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  #11  
Old 11-22-2007, 11:39 AM
Coffee Coffee is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

I second what Cam has written, and would like to add a simple summation:

Artists get relief from creation. Putting their troubles in a tangible form largely removes the sting of those troubles and gives clarity to the situation. I'm not sure how good of an artist I am, but when I create something, I feel similar to the way I feel after I've just vomited.
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  #12  
Old 11-22-2007, 11:54 AM
Dominic Dominic is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

I create because to not create would mean death.
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  #13  
Old 11-22-2007, 05:13 PM
rothko rothko is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

[ QUOTE ]
I procreate because to not procreate would mean death.

[/ QUOTE ]
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  #14  
Old 11-22-2007, 08:24 PM
Blarg Blarg is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

[ QUOTE ]
i just play music but the creative process is awesome, it feels awesome. you should read On Writing by steven king, he talks a lot about how great it feels to write stuff. a form of art is like a life pursuit and as you do it, you are thinking like 'wow i am improving, i am expressing my thoughts using the medium of my art'. seriously owns.

[/ QUOTE ]

There aren't a lot of people who don't enjoy money and at least on some level the recognition and approval by peers and "civilians" who are not necessarily their peers when it comes to work in some particular art form or type of achievement. That said, someone who is not merely a craftsman toiling indifferently but competently at a grindstone to pay the bills is probably usually motivated by something more than the most obvious and tangible rewards. MagicNinja gets to the heart of it, I think.

The world stymies and stifles people as a matter of course. Many people find either talent or personal expression in others threatening and feel that it demeans them by comparison. It can upset the order of things that some would prefer. Art also is, for most people, difficult to create to their highest standards, and even besides approval, one's very best artistic expression is not necessarily likely to result in any other rewards.

Therefore, creating is inherently optimistic. While creating, for a while, no matter how painful, tiring, or self-excoriating, the artist becomes an optimist and bets on himself. He may feel himself a poor or indifferent gamble anywhere else in his life, but the creative act is at the very least a defiant thumbing of one's nose at real or imagined limitations and an assertion of one's full humanity and powers. No matter how tortuous the process, artistic creation holds the promise that one can bet on oneself and win. In both the process and its products, creation can buoy, heal, exalt, and even share the soul. No wonder then that it can demand and be given it willingly.
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  #15  
Old 11-22-2007, 10:28 PM
Golden_Rhino Golden_Rhino is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

They get the smug satisfaction of knowing that they did something that you can't.
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  #16  
Old 11-22-2007, 10:41 PM
jackflashdrive jackflashdrive is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

[ QUOTE ]
I FYP because to not FYP would mean death.

[/ QUOTE ]
FYP
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  #17  
Old 11-22-2007, 11:47 PM
Blarg Blarg is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

[ QUOTE ]
They get the smug satisfaction of knowing that they did something that you can't.

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't have to be an artist to do that though. Most people can't even change the oil in their car, and most guys probably don't even know how to sew on a button. I've managed to do both, but there was little glory in it.
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  #18  
Old 11-23-2007, 02:13 PM
daveT daveT is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

I think that there is something to the Bipolar argument. I am not bi-polar, but I go through huge arcs of emotions. My life, and especially my artistic motivation, is hugely effected by my moods. If I am feeling depressed, I cannot do anything but think on a base level.

Creation is a form of happiness. An addiction. A lifeblood. To create ideas is what makes the world move. The tension of not creating spawns the desire to create.

An artist gains stability. It is not a drive to be noticed, or to make money. To not create is succumbing to something you are not. An acceptance of futility and depression. A way to fight these moods is to focus on something you are passionate on. A depressed mood can sometimes be lifted by feeling the pencil, brush, or knife, in your hand.

I do not believe that a casual observer cannot truly comprehend the passion and work that goes into art the same way I cannot accept the complexity and full function of a corn-stalk. Yes, I can look at it's beauty, and appreciate the food, but a scientist can appreciate the work and function of the corn. A scientist can appreciate it's full growth. He is more likely to see it grow from seed to death. I only eat the corn. Although I appreciate it's taste, I am not able to appreciate it's very existence.
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  #19  
Old 11-23-2007, 02:15 PM
daveT daveT is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

"Why can't a non-artist appreciate the work of art?"

If they could, this thread would not exist.
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  #20  
Old 11-23-2007, 02:22 PM
BPA234 BPA234 is offline
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Default Re: what do artists get out of creating art

[ QUOTE ]
suppose someone has a great story or a great painting inside of them. getting it out could take years of torment, failure and misery.

if the effort worth it?

what the artist gains:

1. financial gain (sometimes)
2. respect from peers, fame (sometimes)
3. self satisfaction with his creation/achievement

I'm concerned with #3. Do we have any artists on record saying whether all their pain was worth it? Are artists victims who were cursed with a capacity for greatness and realizing this felt a responsibility to sacrifice their blood and sweet?

If a director watches his film 500 times to make sure its perfect, aren't we the viewer who sits down relaxingly to watch it getting more out of it than he does?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a great OP. Your concern with just #3 says a lot about you. With regard to 1 & 2, they can potentially prove unhealthy, fleeting and, in a lottery business, terminally absent. If asked, I think most artists, regardless of medium, would say that the work should be the reason that the artist pursues their craft. Good to dismiss 1 & 2 early and not risk being distracted off your path.

As far as #3, I think you have to confine the answer to generalities. I think most people who create something, tend to look upon their creations with critical eyes that see more of what is wrong, than what is right. Overall, I think this tends to leave the artist dissatisfied with their work and ultimately even their life.

As far as the act of creation, that, I think, is another story. In my opinion, during the act of creation, an artist pursuing their passion with total focus, concentration and devotion transcends their individual humanity. They are able to reach a place (sometimes painfully) where the rest of us can not travel and, through their work, “bring back” a physical representation of their experience. A tangible “proof” that can then be experienced and painlessly enjoyed by the those who are capable.
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