Absolutely
Today Iām discussing the absolutes of art.
Absolute number 1: artists must sell. So toward that end, please consider purchasing my latest book! It’s a five-star, “highly-satisfying, high-speed thriller” that readers are calling “hard to put down.”
Sharkās Instinct: Fresh out of prison and fresh out of luck, twenty-something Shark wants back into The Organization. But when Geier, the mob boss with a cruel sense of humor, sends Shark to the suburbs to find out whoās been skimming his take, Shark realizes heās going to need more than his gun and an attitude to succeed. With the clock ticking, Shark accepts the help of the mysterious teenage fixer, Peregrine Hays, and embarks on a scheme that could line his pockets, land him the girl and cement his reputation with the gangāif he makes it out alive.
Absolute number 2: Nothing is absolute and artists spend a lot of time thinking about that.
In our current climate of politics, disasters, and protest, Iāve been listening to what a lot of artists are feeling. And by artists I mean everyone from fellow writers and graphic designers, to fine artists and poets. I know from the outside that most people think of the creative set as a homogeneous mass of weirdos. Which, weird, Iāll grant you, but homogeneous is not, in any way, accurate.
Like any family there are fractured in-fights, cultural differences between the ācousinsā of fine art and design (or poets and novelists), there are fights over pecking order and definitions and what it all really means. But most artists when pressed will say that although they have their preferences, their set rules that they use, that most of the time, there is no absolute. Donāt ever pair two serif fonts, donāt ever write a novel in the first person, donāt use Papyrus for a logo (ever, no seriously)ā¦ Unless it works, in which case, you should absolutely do that. Absolutes in art and artists are few and far behind.
Which is why I think our current political climate is striking artists particularly hard. Itās as though weāve all been toddling along enjoying the gray areas and weāve run smack into the thirty percent of our population that only believes in black and white. Not that they live in black and white (because no one can). But they only believe in black and white and they want everyone else to bow before the almighty absolute and give them the peace of mind of being right. Arguing with someone who refuses to see the gray is pointless. Showing art full of color to someone who doesnāt see the subtle shades of the rainbow only makes them turn away. Many of the artistās I listen to feel despair. They feel like their art has become frivolous when they see the colors being eradicated around them, but they canāt seem to make the leap to protest art. Nine months into a presidency that does not see the value in anyone who isnāt male, straight, or white, I would like to say that all art is protest art. To create joy, beauty, and harmony, to paint with many colors instead of the ones that have been chosen for us is protest art. I encourage my artist friends to follow their passion, take action, make art, refuse to go away or step back. Use every damn crayon in the box.
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. āOscar Wilde
Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. āOscar Wilde
Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity. āOscar Wilde
I try not to in public. Much like public displays of affection, I find it inelegant to be assaulted by profanity that Iām not participating in. I think keeping a lid on my foul mouthed habit is only polite and try to reserve it for private situations and friends who have known me long enough to not take offense. As a result, a few of my acquaintances have been surprised to find themselves on the receiving end of a periodic f-bomb. (Yes, Iām the person who should receive this paperweight as a gift.) In the past curbing my tongue has not particularly onerous, but since my child has moved into speaking and comprehending, you know, actual words, life as a purveyor of profanity has become more difficult. Now I canāt even swear in my own home?! Word swaps and humming the Star Spangled Banner do not really help. (Son of a goat monkey, keeping my swearing on the inside is hard!)
Many comments on profanity seem to insist that profanity is the crutch of mind unable to think of something else to say. I completely disagree. To correctly use profanity one must have an understanding of language that allows you to use the f-word as a verb, a noun, and an adjective. (Yes, it really can ā see examples here).
of why are there so many bared midriffs in contemporary fantasy?Ā On the topic of midriffs, and purely for exampleās sake, Iāll put the cover of Shifting Jock in Love here.Ā The cover is obviouslyā¦ uhā¦ fully functional, because I canāt stop staring at the uhā¦ weight lifting bar.Ā Now that weāve covered that topic (no, we havenāt covered anything?), let me move on to my point.