Interlude -Lets be pragmatic for a while...

Recently I've been reading other artists blogs particularly those on a-n the website and publication is a life saver for me and many other artists, as I look at how to practice and earn and a wage, while putting this expectation for artists to be able to make a living against the actual realities.

Trying to face this reality is so important for any young artist. I have recently been trying to analyse the problems of having a imagination it allows me to be creative yet also cripples me at times to the realities of the art world. I've recently written a manifesto for myself based on being pragamatic and my own problems with the Art Institutions and Academys. Which seemed to echo many statements that I found in this recent artictle in the guardian and some of the reasons that a London art school education didn't work for me.

Pragmatism

The Manifesto

Pragmatism looks to the present Art and Cultural climate and sees the void and depressing disquiet of such times. In the wake of increasing Economic catastrophe the world begins new wars of energy and economy. As the awareness of Post Modernity infiltrates all consciences leaving a gaping void of beliefs and direction we believe that the “truth” and “meaning” of the pragmatic movement offers honesty in times of unrest and proposes five key concepts.

1. PROPOSITION ONE: Art school = Macbook:

• The need to Re-learn how to think
• The need to Re-learn how to create.
• The re-engagement of the mind is key.
• The death of criticality makes Arts institutions obsolete.
• Nostalgia en masse is undesirable.
• The individual of now is as undesirable as the masse.
• The art institution and academy should be disbanded, through making money rather than engaging and teaching they are invalid formats of learning.
• Increase in the value of practice based working as a process of dealing with changes and as an alternative to the academy.

2. PROPOSITION TWO: Truth and meaning:

· Pragmatists believe that Art cannot be about just the individual experience.

· As artists we have to believe and hold up the ideals of meaning and truth.

· As Pragmatists we believe in making our own truth.

· In Pragmatism we value truth and see it as the foundation from which to regain control.

· We must see adaptability as key rather than duplicity.

3. PROPOSITION THREE: Death of Criticality:

· Criticism as we have known it is dead.

· Criticality relies on making informed judgements, not just making it up as critics see fit.

· Criticism has become lethargic and created its own death.

· The death of criticality makes Arts institutions obsolete.

4. PROPOSITION FOUR: Cultural conscience:

· Cultural saturation is not enough to create true culture.

· Art academies should be disbanded to allow for new cultural value to form.

· Death to neo-nostalgia.

· Utopia is catastrophe.

· The rise of Neuroaesthetics will shape our future

· Pandering to the lowest denominator is dangerous.

· Individual consciousness is just part of a mass unconscious thought process.

· Advertising is not art and art is not advertising.

5. PROPOSITION FIVE: Technology and war:

· War creates true innovation.

· Technological exploitation will not take the place of great ideological advances.

· The importance of sciences impact on the arts should not be underestimated.

· Political and economical unrest is the only way we can create change and increase medical and technological innovation.

· All artwork of now should be conscious of the ecological implications.

· We will find values again in ‘system’ ‘structure’ and ‘process’

As I look to my past work and tie together this web of what makes me an Artist I think its important to relate this to how I feel now about my practice and the simple issues of the fact that being an Artist is hard work if you want to make a living, very few manage. However its a reasonable expectation that my education will at least stand me in good stead for a career somewhere within the creative industrys, or in other industries where critical and lateral thinking is appreciated as a very postitive attribute. If not then perhaps I should ask for a refund for all my tuition fees over the last few years at college?