Seth Godin shares with us his definition of "art" in his post, "Making Art." He concludes that there are three stipulations (why is it always 3? we must still be hooked on the whole trinity thing...):
- Art is made by a human being.
- Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
- Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.
First, I do believe "Art" is made by a human since the word, "art," and its definition are human creations in themselves. I also believe that animals have the ability to create, but don't do it so as to appreciate its essence, as humans do.
I don't necessarily believe his second stipulation... I don't believe that art is ALWAYS created to have an impact. When a songwriter writes a song, are they always writing so as to have impact on someone else? I have written songs with no purposeful intention to show someone else... but its still art.
Number 3 is an interesting concept. I believe it was Carl Jung (I could be wrong) who philosophized that art is the idea itself. Once the idea is born, art is created... no matter if its expressed outwardly.... I believe that this kind of goes along the lines of what Seth Godin is saying.
Thank God most artists are "generous" in letting us in on their masterpieces.
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