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Robert Kernodle

9 Years Ago

Are You Crazy Or What ?

Who in their right mind would spend upwards of $5 an ounce for paint, plus the cost of brushes, canvases and other materials, and then invest multiple, tedious hours, days, weeks, or even months and years engaged in work that had zero guarantee of any financial payoff?

Is this not the work of an insane person?

Nobody asks for the created work. Nobody offers to pay for it. No group presents itself as a pool of potential sales. Still, the artist turns inspiration into obsession to complete a project, most likely enduring stretches of social isolation, possibly ignoring hunger pains, sleep needs and other cues that "normal" people would never ignore.

Now consider your own behavior during the creation of art works. Might other people judge this behavior as crazy?

Looking over my own years, I would have to answer, "yes". The difference between my behavior and that of somebody certifiably insane, however, is that I have had an awareness of my behavior, and I have checked it so that it does NOT intrude on other people.

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Chuck De La Rosa

9 Years Ago

Sanity is just a state of mind.

Maybe the question isn't one of insanity, but rationality?

 

Robert Kernodle

9 Years Ago

Rationality involves proportioning responses to various impulses to arrive at reasonable behavior.

I, therefore, think that artistic behavior could succumb to judgements of irrationality too.

 

Murray Bloom

9 Years Ago

Printing photographs is even more expensive. $12.77 an ounce for ink (a full set of eight 7.4oz catridges costs a bit under $800), plus 64 cents/sqft for photo paper (purchased in 100ft rolls). Then there's the cost of my Epson pro printer, about $1,800 eight or nine years ago. At least the printer weighs 85 pounds, so it feels like there's some value there; at only $21 per pound.

Eeeeek!!!

 

Melissa Herrin

9 Years Ago

I've been conditioned to care less about what people think. I've been made fun of my whole life for being different. My art is my own and if no buys it (which they have) so be it. The artist in me can not be denied. Ive tried it. In regard to intrude on other people I look at that this way. Those that know me are used to me.

Reasonable behavior LOL

 

Angelina Tamez

9 Years Ago

Passionate? Yes
Afflicted with a desire to create? Yes

Is that crazy? I don't think so.

But I don't believe in"normal" in fact, I dislike the word because people use it as a negative way to compare people.

My normal is not your normal. That's fine. They don't need to be the same.

As long as no harm is done, I think not being who you are is crazy.

 

Pamela Patch

9 Years Ago


I would pay almost any price if I could paint - I am the only one in my family that can not draw a circle :-)

 

Alfred Ng

9 Years Ago

I like to think because of me being an artist, people work at art supply stores, galleries, framers, shippers are fully employed have a roof over their heads, meals on their tables!

 

Mary Bedy

9 Years Ago

@Pamel, circles are greatly overrated LOL

The only time I feel normal and sane is when I'm out with the camera. Does that mean the rest of the time I'm crazy?

 

Tgchan

9 Years Ago

I would say it is a pretty normal thing... It is something that you love/enjoy doing. Some people like to spend their time in pubs, discos etc. Others buy and collect stuff just for fun.

In my opinion if you are doing something only to to get a financial profit, you are not an artist but a manufacturer lol

It is a hobby of some kind, you would probably still do it, even if there would be no profit in it, you know... just for yourself.

 

Phyllis Beiser

9 Years Ago

The largest part of the money that I make from my art is my original oils. Nuts? NAH!!!

 

Roz Abellera

9 Years Ago

To answer your question. Yes, yes I am crazy.

--Roz Abellera

 

Patricia Strand

9 Years Ago

I don't think it's crazy to do what you love. Many people don't. It's probably crazy to persist in thinking you can become a millionaire "if only" you would be discovered. Actually, that would be delusion. If you go without food, sleep or whatever to pursue your heart's desire, that's fine. It's not fine if you expect your kids or family to also suffer. It's complicated :)

 

Murray Bloom

9 Years Ago

I agree with Patricia. I've long wondered about the issues posed in the original post.

Crazy is a relative term, though; and it has a lot to do with the observer.

 

Abbie Shores

9 Years Ago

I dOnT mInD bEiNg CrAzY

 

Jason Christopher

9 Years Ago

i have nver been crazy. quite the contrary. lucid as the world lost traction....

 

Angelina Tamez

9 Years Ago

Ha!

 

Janine Riley

9 Years Ago

yeah, mebbe. But it is cheaper than drinking.

 

David Bridburg

9 Years Ago

I have been locked in an auditory world all my life. I am free. My life is now spiraling upwards.

My auditory is taking a back seat. It has gotten less of my energy, so it is not
working as well. I could be worried about this, but I am too happy being an artist to care.

I am less artist, I buy no inks, no paints, I just want to be a creative.

Dave

PS anything is cheaper than any of my previous vices.

 

Lisa Kaiser

9 Years Ago

What's crazy for me...is that I've bought maybe twenty small tubes of paint. It's always been another who bought my paint and insisted I paint. I would just read a book if I was anything but enslaved.

 

Robert Kernodle

9 Years Ago

I like Jason C.'s response - i have nver been crazy. quite the contrary. lucid as the world lost traction....

Lucidity sometimes involves some discomfort. Some people consider anything that causes discomfort crazy. Hence, the obesity epidemic, because walking and eating vegetables is uncomfortable for many; also the noise epidemic in libraries, because being silent and introspective is uncomfortable for many. And there are other examples, of course. But comfort has a lot to do with alot of people's concept of sane.

 

Genninejj Genninejj

9 Years Ago

Let's just do what we believe we need to do.

 

Barbara Leigh Art

9 Years Ago

We all have our gift to give the world. Some give there gift of creativity. Some that have had the greatest gift to give have been considered crazy. Some people are just crazy beautiful!

 

Dear David, what means it to be in an 'auditory' life?

 

Ted Raynor

9 Years Ago

Yes, I am insane. The sad part about my "Career" is that beggars on the street corners make far more money than I do.

 

David Bridburg

9 Years Ago

Vivian,

To be locked 9 to 5 in a cubicle knowing that the corner offices will never welcome you into their club. Or
in other words to constantly live in fear of layoffs ordered from the corner offices.

No one taking a cubicle job makes the real money or has the real power. The corner offices take every last
thing not nailed down.

When I was 8 years old we were all handed dictionaries in English class. We were told a word and then told to
look it up. I could not make out the words. I knew the words, but not the sounds against the letters to look up the word.
The dictionary weighted so much on that 8 year old.

As the years progressed I never did any homework. The biggest reason for that was I never heard anything by the end
of the classroom period. So I had no clue what the assignment was. I was a very good test taker. I was placed
in advance classes in High School, with the exception of English and language classes.

My auditory problem is a birth defect where my auditory buffer is smaller than it should be. With age it has been growing. But the
race for the corner office was lost before I began.

What I lost in auditory strengths, I gained in visualization capacities. I have begun to talk to family and friends about
what I can see as my future creations. None of them can see any of it, except one friend who is an artist. He can visualize whatever
I talk about. I can play with my visualizations all day long, make a video in my mind if I want. Nothing to it.

Vivian the buffer is the memory between the eardrum and the brain. If it is small very little can be done. I hear extremely well, but when it fills up
I get no more information to work with. I can not problem solve well in the auditory world.

Dave

 

This discussion is closed.