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The Choice

The Artist’s Commitment

I promise to always remember my power, love, and intelligence as an artist,
and the vital role that artists have played in every culture and time.
I will never again invalidate any artist who is living their truth,
including myself, or any work of art that expresses that truth,
but rather ally myself with all artists to end our economic oppression, and enthusiastically encourage the creativity of every human.

Rational Island Publishers developed by the Re-evaluation Co-counseling Community. Bold parts added by Brother Wolf

Recently my friend Kevin Cordi published a nice dare on the Artists Commitment – I suggest you read his words –

I have had a problem with this commitment for some time – I believe that there is such a thing as evil – and as such I refuse to validate those who live for there own selfish purposes. I get caught up in the word – any – in the commitment. I believe we all face a choice – to live in a positive way or in negative way. Everyone faces this choices make decisions out of pain or joy. Live with confusion or sanity. Many people argue with me – yes – sometimes we have little choice over what happens to us – but we always can choose our response. I have seen art that is evil – that does not reflect but empowers what is wrong in the world.

In fact I would go so far as to say that many things that human beings value on TV, on Radio, even in art galleries – when you begin to examine the underlying values and expressions – is well selfish, self centered – patently self important and human centered – and well evil. Sorry – that what it s – the difficult and cruel world we live in. I can not endorse any commitment that says any – all art is good. Stalin’s artist were not good. Hitlers were not good. Art can express and support negative experiences. Should such art be opposed or destroyed. I don’t know. I do know it shouldn’t be swollowed whole by a human population that does needs art that has soul.

We need art that challenges the assumptions of what we are doing and how we are doing it. We need art that gives us life to the future instead of robbing it. We need to be inspired not oppressed by what we see.

categories Brother Wolf, Extra Articles | | datetime November 7, 2011 12:55 pm

1 Comment

  • By mihaela blaga, November 11, 2011 @ 4:19 pm

    Wonderful article!!!very encouraging!thank you Eric and thanks God we have storytelling….

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