Ya know, I really have to admire my "dude" for the lifetime of effort he has put into "chasing his dreams" as we are all told to do at one point or another in this life. For a lifetime of pursuit with very little reward, he still goes for it everyday. To put some numbers on what I mean, let us say this person has spent $20,000 of his own money toward his dreams and maybe has made $4,000 of that back through art/music sales in 20 years. That is still $16,000 of catching up to do.
To provide a more detailed example of what I mean, here is a piece he made in college that won critical acclaim within his circle, received Grand Prize at local fair, and we appraised by a collector to be worth $1,000. Well, the artist was homeless and desperate for money. That piece that was so valued was raffled away for a mere $50. At least the guy could eat and get a few art supplies, at least.
Sorry for the old photo, but that is all I had at my disposal. I like this piece, yo! I see a boot. I see the bust of a woman with blonde hair. I feel things. He really should of got a few grand for this. The glass had recently broke with the piece which was one of his motivations for allowing himself to accept such a low price. He really wanted it to have a good home for life.
This seems to be a trend with his kind.
Given the over-saturated nature of the market in all things creative, whether it be art, music, movie production, crafts, or writing, is it worth the effort involved with pursuing our dreams? Or, is it better (more profitable) to prey on those who pursue their dreams? Wait a minute!
Think about it, yo! If I opened a store that sold art supplies to artists, I am preying and profiting off of their dreams. Many of them will be in debt to their dreams for life while my profits soar to a degree, I can open another store a few miles down the road or the next shitty over. Oops. I meant, City, didn't I? Maybe we were all taught wrong from the beginning?
The piece here was traded for 9 months of storage for approximately 24 pieces of artwork. It was one of his most highly coveted pieces among his peers. One of my personal favorites as well, though, this picture doesn't really do it justice. Some of what is on the sides can't be seen in this pic. The designs wrap around the edges of the canvas and continue. It is also a little more symmetrical in person.
In conclusion, maybe it isn't always best for all of us to pursue our "dreams"? I mean, we all can't be actors, can we? Would that work in an economical sense? Maybe now is the time to evolve a bit and recognize that the roles these creators play will be for a different incentive someday? Making money doing it certainly isn't an incentive for most of them, because they don't make money. Many of them do it for the love of it so long as they can afford to do so. Maybe what are dreams should be is something else? I have a dream of getting all of this garbage picked up around here. How can I make that dream come true? I guess we might have to answer this question, "What is in it for me"? If I could make a living picking up garbage, I would do that job for life and do the creative things as a hobby.
"But, who has the money for that?" Peter Joseph, creator of the Zeitgeist Films.
Tying it into the Venus Project, where all mandatory labors are fully automated, creators would have all the free time in the world to create and not have to feel bad they are getting nowhere with their efforts, as all of their needs/wants would be met for free. Isn't that something we should be looking into before 60% or more of the population cannot be employed?
"We got this shit!"-LSD
"Do some effing research, yo!"-LSD
Much Love! <3
If you want to help this artist in anyway, here are the links to do it!
https://www.artopium.com/mosphit/