Article about "Making Art..."

[dirk2024]

Here is an article that I thought would be of interest to the folks here in the AH.

Making Art is Critical

“As an author, when I write my novels I become like a God of my own little realm,” she says.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Thank you for posting this. There are a few threads asking us why we write what we write. This quote answers that question for me more and more every day. If you don't know, I write primarily in the Transgender space.

“When you see destruction, it’s a horrible thing, but it reminds you, you know what? I can counter that,” says Louis Henry Mitchell, creative director of character design at the Sesame Workshop. “I can counter that by being creative.”

 

[SimonDoom]

I agree with the sentiment of that quoted line, that it's part of the appeal of writing. That fantastic creative power -- to spin a story any way you want to. The constraints of the outside world don't apply. If you are turned on about something, you can write it, and the great thing is that you have absolute power to write about it in the way that turns you on the most. The other cool thing is that in doing it you realize that there are all these other people who don't know who feel what you feel, and they're turned on too.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Yeah, I like that you shared this because there's been a shift in the zeitgeist around Gen Z that is reflecting this. Also my fellow milennials are following through. Since the beginning of this year I've been noticing a lot of people of my age and younger removing partially or totally social media on the sense that they consumed enough, and they decided to create more. Not really because they want to be professionals, but because they're seeking an outlet. Even in a time where there's just too much AI slop, people are craving genuinity, and if they can't find it, they'll make it themselves.

However, I should point out this is not a new thing. This is actually a sign from history. Whenever there's a crisis, there is also a renaissance. Think about the times that came before the birth of hip hop and punk, the golden age of Hollywood, dadaism... They are usually reactions to things like social crisis, wars, economic downtimes... and right now the world's going to shit, especially when the trend online seems to be censorship all over the world as we're seeing it begin in the videogame space just last week.

That's what's missing from the article. Art is not just a way to rebuild, or a way to cope. Art is also a form of rebellion. It's a rejection of the status quo, and it's a way not to just express yourself, but to connect, to sympathize, and why not, art can even spark revolutions, so I guess that's the deep down reason why the status quo is always against art, but I digress. I mean, even erotica has been used as a form of rebellion. Whatever you think of him, Marquis de Sade satirized the powers of France in 120 Days of Sodom, and Henry Miller pretty much sparked the sexual revolution with Tropic of Cancer, a book he wrote while he was practically homeless in 1930s Paris.

Love that We Need Your Art is mentioned. There is a book that goes well as a companion for Amie McNee's work because it explores the same subject: Doom & Bloom. It was released just a few months after We Need Your Art, and I think Campbell wanted to promote it alongside We Need Your Art as companion books for each other since they are similar.

tl;dr, there is a renaissance on its way.