Art.

The other day, I was having an instant messanger conversation with my friend, Leah. Leah's younger sister makes lovely wood-burning art, and I had been talking to this sister about purchasing one of these things, to which she responded she wasn't sure of price, since she "wasn't a professional or anything." I mentioned this to Leah, which spurred this discussion.

[Note: this is not my screen name. This is not Leah's screen name. Do not attempt to IM either of these screen names, please.]

argill (5:31:18 PM): well, I was like
argill (5:31:20 PM): it's art.
argill (5:31:23 PM): art is art
argill (5:31:49 PM): artists can come from anywhere!
argill (5:31:55 PM): novices can exceed experts!
fracturedradiance (5:38:12 PM): that's the life
fracturedradiance (5:38:22 PM): but I like school too much to be an artist
fracturedradiance (5:38:24 PM): woe is me
argill (5:38:39 PM): lol
argill (5:38:44 PM): you ARE an artist!
argill (5:38:46 PM): that's the beauty of it!
argill (5:38:54 PM): you are a painter and a poet and a musician
argill (5:39:01 PM): and a reader and a writer
argill (5:39:07 PM): and you appreciate beauty in the world!
fracturedradiance (5:39:26 PM): true, I think an artist should be anyone who appreciates beauty and is capable of conveying that
fracturedradiance (5:39:34 PM): like your blog
argill (5:39:44 PM): we are all artists somewhere inside of us, we just have to find out how to express it
argill (5:39:56 PM): everybody appreciates the world in some way
fracturedradiance (5:39:54 PM): that's what Marx thinks!
fracturedradiance (5:40:56 PM): that's why he hates capitalism
fracturedradiance (5:41:06 PM): it turns so much human potential into a mechanical process
argill (5:41:23 PM): ah
argill (5:41:28 PM): I can see why he'd have a problem
argill (5:41:38 PM): but if there weren't the mechanical processes, things would fall apart
fracturedradiance (5:41:44 PM): Marx thinks that people find meaning through creating in their particular, original way
fracturedradiance (5:41:53 PM): and when capitalism takes over, people don't appreciate their work
fracturedradiance (5:41:59 PM): they live for leisure once the work week is done
fracturedradiance (5:42:03 PM): and that is a shame
argill (5:42:18 PM): I think if people never did anything but create, they wouldn't be able to appreciate its value
fracturedradiance (5:42:24 PM): he just doesn't like the hierarchy
fracturedradiance (5:42:32 PM): his method to fix this, of course, is ineffective
fracturedradiance (5:43:10 PM): well, he means create in the sense of doing what they were meant to do; if they like math, do math, if they like shoe making, make shoes, if they like growing plants, sell them
fracturedradiance (5:43:19 PM): but he thinks people should directly see the fruits of their labor
fracturedradiance (5:43:22 PM): he hates the factory
fracturedradiance (5:43:25 PM): and the corporate world
fracturedradiance (5:43:43 PM): the market does not run as effectively, but he argues that it’s not about money, it’s about people and social relationships
fracturedradiance (5:43:53 PM): I really think he gets a bad rap
fracturedradiance (5:44:07 PM): because at the most basic level, his yearnings make sense and have humanity in mind
fracturedradiance (5:44:20 PM): but what sprang from his ideas was largely unsuccessful
argill (5:44:13 PM): well, in essence his ideas are good, just put into practice they are flawed
argill (5:44:19 PM): and not necessarily because they were WRONG
argill (5:44:25 PM): nobody has just figured out how to do them right
fracturedradiance (5:44:43 PM): it’s very complicated


I never knew this about Marx, personally. I think that if that's how he felt, he had somewhat of a point, in the sense that we are all artists. Leah's sister claims to not be a professional. But she's creating something beautiful, expressing herself to the world by allowing them to appreciate part of what she can do. Leah writes poetry, her way of showing the world what she thinks is beautiful and allowing them to glimpse a piece of what inspires her as beauty. I write a blog, through which I allow others to laugh at my experiences as I would. We all do something, whether it's defined by what we think of as "art." So often, people think of art as specifically painting, photography, music, drama. The "Arts." But isn't it so much broader than that? All creative thought is art to some extent. Why aren't new scientific breakthroughs considered art in some form? Why is art considered such a narrow field? We are all gifted at something. We all create beauty somehow. We all have areas of specialty, whether the world acknowledges this as art or recognizes us as professionals.

I urge you, reader, recognize where your talent lies and learn to express yourself through it. Fellow mathematicians, do you see the beauty in well-thought out proofs, in number theory? or, to others. do you see beauty in chemical reactions, in the structure of cells, in the patterns of the universe? Do you see hte beauty in harmony of colors? Are you able to capture life on film in stunning ways? Do you make beautiful clothes? Do you possess the ability to reach people through your words? Can you see and appreciate the harmony in notes, the interaction of melodies and instruments? I could go on for paragraphs about so many little things that are artistic, and still never manage to list them all. I can understand why Marx would have wished for everyone to be able to pursue their talent, and I regret that it isn't something that can feasibly be done, at least in what I see.

So, even if it's just on the side, just whenever you have time, don't forget to be an artist. Make time to contribute to the world.