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Old 06-15-2017, 12:54 PM
dj dj is offline
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Join Date: Jan 1970
Location: Balderson, Ontario, Canada, 100 kms (60 miles) from Ottawa
Posts: 799
Default Re: A Prickly Question

Hi, Rob:

I'm not sure the question is prickly, just ages old.

I suppose it comes down to why an artist creates their art (now, that's an ages old question).

I am a theatre artist. My work includes words, music, sound, light, movement, carpentry, makeup, sewing and nearly everything else you can think of. For our last production, I had to figure out how to take the springs out of a sofa so someone could fall through it on cue, while keeping the sofa completely usable at other times -- interesting puzzler.

Theatre is not a solitary art -- there must be others working with you. So it has been part of my task to find those people (and keep them happy) in order to get the productions onto the stage. At one time, that also included finding the stage, but my wife and I now own our own stage, so that's easier.

Along the way, however, I've always had to make the opportunites happen. Especially in this day of Internet access where art is an easily accessible commodity -- with a commensurate value -- artists must find or create their venues and audiences.

So why does an artist create their art? Personal enjoyment? In theatre, that's not really a possibility, but in music, a very good musician once convinced me that is possible. To bore/annoy/excite your family? If you play without headphones, I'll bet that's already happening . For public approval? See the paragraph above.

It's never easy, but I do believe there is an audience out there for every artist willing to work hard enough. Sometimes that "hard enough" is much, much harder than anyone would believe. I've always said "It's easy to be an overnight success. All it takes is a lifetime of dedicated work."

I think all that is pompous enough for one Thursday morning.

Keep playing! (And composing.)

David
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