industry, really. I should say the Music Industry. There is of course the small percentage of the music industry that is not the Music Industry, just to avoid any confusion. But for the Music Industry, music is about entertainment. Popular music is meant to induce a visceral reaction in the "average" listener. It's meant to make you feel something without heavy investment on your part. It's meant to go over dramatically on stage and in videos and commercials.
I'm not saying it's bad. On the contrary it's all great to someone. I happen to like a lot of it. I'm just saying that popular music is hand-picked for its entertainment value and mass appeal. And artists who "make it" generally find themselves entertaining more than creating. Radio spots, appearances, concerts - entertainment.
Jackson Pollock's "One: No 31" and Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" have no entertainment value. Well maybe Picasso's is a little entertaining. But you see my point by now, hopefully. There is a critical difference between creating art and creating art that is entertaining.
Art is its Own Reward
A decision to be made, and a price to be paid. Choose to make art for art's sake and be loved by few and misunderstood by most, while trying to find a somewhat creative way to keep food on the table. Choose to make art for entertainment, fight the push (and occasional desire) to compromise, trade artistic control for access and acceptance - and maybe get somewhere. Try to switch between the two and you're selling out or alienating your mass of adoring fans. This sentence brought to you by the Music Industry.
Maybe in the future, less artists will need to make a solid distinction, or choice of direction. Create your music, your art, your poetry. Share it, write about it, chat about it. In the digital age, art is content, just like this blog is content. Make it, share it, and figure out how to let it gather SocialBuxx™ for you. Because if we're right, music will become free, and video will follow. Someone will figure out an exchange mechanism, and then we can trade our SocialBuxx™ for ramen noodles and make the art that needs to be made.
Here's a quote from Eden Maxwell that is relevant:
Anything accomplished with attention to detail, great care, passion and love can be elevated from the ordinary to artfulness - from folding napkins, arranging flowers, cooking, serving tea, handwriting, or making tools - anything. The Japanese are especially adept in this area as everything in their traditional culture is artfully done.
