One thing that I often wonder about is what it means to be a creative person in this day and age. What is it that we are trying to do? What is it that we are trying to be part of? In many prior decades and centuries, we now see clearly defined movements and schools of thought, where artists of various disciplines are seen to collaborate and cross-pollinate, all working towards a specific aim within their distinct outputs. Maybe what united them was a certain style or aesthetic, such as Romanticism or Impressionism; a unique and new vision within the artistic endeavours that they were pursuing. Or, maybe it was political, an attempt to fight against the social restraints of the day, or a way to speak to and unite with audiences that were living under the same heavy clouds of war, oppression, or disaster.

It is not as though we are without wars, disasters, or increasing elements of dystopia in our modern world, unfortunately, there are plenty. But within the artistic outputs, it is hard to ascertain any cohesive movement in response to these, positive or negative. What is the feeling of our time? Of course, digitally speaking, people are sharing their views consistently, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem to be reflected within the art being created. Maybe, it is because we can so easily post and comment our personal views on social media, that we are less likely going to try and make a definite statement in what we choose to create. Nevertheless, it is hard not to feel as though a lot of it is being ignored, that we are just blindingly going on with our lives, with productions being funded that say nothing of or about the current events occurring around us. And if they do, it is either very indirect, focussing perhaps on a related or similar historical event, or it is under-marketed and the attempt falls on deaf ears.

The art industries and artists of today aren’t very brave anymore. And I wonder whether it has become too prescribed, and a little too cushy. The bigger a company gets, the more they run the risk of falling into the pockets of the people who will want to control their output. There is no doubt that since the beginning of time, country leaders have sought to control their populations, with one method being censoring the art being created. However, there have also been many instances in history, where artists have taken risks and spoken out, quite emphatically, in ways that go against the preferred views and ambitions of the era. For example, Shostakovich almost lost his life for writing his opera, Lady Macbeth, because aesthetically it went against Stalin’s views of what Soviet music ‘should’ represent under his reign. As extreme as this may seem, for the many who regrettably view the arts as useless in society, it is one example that really proves the extent of the impact we can have when we truly commit.

In many ways, it is clear a lot of our media is very controlled with very specific narratives being pushed, and others somewhat nullified. As I mentioned in part one, we are bombarded with remakes so much more than we are new stories, that it is starting to feel intentional. With the amount of new authors and new books being published, there is no way that we are running out of options. But it seems as though the industries hate to take any risks and will always look for the thing that they can know for sure will make them the most money.

Fear has pushed us under this spell of silence. Few are willing to put their neck on the line and either create something that might be read as controversial, or speak out about something that can be debated for or against. Everything feels very restrained and superficial, and somewhat vain and… well greedy. It appears that nothing much matters than the money that can be made, with a narrow pocket of issues that can be explored in only very precise ways, all in an effort to keep the peace between them and… who? Is it all an effort to pacify audiences, or can we actually get conspiratorial and claim it is hidden censorship by the governments? Either way, more and more the things produced seem to lack thrill and pizzazz, and instead are increasingly becoming lame and boring. They lack soul, and reek of vanity.

And for the artists, maybe it is understandable that many who have reached the top of their tree, don’t want to rock the boat. Don’t want to risk ruining their reputation and all that they have spent their life building to lose it over issues they likely do not have very much personal connection to. I think we can all understand, and maybe we would be no different. Many who may start out with their own vision of what it is they want to achieve and stand for can end up consumed by the industry, with little room to put a foot wrong. Perhaps their silence isn’t a lack of care but a lack of freedom. Do what is required and expected of you and receive a handsome paycheck at the end. A plush velvet-lined coffin, if you will. However you may look at it, it does speak volumes of the current generation of artists that we are witness to. Ones that are no longer a rebel to society, but a product of society, helping to keep the status quo.

I say, bring back the rebels… but who would they be in this day and age?