Remove the artist from the art
It's about you not them
If you see a stunning statue while strolling through the streets of Athens, Greece, does it matter if the artist wasn’t a good father? Or didn’t pay his taxes? Would you stop enjoying the statue with that information?
If someone helps you pick up your groceries after they fell out of your bag while you’ve got two screaming kids in your arms, does it matter if they cheated on the SAT in high school? Or if they are a hardcore supporter of insert-rival-political-party? Would you not accept their help with that information?
Thanks to my invisible mentor Derek Sivers, I ripped the covers off of every book on my shelf. I considered burning them but settled for tossing them in the trash. Because I don’t care who wrote the book. All that matters is their ideas and what I decide to do with them.
Michael Jackson is one of my favorite artists. My wife often has to snap me out of a daze after I’ve watched three hours of the “Pretty young thing” music video on repeat. And guess what? I don't support child molesting. But I can appreciate great music.
The examples may seem silly, but my point is not: what matters is what the art does to you, not the artist who made it. And I say that as an artist. If something I write is useful to you, that’s great. But don't let my personal pitfalls distract you from the message.
I ask people if they like a certain comedian, but they have already dismissed their work because the comedian got canceled over some rumor from their personal life. That’s stupid.
If you can’t separate the art from the artist what you’re really saying is, “Since that artist isn’t perfect, I can’t appreciate anything they’ve done.”
But the act of consuming art is really about you and what you do with it. All that matters is how the art impacts you, no matter the source. Apply it to your own life in a way that works for you.
It was never about the artist. It’s about you.
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That grocery bag example is a great one!
It really illustrates the point that even if we wanted to fully filter out anyone with a sordid past, it would be unrealistic to research the person behind everything we interact with. So true integrity would be impossible.
The argument that always gets me thinking is when there’s actually a negative butterfly effect because of our engagement — when a person who does terrible things profits off of our attention/money. When their business is active, can we still separate them from their art — and can we still separate our engagement from their bad acts knowing that we actively contribute to their power?
I love ethical discussions but they always make me so dizzy 😵💫 haha
A great letter to introduce me to your works!
Saw your post on Reddit about showing what you've read, and I checked your works, clicked this one and had a great time reading. This one is really simple yet impactful.
I love Charles Dicken's works, and to be honest, when I heard how he treated his wife (which is disgusting), I contemplated my admiration for him. I mean, there's no use in disliking his works because of his personal problems because if I haven't heard about what's he like, I would've continued reading his work without knowing anything. It proves that all it matters is consuming the art that's great in our taste buds and just leave it as it is.
Would definitely check your other works. :)