On
August 18th, Josh Groban made a very profound statement while hosting Rising Star. He said, "An entertainer gives people what they
want; an artist gives people what they didn’t know they wanted.” He was speaking about artists who poses a
truly creative talent. They can see past
fog of current success and popularity.
They have the vision and courage to create moments that raise the bar of
musical entertainment.
I was
thinking about this concept during my Orlando vacation. It seems that amusement parks suffer from the
same issue. It is difficult to come up
with an entertainment concept that is original.
Every ride I went on reminded me of at least three others from either
the same or a competing park.
The
truth is that all creative people are scared.
We are scared that our audience will not appreciate our creation. Commercial entities like amusement parks and
record labels seek assurance of audience acceptance. They cannot afford to invest in a creation
that does not earn them a profit. If a
ride or a song proves itself to be successful it becomes a mold for future
creations. They take the same concept,
change a few minor details and call it a new creation.
This is
the method of an entertainer. They find
out what the people want and supply it.
Larger entertainment entities will mass produce a concept until the
interest in is runs dry. Music labels
utilize this process to such a degree that every song on the charts sounds the
same. Small scale musical entertainers join
in the process by performing popular cover songs exactly the way the original
artist recorded them.
True
artists find it very difficult to conform to this method. We want to express our ideas and push the boundaries
of entertainment into new and exiting territories. Unfortunately, we become torn between the
desire to create and the desire to make money at our craft. It is far easier to land paying gigs as a
talented cover artist or tribute band as opposed to an original act. My wife faces the same dilemma in photography. She could easily achieve monetary success as
a wedding or portrait photographer.
However, she desires to create art and inspire people.
All creative people need to consider this trade-off while
planning their strategy. If you are a
pure artists, you may have to retain a separate occupation and pursue your art
on the side. If you can stomach some
compromise, you may pursue entertainment as an occupation while dabbling in
artistry. The main point to take away
from all of this is that it is important to know yourself, know how things work
in the world, and find the best way for these two things to coexist. Artists who do not take the time to
understand these things find themselves constantly frustrated. The world is naturally resistant to change
and reluctant to explore new things.
Artists need to find ways to disarm this resistance if they are going to
"... gives people what they didn’t know they wanted."
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