5 Hybrid Assignment 02

Yesenia (yessie) Williams

9/7/2015

Hybrid Assignment 2

In Astra Taylor’s chapter “Love or Money”, she discusses the way artists view their work and for what purpose it serves. The reason artists produce art and how they are truly compensated for their artistry, is a question that still is debatable. Taylor argues that artists seek to feed both their creative souls, as well as, put food on the table and have money to live. The ongoing struggle of producing art only puts into focus “the demands of the gift and the market”. (pg. 50) The hope is that eventually the work they produce will be recognized while keeping their creativity and job enjoyable. Taylor discusses how often the assumption that enjoying your job “does not by definition qualify as labor” (Pg. 51) For this reason, many artists today have to decide what it means to remain true to their craft while possibly sacrificing it to be paid.

The fate that creative people hold in the new economy is in fact between two realms as Taylor describes. To be torn “on one side, the purely economic activity, and on the other, the fundamentally different, elevated form of value we associate with art and culture.” (pg. 50) This challenges artists, for example, musicians, who work and are faced with the decisions that will ultimately force them to either one, sacrifice their creativity to fit into the mainstream music production culture, or be continuing to make their music but possibly not “make it”. The notion that artists are all “starving artists” still remains to be a true view. Often times, artists are struggling to make ends meet and find themselves picking up other odd jobs to compensate for the lack of income associated with pursuing a field of artistry.

The economy is connected to art in the way that it is promoted. Taylor sees it as a producing system that’s only concern is profit through heavy advertising. The value placed on art and culture has been lessened by the all-encompassing desire to be recognized, even if the cost is selling themselves short of their deserved reward.The Internet is contrived to service the advertisers who are paying for specific services, which makes one question, how is creativity truly being expressed?

Hybrid Assignment #2

Dree-el Simmons
IAS 31168 – Digital Media & Society
September 7, 2015

In response to this week’s hybrid assignment quote by Taylor, to “exist in two incommensurable realms of value and be torn between them–on the one side, the purely economic activity associated with straightforward selling of goods or labor; on the other the fundamentally different, elevated forms of value we associate with art and culture,” I see this as referring to the commoditization of all of our creative outputs. What I mean by that is, it seems that in the world of today, we must have a dollar amount attached to everything that we do. It all must ultimately whittle down to the dollars and cents. It is true that, for the majority of people that self-identify as artist, are still thought of & seen as labeled with the familiar moniker of the “starving artist” – thus, attesting to the fact that it is nearly impossible to be a self-sustaining artist. The value associated with the arts is diminished in comparison to those more “professional” career paths.
This paradigm can be more clearly understood by looking at current American Pop Culture. Many of today’s most famous and well known actors, singers and artists of all types, were once “starving artists” who were lucky enough to become successful and have the ability to sustain themselves by their artist expression. However, this is not the case for the majority of artist. Many actors, dancers and singers are often under employed in the traditional work force in largely service related industries like food service, retail and/or per diem labor because these types of employment situations allow for greater flexibility to pursue their various artistic endeavors, while they carve out a very meager living/income to sustain themselves. For many, this leads to a need to choose between financial security and creativity. And, this need of financial stability supersedes their desire for artistic expression, thus forcing them to conform to a life of drudgery; working in unfulfilling jobs. It is also funny that, these same people are then also judged for not being dedicated to their art; because they are forced to find ways and means to support themselves, which ultimately decreases the time and energy they have to pursue/produce creative expressions.
This is a rather accurate and insightful quote. One that most of us have/do identify with for various reasons, when we find ourselves saying/thinking that there’s just not quite enough time for us to do all the things that we need and want to do.

In this new economy, the two realms of which Taylor speaks of are very much present. It seems as though we are loosing all of our creativity just to be able to get a sustainable job. We constantly have to choose if we want to do something because we love it/genuinely want to do it or we have to because we are told to and we must comply with the rules set forth by those in higher positions.

Unfortunately, for those who believe their work serves the “public good” it’s difficult to choose between their job and whatever sparks their creativity or somehow choose to do both. For artists, I believe that they try to the best of their ability to be creative. However, the problem is not that they aren’t capable of it, it’s the economic part of what they do that vacuums any spark of creativity. Musicians are starting to become this way. It’s hard to find any type of meaning behind the most popular songs today. There is no creative spirit flowing through the tracks. If there happens to have a song with meaning, it isn’t difficult to find another song with a similar meaning. There used to be a time where I can sit down, listen to a whole album and each song had a different and deep meaning that would take a while to understand because the artist implemented his/her creativity with language. Now, they do what is told by those who are above them. Every decision is made by the authoritative figure.

I think these two realms have become known as the two realms that create challenges because of the hierarchy system of today’s economic world. The lowest class of this system is those who are hired. These are the teachers, the artists, the activists and the others who have a role in serving the “public good.” It is rare to find a teacher that uses his/her own technique to teach nowadays because of the imposed changes by those with more power. Should that person be creative with their job, do things no teacher has ever done before or should that person just do what they are getting paid to do and just teach straight from the textbooks? Activists can’t just speak out on an issue they feel strongly about. There are laws and guidelines on how to correctly protest.

Is this the kind of future we have to look forward to? Will our input or ideas matter anymore?

Assignment #2 – Deborah Markewich

There have always been challenges for artists and others who view their work as serving “the public good.” For artists, the need to create vs. the need to be financially stable is not new to the digital age. Artists are more often than not forced to take “survival jobs” while pursuing an artistic career such as theater, music, fine arts, etc. Even within the artist’s field there is the challenge of balancing love and money: the actor who will do a TV commercial for a laxative so that he can do an off-off Broadway play he believes in for no money at all; visual artists who work at ad agencies by day and paint by night; musicians who cover pop songs at Bar Mitzvahs so they can play their own music at bars with a tip jar.

In the chapter “For Love or Money,” Astra Taylor speaks about the “millions of people who contribute user-generated content without promise of remuneration or reward.” (Taylor 2014:48) Many, but not all, are artists and do this as a way of getting their work seen or heard. In some ways this is a good thing. It is rewarding to be recognized for doing something well or contributing culturally to society. And if this is an easy way to make one’s voice heard, it is certainly understandable that so many artists take advantage of it, since it is a readily available outlet. There is also the hope that it will eventually lead to a profitable opportunity (fame and fortune!)

Those who are passionate about teaching or improving society face a similar struggle between love and money. Teaching is an oft-used example. The people we trust with educating our children are paid less in a year than what a trader can make in a minute on Wall Street. Our society has devalued teachers by paying them so meagerly when compared with most other professions that it is remarkable that young people still want to enter the teaching profession. But while there is a troublesome teacher shortage, there are still those people who are so passionate about teaching children that they will choose to do so over a more lucrative career. Thankfully, the same holds for other so-called “do-gooders” such as social workers, public defenders and community activists who have chosen to make a societal contribution over a larger paycheck.

One of the ideas I found interesting in this chapter is that “the psychology of creativity has become increasingly useful to the economy.” (2014:58) Where it has long been accepted that artists will work for no money to pursue their creative passions, creativity is now being used as a reason to pay workers little or nothing in other professions as well. Taylor states “creativity is invoked time and again to justify low wages and job security.” (2014:59) Employers are taking advantage of free labor by comparing their workers to artists who should be happy for the opportunity to work for their company. If they can be convinced of this, they too will face the challenge of working for love or money.

The realms that Taylor speaks of factual statements that there’s no real creativity in people in the world anymore. Everyone thinks that their good at something so they put it out there for us to witness or hear. There’s no significance behind the projects that most people do today. For example, artists (back in the day), music and art had a meaning to it. A person who consider themselves as an artist would really think about what they would want their fans to see or hear. Something so special where as you see or hear it, you could say yes I feel the emotions or the sentimental value behind this work of art. As for artist now a days, they don’t think before they put their work out for their fans. They come up with ideas that do not have any meaning behind them. We as humans gravitate towards these ideas, not realizing that there’s no creativity in their work. They also produce, and we like it because someone else also considered liking it. We basically jump on the band wagon.

This concept goes for teachers, activist and others who think they are doing the public good. There’s no creativeness behind anything we as humans do anymore. It’s just a handful of us that still use the little bit of creativeness that we have inside. We don’t think for ourselves. It’s like our minds are program to just follow what everyone else is doing. We do not have the capability to break free from the control that our minds are in to just think about what it is that we really want to do.

Before the common core came about, teachers were able to be creative with their lesson plans and their classrooms. Every teacher had their own way and concept of making their students understand the curriculum that they were doing. Now that the common core is out, both the teachers and the students are having a harder time understanding the curriculum. Teachers are no longer able to use creativity they once had because they have to stick to this new system, which doesn’t allow them to use their minds.

Due by midnight Tuesday, September 8th (350-400 words).

Taylor (2014:50) argues that the fate of creative people, in the new economy, is to “exist in two incommensurable realms of value and be torn between them–on the one side, the purely economic activity associated with straightforward selling of goods or labor; on the other the fundamentally different, elevated forms of value we associate with art and culture.”   Your hybrid writing assignment this week is to describe these two realms and the challenges they pose for artists, teachers, activists and others who view their work as serving “the public good.”

Please note: Class participation and hybrid assignments account for 40% of your final grade.  If you do not complete the hybrid assignment you will be counted as absent for that day.