Lasting Value?
The work of artist as social entrepreneur requires the long view of things, a humble one. It is easy for the successful artist to inflate his importance in the world, to mistake success in one particular field for worldwide dominion. How quickly we forget our real niches.
Even the greatest songs in history will ultimately be relegated to background music. Masterpieces will merely be used to dress up the living room. Cherished works of art will be forgotten, or at least under-utilized. Perhaps there is something to learn here.
Think, for example, of the shoe-maker (or cobbler). They make good, sturdy shoes that protect the feet and hopefully keep us comfortable. They provide humanity a great service, one that is completely taken for granted regularly.
What if providing the world a great song or a great piece of visual art, perhaps, is like making a pair of great shoes? Through our most impassioned artistry, integrity, and commitment, we can provide great pieces of art - that may end up in a closet. ;-)
In other words, however important a work may be for a time, it will not remain that for long (especially in today’s world). The reality is humans can only consume so much, and for so long. After we absorb something, we have to move on. Art in that way is a consumable, enjoyed for a moment.
The artist, fortunately, is the same. He or she must move on as well. He must find a new thing to say, a fresh reality to explore and articulate. Like a consumer, the artist can only live with and under a certain created thing for so long. Sooner or later, we have to move on.
Of course, certain works make it into the “transcendent” category. Something about a piece is unusually persistent and breaks normal cycles of consumption. It has a sense of timelessness, of staying power - longevity in its power to connect. Fantastic.
But those are exceptions, and even those exceptions still have cycles of use and re-use. The reality is that artists create consumables, things enjoyed (consumed), and then forgotten, at least for now. Lasting impact, though, may not require ongoing habitual use.
That is part of the magic of art (and of all things created), they have a time and a place. We never really know their ultimate value. No matter our attempts to measure outcomes, predict growth, or plan for the future, we just can not know how what we create will fit into the tapestry of life.
We also, by the way, can not know what the world would be missing without our work! It is impossible to know the cost of an opportunity lost. Even the slightest influence of a song in the background can change the atmosphere for a major decision. (Let’s be honest, most big decisions hinge on the smallest things…)
Art is just one of those things.
Ours is ultimately not to know the value of intangible things. An inner compelling to create something may not justify your work to some (and certainly not for some pieces - they just won’t get it), but your impulse to create as an artist must be considered in the valuation of art.
We must never forget to measure creative effect on the artist. What would life look like for that artist if he or she would not have created that piece? What could have spoiled and turned rotten within them? These questions are of infinite importance for the serious artist.
