i started this conversation with a group of my friends the other day, and i thought that you guys might be interested in throwing in your two cents.

generally, we were talking about music and film, but i think that any genre of art could apply.

the basic issue was: if art is being driven by society, and society is driven by commercialism and profit, can people-artists especially-be content knowing that everything around them, including creative genius, is simply manufactured?

we were looking most specifically at music and film, but i think you could apply this to almost anything. firstly, we looked at the artists which seem to hold the greatest sway over our population in today's society- the big celebrities who, regardless of talent or the lack thereof, have acheived the ability to make tons of money by marketing a product to people. we were looking at people like Britney Spears, pretty much anyone in the entertainment industry that you can think of. do we consider Britney Spears' songs to be art? or simply a product, like canned tuna, that she is able to market? i think it's a scary thought that everything in our society is driven by money, and that even things like creativity have been scaled down to the lowest common denominator in an effort to commercialize it. do artists need talent now? or just a savvy man in a suit who knows how to manipulate the masses? and it's even scarier to think that this product, often marketed using things like sex and violence, has such a great influence on youth.

anyway. i'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

anyway. like to hear your thoughts.

Such a complex subject.

You need to ask, I think the question of why you produce"art" in the first place.
Is your "art" something that must be produced because it has a life of it's own within you that can never be stilled?

Do you need approval from your peers?

Is it enough to be productive to exorcise your own ghosts with no concern about the universality of your message?

Is making money from your "art" completly secondary to the piece itself,icing on the cake if you like?

I feel that if there is something of value(to you personally) in your work that can be shared and appreciated by others(no matter the aesthetic qualifications) then you need to turn to ALL possible outlets of marketing to ensure your work reaches it's widest possible audience.
Supposing of course that you have the time and energy to do so.

I've noticed that people who take themselves seriously in what they do in the way of creative expression(painting,constructs,writing) usually do ulitmately recieve respect simply for the fact of their own commitment to what they are doing,their fidelity to their muse as something that people appreciate in others.
A strengh of will to produce your own unique voice wether or not an audience is ready to listen.

How many of us here would turn down a massive amount of money to hand over one of our images to sony/nike/microsoft for advertising purposes?

Are we artists or are we commercial artists?