By Nathan Sapio
It should be clear by now that at the heart of the question, “Why are you making something?”, lies an inquest that seeks to find Value. Investing time and effort in the production of something (like a piece of art) certainly necessitates that some expectation of reward or compensation exist for such an act.
Should the expected Value of a piece of art be based in what you can have and hold, what you can see and own, then the nature of such an item is purely physical. The answer to the proposed question in this case is, “For remuneration ($$$$$).” For those that prize art for what they can place in their homes (or in the homes of others, as the case may be), art is purely a luxury object. The most rational thing to do, in the case of those that create art as a business and/or career choice, is to stop making objects like paintings or sculpture (which people are able to talk themselves out of buying) and become furniture designers or architects. You’ll make beautiful, high dollar objects that people need. Or – you can just become a graphic designer.
Additionally, many expect to find Value in the “self-expression” found in art. Value based in “self-expression” can take several forms: one may produce art because they want others to know what they think, one could also produce art in order to make it known how “unique” or “different” they can be, or an observer could like a piece of art simply because they know (or know of, rather) the artist. Regardless of the specific situation, if the answer to the proposed question is, “In order to express myself”, the Value of such art can be found somewhere between one of two things: 1) at best, providing a therapeutic function for the maker, or 2) at worst, satisfying an artist’s underlying self-absorption. There is an inherent selfishness to both, which means that such Value is merely subjective. That type of Value carries no weight, and varies from person to person. It follows that all art based on such Value is equal; one piece of art cannot be called better than any other, for such art are all as equally “self-expressive” by definition. If you’re not also getting emolument ($$$$$) for your what you are producing, it would seem rather difficult for a rational person currently working in such a vein to find any reason to continue producing art indefinitely.
If it’s unlikely that numismatic compensation ($$$$$) or purely internal gratification are able to provide a sound source of Value, is there a satisfactory answer to the question, “Why are you making something”? As it happens, I think that there is no one specific answer. However, I maintain that all valid answers have a common, underlying element: a valid answer understands that there is inherent cultural and intellectual value in art. In the purest sense, artistic motivations that have substance and are sustainable are founded on the search for truth.
Put simply, good art has an element of truth to it. This statement doesn’t have to have theistic or philosophical overtones, though it can be well understood in that sense; truth that is absolute and encompassing is inherently vast and cannot be grasped as a whole by rationality and logical propositions. Since truth is then inexpressible (by language, at least), art becomes well suited to undertake propositions of truth, since art has the ability to be non-rational, fluid, and poetic.
In a very practical sense though, a Value relationship can be seen between art and truth. The Value of a work of art is directly related to how many other people also recognize its worth. All things being equal, if two works of art have an equal amount of exposure to the public, the piece that the most people are attracted to is the best. As critic Dave Hickey puts it, “The works of art that deliver the most stuff to the most people and serve the most complex constituencies for the longest time are the very best ones. Period.” What else can run between a diverse collection of individuals and bypass identity and personal bias to form a collective unity? Sounds suspiciously like something called truth…
Why would a person make something? If instead of a product or personal statement, a person decides to make art, a well-founded answer will have something to do with exploring or expressing something in a way that results in an experience or object that provides a little more meaning than what one started with.
