An interesting theory/feeling about art I read recently is the idea that, “It all comes from the same place.” I have had this feeling myself for many years now, Harmony Korine said this in an interview once, and I have been thinking about what it means. I believe this is true, for the most part, and I’m happy I read someone say it so simply.
Whether you are a painter, novelist, actor, musician, whatever; it is all about expression. When you boil it down to what it is you are really doing as an artist, it basically comes down to that, so it’s really all the same if you think about it. Forget about the final result of whatever it is you choose to do. The spark of it, the desire to express yourself somehow, to conquer time and death a little bit, is what it is all about. A painting and a stand-up comedy performance are both forms of expression. Even though they are doing so in very different ways unique to their particular mediums, they are both attempts at doing the same thing. A painting can be a joke, and a joke can be a painting, if that makes sense.
It is very weird to describe, but I’m sure you might relate to the experience of drawing and losing yourself in your work. This is when being an artist is its best and most fun: when time sort of disappears from your life and you’re focused on your work. That can happen in any medium, and it is because of the reasons I just said: art is all about expression. Sometimes I feel that it truly doesn’t matter what art form I choose to work in, it’s really achieving the same purpose. Just like there’s no real difference between jacking off or having a casual encounter: you’re getting to the same place in the end. Not only is a joke the same as a painting; a short story is doing the same thing a song is. I view a novel like A Confederacy of Dunces, for example, as no different than a great stand-up set. It is great literature, for sure, but it’s also hilarious and hits very similar notes a comedian would. It’s the same with a novel like Demons by Dostoyevsky; it’s about Russia being infected by the nihilism movement, which Dostoyevsky was vehemently against and saw as very dangerous to his people and land. Again: a great work of literature, but it’s really a portrait of a unique moment in history — it captures a period just like a painting would. It’s like how comedians get compared to being “philosophers,” it’s an apt comparison even if the two types of people seem to be doing different things: Plato and Socrates pontificated about life and had buttsex at the Acropolis together, and comedians pontificate about life and obscure their observations with jokes. It’s the same shit, really. I could go on and on with a list of comparative examples, but it’d get boring and you should get my point by now.
Now, of course, here is the moment I have to clarify for you myopic and close-minded hoes: yes, there are differences. I understand that. A stand-up comedian works with a microphone, and a painter works with a brush. They are clearly different when you view it under literal terms, I get it. But I’m talking about the innate desire behind why these two people are doing what they do: it is the act of expression, showing a side of yourself sort of, encapsulating a difficult to articulate truth (or truths) in one thing. This all might sound dumb to some of you, but I think there’s a truth to it, and if you’re an artistic person you might be inclined to agree.
Lately I have been having an interest in painting again. I say “again,” because I have random periods of my life where I become interested in painting, and mainly because I don’t have the space to hold all my stuff, I always kind of stop. If I had my own studio, I would probably paint a lot more. But anyway, my point in mentioning this: writing has always been the best form of expression to me. It’s the one that makes the most sense due to my particular set of circumstances. When I was younger I used to make comic books and do a lot more artwork, drawing, paintings, and things of that nature. But over time it became a bit impractical and took up space I don’t have. It is especially hard for immigrant parents to be forgiving of you doing your little “art projects” around their living area if you’re not bringing in any money while doing so, haha.
I understand why a person would make being a writer their entire career, because aside from liking the work, peace, and quiet, it is just the most practical. You don’t have to buy paint and materials, and especially if you’ve got a computer, writing doesn’t even take up space like another hobby would. I think it’s kind of interesting how my main thing is writing due to circumstance, and I am always interested in what makes other writers become writers (or other artists become artists in their field). I honestly believe everyone that considers themselves an artist is probably a creative person generally speaking across the spectrum, it’s just a matter of what type of art each person feels most comfortable working in at that given time.
You can see this example clearly in a guy like Jim Carrey or Andy Milonakis. They were both known primarily for being comedians early in their careers, and later on (I guess with more success and due to having more space and resources to work with, etc), they branched out and did more artwork than comedy. Cynical people might tell you guys like this are just bored rich people who are just doing shit to waste time and make more money if they happen to sell their paintings, which might be partly true, but once again: all of this stuff comes from the same place. I would argue that if it wasn’t painting, it would always be something else.
