I’m going to admit that I’m starting to lose the thread a bit.
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Chapter 9: This is Art
Notes
Art:
- is “the act of doing something that might not work simply because it’s a generous thing to do”
- is a combo of talent, skill, craft, and point of view
- brings new light to old problems
- has a shot at making a change
- is a journey worth the effort
- is a chosen commitment
“Are you an artist? Of course you are.”
“You’re an artist as soon as you announce you are… it’s art if you let it be. If you care enough.”
- “One of the problems with art is that it is self-anointing: Anyone can be an artist simply by pointing to themselves and saying so. The truth is that there are very few artists.”
- Art is “not all about you.”
- “you have a communal function you can serve to help everyone get along”—especially important in a capitalist society.
“You can choose to find your voice, or you can continue to ignore it.”
Thoughts
I’m probably picking nits, but I’m not a huge fan of this chapter.
For one thing, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I’m a bit unsure about Seth’s expansive definition of art. When he writes, “Are you an artist? Of course you are,” he suggests (or, at least, I infer) that everyone is an artist—not that everyone could be (which I might buy), but that everyone is. And that seems to empty the word of meaning. Why use the word “art” at all?
And it seems weird to use the quote from Glaser, who seems to share my concern: Glaser sees “self-anointing” as a problem, and insists that “not everyone is an artist”—the opposite of Seth’s point. (This reminds me of what my students do: they find a quote that seems to support their position, though the whole quote in context actually challenges it. I don’t want to assume that’s what Seth did, but I’ve gotten conceptual whiplash here….)
Anyway, who is an artist? If an artist is someone who attempts a generous act that might not succeed, than anyone could be an artist. I’m just not sure everyone is.
Of course, I may be saying all this as a kind of defense, given that I’m suspicious of myself as I consider what generosity would mean, in my own situation. I am still caught up in Seth’s earlier concept of the endless dance of selflessness and ego.
Back in my Christian days, the answer would have been much clearer (though, from my current perspective, I’d question that supposed generosity): the music was meant—even when only indirectly—to solve a “problem” (to bring people “closer to God”). But it was preachy and manipulative—especially when I was starting out, though I would say that I still struggle (though less, I hope, and well disguised).
Overall, then, I’m not buying this part of Seth’s argument. That’s tricky because it’s a foundational component—the idea that art is any (attempt at a) generous act, that anyone can be an artist (or, a fortiori, everyone is). I don’t think I buy the redefinition—though, to be fair, even the vague conception of art that I carry around in my head is itself a redefinition. No definition of art is permanent.
But given how foundational this is to his argument, can I get over this? I think so. I’m certainly willing to try. (Seth has earned what he would might call the “benefit of the doubt.”) I just have to stop fixating on the word “art,” and instead focus on the things that Seth is signifying with this word: generosity in uncertainty, illumination, change.
I can go with that (even as I am still trying to figure out where I fit…).
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.