00 / i SAY:

Art Versus Commodity

Why do people feel they have to do what someone else is doing when often it is not what they want to do? The herd instinct is a strong survival method, but is it the best mode for developing individual creativity?

Current thinking is that organisations should group together and share. Good thinking to share resources and cut overhead costs, if it does. Artists from different disciplines can be very creative in working together but if it is the same or very similar disciplines, it sometimes creates a merging that becomes at best indistinct or at worst boring.

The David and Goliath story is one many people like to hear about in different formats - the universal little man who takes on the giant conglomerate – and wins. Reality is different – very different. Size counts and the bigger companies have access to more resources and therefore more purchasing power in the market place of public opinion. The flower that blooms unnoticed in the wild, it’s praises unsung can it be as beautiful as one that is nurtured in a commercial environment? The obvious answer is, yes. The reality is, no. If no one sees wild flowers blooming they cannot be assessed and judged to be beautiful because they remain unseen.

And that is the heart of all creative arts – they have to be seen and heard, assessed and chewed over by audience members and then, merit or lack thereof decided upon by the powers that be. After that process is complete you realize just how much you have in common with any commodity that is up for sale in the market place. The public have to like/enjoy your product or be persuaded through clever marketing that they need or have to have what you are selling. It really is as simple as that at the end of the day.

The singer Tina Turner says it so elegantly in the song, `What’s love got to do with it?’ And I ask – What’s Art got to do with it?’

Amy Gould