Art is different. There are no absolutes in art. There is no such thing as "good art" and "bad art", no set of prescribed rules or regulations to measure arts inherent worth. Sure, people try. We have important people called critics who's life goal is to take art and critique it, pick it apart, say whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. But it's all in vein. Two different people could listen to the same piece of music. The first might say, "How magnificent!" and the second, "That was horrible!" They could watch a film and the first could say, "Crap!" and the second say, "Perfect!" Which one is right? It's all opinion. And differences in opinion are good, because everyone has different tastes. Some people like coffee, others don't. But just because you don't like a piece of art doesn't make it "bad".
That is why art should be made for the artist's sake, not the audience. Art should be a direct overflow of the artist. It should be the reflection of an emotion, opinion, idea, concept that is part of the artist. And only the artist knows what he is actually thinking or feeling and the best way to convey that. After all, that is what art is, right? Expression? An artist, a true artist does art because he has to express something, not because he cares what other people think about what he's doing. Who cares what they think! I guess that is a huge problem that I have with a lot of so called "art" today. You know, people who write a poem or paint a painting because they think it is what the audience wants to see or hear. They don't do it because it means anything to them, only because it will get a positive reaction from whoever they care about. Maybe it will make them a lot of money.
That is the whoring of art! When art becomes a pay check or a self-esteem boost for narcissistic people that crave compliments and not a reflection of the soul, it becomes void, barren, shallow, cheap... it becomes not art. So call it "a pretty picture" or " a nice piece of music" or "an entertaining movie"... but don't call it art!
In 1925, Richard Strauss, the famous composer wrote "Ten Golden Rules for Young Composers". Rule number one: "Bear in mind that you are not making music for your own pleasure, but for the pleasure of you audience."
Well Richard, if your only goal is to sell tickets and make money, then yes, that is true. But if it is to be an overflow of who you are as a person, a way to express the inexpressible, to say what words can't say... to be art... then you couldn't be more wrong.
