Is it really wrong to monkey see, monkey do?
It depends on who the other monkey is.
As humans, we have a wide wide number of choices of what we do and how we do it. But also, who we surround ourselves with as we do those things.
If who we are “seeing” are unethical or cheap or terrible monkeys doing the things, then what we do will suffer. But if we choose to “see” upstanding, change making monkeys do the things, then we most certainly want to play the game – monkey see, monkey do.
How do things become conventional?
Conventional means something done that is based on a general belief.
At one point, that thing was unconventional, and then the pure number of people who did it was enough to tip the scale.
Like tattoos. They were once unconventional to a very large subset of the population, but over the years, they have become more normal and seem to have become borderline conventional. It is no longer a jaw dropping moment to hear that someone has one.
What does that mean for art? Should we be seeking unconventional art? What happens when what we are doing becomes conventional? Does that make it any less valuable or impactful?
Art seems like a natural release of the busy-ness of the city. You see it everywhere. In the way people dress. In the graffiti on park benches. In even the street performers who add to the cacophony of sounds on the streets. The city is alive, and it seems like inspiration hits you in the face everywhere you look. There is an urgency that propels artists to create right then and there before they lose that glint of an idea.
But what if art were to come from a seemingly less chaotic place like the suburbs? Can it?
In the city, art is a response to the constant flow and change of people and events. It may feel like the suburbs where obligations and schedules run a routine, Groundhog’s Day existence cannot create “good” art.
But what if art was the way to break out of those obligations, complacency and routine and instead, towards motion? What if it is what mobilizes us from a comfortable existence towards change? What if it was done for that purpose?
Moving from the hustle and bustle of the city, the suburbs seem like a lackluster, albeit stable, existence.
The city feels so alive, full of light and brimming with creative energy. The suburbs are comfortable, no hustle and bustle. No buzz in the air of what is new and interesting. The suburb’s branding and appeal has always been one of contentment and idealism.
We tell ourselves that we go to the exciting city for art and culture. And return to normalcy on our square, white picket fenced lots.
We could tell ourselves the story that our creative selves were left in the cities.
But relying on our surroundings to inspire and support our creativity is a good excuse to stop making art.
Art has always been made. In caves, on farms, in deserts, in isolation, in gatherings.
Art doesn’t need the hustle and bustle. It does not need to come alive in places that feel electrifying.
It only needs a creator willing to create – no matter how comfortable they are.
by Lisa 2 Comments
Releasing the consumer-driven sides of us means that there is a release of finding fulfillment in things that others (companies and individuals) create.
Releasing the consumer side of us means releasing our identity in the things that we buy.
Where do we find fulfillment then? What part of our identity is amplified when we release the impulse to consume.
What identity remains with us then?
The opposite of the consumer is the creator.
Mothers, creating life, are inherently creators.
The creators in us amplify ourselves.
But as creators, aren’t we reliant on consumers?
In a capitalistic economy, yes, if we want to make money from our creations.
But what if we create with non-attachment to other’s reaction to our creation? What if we create and nurture the creation, put it on in the world and allow the world to embrace it?
What if only we know how to create the things we create? What if only I was meant to mother this specific piece of writing to the world?
What if the opposite of senseless consumption is mindful creation? Through mindful creation, we can foster more mindful consumption.