What Is Art?

I haven’t blogged here for almost a month – I can’t recall the last time I took such a long break. It’s been enjoyable for me, and I’ve found the motivation to be a little more active over at The Art Sensorium, a place I tend to neglect.

Part of the challenge of starting writing again, is knowing when to start and what to write about. I have plenty of draft ideas – works in progress currently include:

  • Slow Down
  • Masterminds
  • Muddy Waters : Problems and Mistakes (or Why Trust is Never Enough)
  • Work is Theft

Some of these may or may not see the light of day – my drafts folder often gets covered in cobwebs, so we’ll see.

In the midst of my indecision, Jon Husband drew my attention to a short video in which Brian Eno talks about state provision of a basic income for everyone.

This in turn led me, via Kev Wyke, to The 2015 John Peel Lecture – given by…Brian Eno. A strong thread in the lecture relates the question, ‘What is art?’ Brian Eno’s talk is at times funny, caring and insightful. I found both the content and the manner in which it is delivered, quite moving.

What Is Art?

Art is everything you do not have to do.

Children learn through play – adults play through art.

‘Art is the exposure to tensions and problems of a false world, in order that man may endure the tensions and problems of the real world’. Morse Peckham

Scenius – the talent of a whole community.

Through increasing automation we are less connected to production. In a world of ultra-fast change, how does man stay coherent? Eno believes more and more of us will spend more time becoming and being artists. What is art? Art is everything you do not have to do.

Thank you Jon, Kevin and Brian Eno. It feels good to be back.

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

2 thoughts on “What Is Art?”

  1. Welcome back and a belated Happy New Year.

    I know I don’t blog because I have to, but rather when something has reached the point at which it feels right to say it. I also know how awkward it feels when I try and force a blog. I think (and I am hardly qualified to comment) that not only is art something you don’t have to do, but something that feels very right when you do. So speaks the man described by his headmaster as an “intellectual philistine”….and no it has not left any scars…..truly! 🙂

    I noticed that I too took more of a break from my “art”y things over Christmas, I wonder if that is more than a coincidence?

  2. Hello Ian – lovely to hear from you and my apologies for not replying sooner.

    I enjoyed my break – maybe almost too much! I began to get tied up in something like ‘if not now, then when?’ Fortunately – a couple of friends signposted some things of interest which I then weaved into what you and others have since read. Was it any good? It wasn’t my best work – and only a handful of people read the post. I found the Eno lecture in particular, an enjoyable thing to listen to and reflect on, so it was useful for me.

    Subsequently – I went on to write three more posts in January, each one reaching a much wider audience than this one. But this one got me started again, and you spotted it and dropped me a line. So I’m happy that the wheel is turing usefully again. Thank you.

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