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Art doesn’t pay
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Given his age, a teacher likely told him that “Art doesn’t Pay” almost 30 years ago and well, back then more teachers likely felt that way than most do now.
So it’s really a question from the past more than the present.I went to college in the early 80’s to study Television Production. I took an art class because I thought it would be fun (it was)
Something special happened to me in that art class that had an impact on me more than anything I can remember in my communication classes.
One day as we approached the Art building for class, we saw a brand new Porsche parked outside the building. Right up front so you couldn’t miss it. We thought to ourselves, who in the heck is driving THAT car, and why is it at this building?
As we entered the classroom we could see that a stranger stood beside our instructor. We figured it must be his car, but who was he?
Well, turns out he was an artist. His artwork had been displayed in countless magazines and he told us about how people told him not to go into art because, you guessed it……he wouldn’t make any money. He was there to get those negatives thoughts right out of our heads.
He listed off many famous artist that had been paid a pretty penny. Like a guy named Walt Disney.
That artist showed us that people don’t always know what they are talking about when they try to give you advice.
Go for your dreams and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it.
It was a brilliant move by our instructor to bring him in. He knew it would have an impact on us. 30 years later I still remember that day and tell that story, just in case some young artist had doubts.
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[Bill Davis] “Malcolm Gladwells “Outliers” probably said it best noting that it’s not enough to be GREAT at something. You need to be great at something when the world changes to wanting what you’re great at.
“Funny that you should fall back on him as support for your argument. Considering that he popularized the concept that it takes 10,000 of DOING something before you get good at it.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Jeremy Garchow] “There is no genetic code for equality, or freedom, or money, or class/caste. These are not elements of our biology.”
Not really correct. We do have behavioral genetically inherited traits for reciprocity which is based on recognising others of our species as having a shared sense of equality. Reciprocity behaviour is at the heart of social primates. As we share an extremely high proportion of that same DNA with other notable social primates like Chimps & Bononbos, there is no doubt that the concept of equality is DNA inherited. So is a sense of hierarchy. This is the basis for class/caste and is actually in our DNA as it is in most sentient beings. And we instinctively recognise those who should be treated as strangers. All in our DNA. So on that list, I only see money as uniquely human and potentially not inheritable. The rest are by us and most primates and mammals in general.
I have “Sapiens” in my reading pile at the moment so my comments are purely based on those reported observations from his book. I’m hoping Harari’s understanding of biology and inherited behavioral traits is not dragging in the old binary arguments of nature/ nurture. I totally agree about the view of intellectual myth but I see that as the way we create meaning out of some biological inherited instinctual behaviours.
I much prefer Johnathan Haidt’s analogy of the rider and the elephant. The elephant represents our powerful largely subconscious expression of our instinctive (inherited) behaviours. The rider (our intelligent consciousness) is like a lawyer, imagining ways to explain those instinctive impulses. The rider gives the illusion of being rational and in control. The truth is the elephant is too powerful for the rider so the often irrational behaviours we display need the lawyer to come in after the fact and explain it all away.
How is any of this relevant to the forum? Well how often have we just had a rant, expressed an emotionally charged opinion as immutable truth and then had to send the lawyer to mop up and explain in rational terms our possibly unfounded ‘truth’? Nice to know those angry sprays and desire to sheepishly fanboy a brand are in fact instinctual and at the same time irrational made rational by the rider. Enough navel gazing.
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[Michael Gissing] “I much prefer Johnathan Haidt’s analogy of the rider and the elephant.”
“The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion” is a fantastic book.
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[Bill Davis] “Then you should call the American Film Institute folks to quibble with them”
You are right and I am wrong. I was thinking undergrad, which is where most kids I run into are going to film school. As for AFI, that is one place where I would be unequivocal; if they’re willing to take you, pack your bags and go, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin\’ attached to nothin\’
\”Deciding the spine is the process of editing\” F. Bieberkopf -
[Herb Sevush] “As for AFI, that is one place where I would be unequivocal”
I think the differentiation in our industries has to be between schools that just teach and schools that teach by doing.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Michael Gissing] “Not really correct. We do have behavioral genetically inherited traits for reciprocity which is based on recognising others of our species as having a shared sense of equality. Reciprocity behaviour is at the heart of social primates. “
This is survival. Yes, primates are social. This is to ensure survival of the group. The food is here, the water is here, there’s a threat coming from over there, one ape is bigger/stronger/younger and therefore takes charge in a pecking order or hierarchy. Survival is certainly encoded and theoretically, any ape (or male ape) can challenge any other male ape for control.
When you are born in to a lower caste, this has nothing to do with your biological ability to survive, level of intelligence, or potential. Caste is a belief system created by humans in order to control populations. You are born in to a caste system because society said you are, not because it is genetically encoded.
I don’t think Harari is discounting this as evolution, he is accounting for how society got to where it is, and that is the ability to create fiction, and is a big evolutionary separator from other primates and ancient/ancestral humans, and why Sapiens have thrived for now.
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[Bob Zelin] “So, from what I recall, Ron Howard worked for free in order that he would be given the opportunity to direct a real movie. Once again – you bust your ass, you make sacrifices, and you get what you want.”
While I definitely agree with the sentiment, I think this example perhaps highlights a different truth. That connections make all the difference in the world. Ron Howard did not work for free. He used his fame as an actor to leverage a directing gig in trade for his name as a star.
These barriers can be overcome with hard work. But to be clear for a nobody it’s not going to be as easy as it was fro Ron Howard. This is not to take away anything from his abilities as a director. But I just don’t think it was that hard for him to get a foothold in the industry.
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[Andrew Kimery] “First off, I don’t think there is an inherently right or wrong answer with film school. Personally I don’t think it’s worth the huge price most of them charge. A big selling point of film schools used to be access to filmmaking equipment but that’s pretty much a null and void advantage at this point. “
I agree with this. I also think what Bob was talking about was not necessarily the flagship film schools like USC and NYU which do have value for some. Rather the Full Sail and many like schools that have questionable expertise in their instructors and little help for securing a job after graduation.
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[Oliver Peters] “I think the differentiation in our industries has to be between schools that just teach and schools that teach by doing”
Uh, ALL schools teach video by doing now. All of them.
My son was the 5th grade weatherman in his grade schools morning newscast.
That was 10+ years ago and is more clear evidence for my contention that the landscape has changed.
Surely there’s not a program anywhere that doesn’t have their students making and submitting actual practical work as a core part of their curriculum.
Period.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.
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