It’s frustrating that everyone wants to categorize, compartmentalize, and label everything that enters their life. It seems as though our brain was designed as a sorting structure. I can just picture little minions analyzing each thought and deciding what folder to place it in. That may be how it works, but that’s not how we grow.
Reading up on street fartist, Hanksy, I came across this interview gem.
EA: Speaking of serious, it seems like the moment you try and talk about art that is on the streets, you immediately run into these competing definitions—street art vs. tags vs. graffiti. Do you think the insistence on different categories has a place in the conversation about art, or is that boring?
Hanksy: You run into all the time. It’s frustrating. It’s like asking “What is art? What isn’t art?” I feel like the terms mean different things to different people. One person’s vandalism can be seen as another’s artistic expression. It is what it is. The internet, and people in general, will always attempt to lump things into categories. And they’ll always argue over it. When I first moved NYC, I’d go on these long runs, all throughout lower Manhattan. And I’d see Muffin Milk everywhere. Different versions. And I’m like, “Wow this guy sure loves cursive.” Turns out it’s a t-shirt company or something. Is that street art? I considered it to be, despite the end goal of selling merchandise.
It’s one thing to be objective, it’s another to be subjective. But that categorization of either is exactly my point. Everyone has their own view. We grow by understanding how others categorize and label their experiences, not by doing so to ourselves.
Stay Positive & Don’t Just Read, Read Others
Garth E. Beyer
Photo credit
As promised from yesterday, here are five new sources I read from.
TED talks are lying to you – I don’t usually read Salon, but this was cool.
Arts & Letters Daily – always a good place to find variety
Dreamscape – images and music speak as loud, if not louder than words
It’s Nice That – it’s nice that this is so nice…just awesome
Neotorama – nothing more than neat stuff (not really something to read, but a swell way to break between reads)
Bonus: Here’s a test to discover if someone sees your point of view (HT to David Pink.)
