a statement
I wrote this, trying to figure out what sort of art I want to make. I think it's a good list (very disorganized, though.)
What I want my art to be:
interesting
different
substantive
pretension-less
simple
not therapy for myself (my parents were so fucked up! etc. etc.)
not general (aren't doggies so cute? people are meant to be together etc.)
not boring
not cliche
not belonging to a genre (i.e. a gaming comic or a scifi novel)
specific to the medium - a song should be musically engaging and a comic should be visually engaging. Some comics, for example, are not visually engaging but they are written well, for example. Not to demean the writer, but, damnit, if you're going to write, write a book. Not that comics shouldn't be well-written, but that it should not be the only engaging element. Nor should music be engaging for purely sentimental reasons. I developed this aesthetic when I began asking people why they liked certain music. I discovered that many reasons offered had nothing to do with music - so and so was physically attractive, it reminded them of their childhood, they liked the lyrics, etc.
it should challenge the medium, but only to a certain degree - i.e., pure noise is interesting as music, but only for so long.
free of errors (typographical, grammatical, factual) (unless intended)
engaging
powerful
it should make some people angry and some people happy
it should not attempt to mimic old styles, for the most part
not preachy
not specifically about philosophical issues (read philosophy if you want that)
not have one clear message
express ideas different from my own (i.e. authentically speaking through characters that are significantly different from me.)
What I want my art to be:
interesting
different
substantive
pretension-less
simple
not therapy for myself (my parents were so fucked up! etc. etc.)
not general (aren't doggies so cute? people are meant to be together etc.)
not boring
not cliche
not belonging to a genre (i.e. a gaming comic or a scifi novel)
specific to the medium - a song should be musically engaging and a comic should be visually engaging. Some comics, for example, are not visually engaging but they are written well, for example. Not to demean the writer, but, damnit, if you're going to write, write a book. Not that comics shouldn't be well-written, but that it should not be the only engaging element. Nor should music be engaging for purely sentimental reasons. I developed this aesthetic when I began asking people why they liked certain music. I discovered that many reasons offered had nothing to do with music - so and so was physically attractive, it reminded them of their childhood, they liked the lyrics, etc.
it should challenge the medium, but only to a certain degree - i.e., pure noise is interesting as music, but only for so long.
free of errors (typographical, grammatical, factual) (unless intended)
engaging
powerful
it should make some people angry and some people happy
it should not attempt to mimic old styles, for the most part
not preachy
not specifically about philosophical issues (read philosophy if you want that)
not have one clear message
express ideas different from my own (i.e. authentically speaking through characters that are significantly different from me.)