Something from Nothing

     I've always liked art based on something else.
     Now I'm not going to get all philosophical here because I don't want to write it and you don't want to read it. It should be one of the most interesting things in the world to read about how an artist became inspired to create something, or what caused them to take up art to begin with. But it isn't. At best it's tedious and dull, at worst it's overblown nonsense. And I think I know why.
     Let's start with overblown nonsense because that's more fun and pretty easy to spot. When you hear an artist talk about the artistic process and the discussion quickly devolves into a spiritual quest for truth or finding meaning in chaos, then it's overblown nonsense. Art can be these things of course, heck, pretty much anything can. But this is likely a sign of an artist feeling like they have to justify what they do, and not being comfortable with the real answer.      You see, art is fun. It's satisfying on a very basic level. When you look at something you've made and you like it, you get the same boost and happiness from any hard task completed and completed well. But that doesn't come off as a satisfying answer when someone asks you why you do art. Coming back with "because it's cool" doesn't elevate you or your art. It makes you look like an art monkey.
     And why is that? Art is fun and enjoyable. And when it reveals something about human nature, the human condition, alternate perception or the human condition what's the problem with that? It's only natural that it does so. Anything enjoyable says something about people and beauty. It doesn't have to come from a tortured soul. Need an example? No problem. Go see 'Monster in Law' or 'Cheaper By the Dozen 2'. Both films are, because of their medium, art. Both films were made by tortured souls. Both films suck.
     The second artistic answer, that of being tedious and dull, is probably due to an honest mistake on the artists part. What they are trying to do is break down the process of creating something into it's individual components, hoping to reveal the part that is blindingly creative. It doesn't work. Any activity broken down this way becomes a laundry list of mundane activities. The real miracle is that something artistic can arise from them.
     Here's another example of this. I worked for a season at a Christmas tree farm. Loved the hell out of it. If you asked me what I did, I'd reply "I'd warm my hands around a fire in an old oil drum and wait for a customer to ask me to cut down a tree they'd selected. Then I'd grab a hack saw from a rack and follow the customer out to the site of thei tree. Once there, I'd climb under the thing, saw it down, carry it back to the parking lot, attach it to their car, collect a tip and then return to the fire." Not inspiring stuff at all. But at the same time I had a wonderful time and enjoyed every second. It was a blast I have a hard time putting into words.
     Art is sort of the same way.