Between Brushstrokes and Banknotes: Art’s Struggle in an Age of Consumption

Nearly since the dawn of humanity, we have been creating. Cave art from early prehistoric civilizations, musical instruments, Renaissance paintings, sculptures, and pottery are all early examples of the human desire to make to create. This does not end at traditional art or music forms, however. With the technological advancements of today, we can use that technology to make video games, write and share stories, script and film videos, and millions of other methods of making and doing. It has become easier than ever to open yourself to the act of creation, yet more and more people are losing touch with that side of themselves: the part of them in which their expression and emotion are reflected. Why? Because of a commodified control of creation.

Of course, art has always had a market, and its spot in the commercial world is one that is as permanent as it is historical: after all, Michelangelo was driven to paint the Sistine Chapel not for the love of religion but for the sum that Pope Julius was willing to shell out for its completion. However, the key difference to this circumstance is whether the art was created to stir emotion, provoke thought, and resonate with the soul or to spur a purchase and make a dollar, and that is reflected in the state and evolution of society itself. 

Photo by: Júnior Ferreira

It is no question that profit is the driving force behind our society today. Every waking moment, we are pushed to buy, purchase, and obsess. The act of creation is driven out by the compulsion to consume. Traditional arts are being pushed to extinction as more and more of the masters find themselves apprentice-less; who is going to dedicate years of their lives to lacemaking when an office job’s wage and schooling are more enticing? It's a harrowing future, but the sentiment is easily quashed by those who continue to create for the love of the craft and as a means to reflect their soul in a tangible way. 

Art has always been used, no matter the medium, to connect people with one another and to emotionally unite. It has been used to express outrage, support, uplift, advocate, or comfort. It is important, in a time where the quantity of art outweighs the quality, that we create more than we consume and do it truly for the love of creation. It is the stories, the truths, and the connection that truly makes creating art worth it.