From the Comments: Derivative Work and the Purpose of Art

Gosh, I’ve been meaning to get to some of this forever:

Yoko:  On the subject of derivative works: I’ve attempted to make peace with that in the field where I work. Part of me feels like I have no talent because I’m not creating anything original, but what I create are new interpretations of other people’s work. I enjoy doing it, people seem to like it enough to want to pay for it. So it goes. I have a post about it in my (newer) blog somewhere, if you care to look at it.

Not that you emphasized this point in your comment, but I was reminded how in an extensive series of discussions with Neuro, I pointed out that whether or not other people like your work and are willing to pay for it has nothing to do with whether or not YOU, the artist, like your work:

I will never forget having the guy in charge rip the project I worked so hard on– a piece that was just as good as or better than any other one I’d ever done for him– to shreds, because he’d just returned to the City of Mists and had a shitty flight and then got stuck in traffic. Nor that the week I submitted the work on which neither of my two supervisors had any notes– a feat widely considered to be impossible– was also the same week that my divorce became final, when I was an utter vacant shell, totally on autopilot. Or that I’ve watched my associates win awards for their contributions, while the work I’ve slaved over and been intimately involved with on every level doesn’t even get nominated. I don’t know exactly what that means in aggregate, but it certainly points out some kind of fundamental disconnect if the goal of my artwork is to communicate with others, or gain recognition, or if I’m viewing my art as in any way representative of my Self.

(Did you know that Alphonse Mucha, the guy who did those exquisitely beautiful Art Nouveaux commercial illustrations that I swoon over, HATED them, and was disgusted by the idea that they were going to be remembered as his legacy? Or that Gerard Manly Hopkins, who wrote those wonderful, exuberant poems, eventually decided that writing poetry was a conceit that interfered with his pursuit of spiritual discipline, and stopped writing? The irony of course, was that if he hadn’t ever written them to begin with, no-one would have any idea anymore who he was… but do you think after he stopped, he himself was less happy?)

I did re-read the entry; thank you for sending the link. I never stopped to think about how much more fundamental an issue it is in music performance as compared to visual art. I wonder if chefs ever feel that way?

For those of you who didn’t have the benefit of reading it yourselves:  Nickykaa’s sage advice, on some level, boiled down to, “Living your life as a whole is an unavoidably creative act. The difference between that and what most people mean when they talk about ‘being creative’ is a matter of degree.” (He said it in a much more nuanced and elegant manner, of course. :) ) Even-Tempered Ace acknowledges that truth. Sarcastic Ace, on the other hand, says, “Yeah, yeah, everyone’s special,” and then makes a rude noise. I’ll leave you to figure out which one is writing this entry.

Pigbristles: I hear what you’re saying about drawing and derivative work, but it seems like drawing would be a frustrating medium or mode for trying to depict a detailed composition, unless you are very good, very fast, and are maybe touched by some OCD.

I’ve been accused of all three by turns. Remember kids, you can have it good and fast, fast and cheap, or good and cheap, but you can’t have it good, fast and cheap. Not from me.

Pigbristles: …the drawings, sketches & doodles that I enjoy most… are the simple, evocative ones that evoke the essence of their subject with a minimum of detail. And based on what you’ve shown us readers/lurkers here, I think you are very good at that!

Mmmmm… maybe. The mastery of any medium using minimal elements has long been considered a noble aspiration. (Scott McCloud’s quote, not mine.) But then again, in visual art that means what? Cartooning? Caricature? I might feel less ambivalent about it if I was perceived (or perceived myself) as having a wider range. I can struggle and struggle to make something look realistic– and when I’m done, I discover that other people still think it looks “cartoony”.

Pigbristles: Of course, all that being said, you certainly don’t have to feel guilty about not enjoying the process. IMO, things like the “D’ni Travel Board” series are equally awesome and worthy, and if it amuses you to create them, so much the better!

Thank you. I would like to agree. I wish I could figure out a way that I could do more of that kind of thing, but I also wonder: if that became my mainstay instead of what I do now, would I then not like it as much, because it would become obligatory instead of purely creative and recreational?

Speaking of which–

Neuro:  Based on what you’ve told me, isn’t using Photoshop to enhance Second Life images a salable skill, in that SL users pay real money for such things?

Errr… yes, that is correct. Although there’s a caveat; see below.

Neuro: Could you become a sort of wedding photographer or portraitist for SL in this way and thereby make some enjoyably-got and appreciable money? And wouldn’t that matter?

Yes, I could. And as a matter of fact, many of the things I have done recently have been done with the tenuous ulterior motive of building up a portfolio to that effect. And that would certainly matter, to me. There are some unresolved issues, though. For one thing, I’m not sure yet where the demand exists and how to tap into it. There are a staggering number of people with that skill set in SL. Staggering. The majority of the people I know who got into SL and stayed, stayed because of the attraction of being able to create their own content on some level. And if you’re planning on learning to texture virtual objects, you’re probably not intimidated enough by mundane Photoshop tasks to want to outsource them. I have friends who have opened stores; friends who have started magazines. I’ve made it clear to all of them that I’m available to help with any art they need– and for free, since they’re my friends. None of them have ever taken me up on it. They’d rather do it themselves.

For another, I can’t help asking the question: if I can figure out how to make it work in Second Life, then why the hell can’t I make it work in Real Life? And if I can’t make it work in Real Life, doesn’t that make me… well, lame?