Freedom as an artist

First of all, the notion of freedom, to me, is a complete fallacy.  On a basic level we are bound by water, food, shelter, and clothing (depending on where you live).  The higher you go up on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs the less free you become.  Many people are bound by facebook addictions,  their significant other,  their job, etc.  Freedom doesn’t really exist in a pure form although there are varying degrees of choice.

As an artist you are the god of your creation.  You determine how something is build or made down to each brush stroke (unless you are Damien Hirst or an artist with little artist minions.)  I am starting to believe, however, that the higher level of “freedom” that artists are rumored to have is an illussion.  The difference between an artist’s job and an office worker’s job is that the artist has to force him/herself into a work schedule where as an office worker is told what their work schedule in.  In a sense is sort of a self-inflicted loss of freedom.  Being an artist after all is really a entrepreneurial move.

I have always told myself I need to draw more.  Several times I have implimented a draw one hour a day rule, that never really stuck.  After reading this article, however, I have implemented the drawing rule again and it is sticking.  A little bit each day adds up quickly.  Its up to my own self-discipline to follow this rule and make it a habbit.  Sometimes I think that  as an artist you have less “freedom” than others because your job doesn’t start and end 9 to 5.  Its 24/7.  I’m constantly thinking about it.

What we really need

Lately I have been trying to think up ways to utilize my skills for the greater good. Today I received an email from an artist network talking about how funding for the arts was going to be cut from Milwaukee’s budget. The email urged us recipients to contact our representatives and protest this.

Now, what I want to say does not have to deal with this scenario specifically, but it relates on a much larger scale. Here we are in our urban American bubble worrying about funding for art when there are still thousands who die daily. The other problems our brothers and sisters suffer through brought be back to a conversation I had with my roommate. We discussed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the misunderstanding that occurs between those at different levels of the hierarchy.

I love art and wish it all the money in the world, but seriously with our national debt and with the other issues (war, famine, disease, etc) occurring on this globe I don’t give it a very high priority. Sure it enables creativity and the power of ideas is invaluable, but without a strong foundation progress is hindered.

Can you imaging the ideas and the art we would be producing if every person on this planet had enough food, water, shelter, and clothing? If we spent our time helping other peoples “catch up” with their basic human needs wouldn’t this be a better world?