Critic

Knowledgeable or just a disguise for a bad attitude

One of the most fearful consequences to producing a work of art is the critic review. No matter if it is a book or painting or performance, someone can read or view or listen or just attend then write their opinion of the work.

Some may have the knowledge of the performer or writer or artist but his/her words can excel to stardom and riches or crash a career. One person with a few moments can understand or not the ideas and emotions of the art. With a few politically incorrect words can debase the author, performer, and creator without legal repercussions.

And we all read these words and judge whether we will attend a performance or go to a movie or purchase a book or download the song and then we pass on the review. We hold the opinion of these critics, as we do to our trusted friends can prejudice our own attitudes and taste.

Now every piece of art or music or literature or design or fashion or even hairdos should be viewed and commented on so the artist can learn and expand his/her thoughts for future works. A friendly critique can be a helpful discussion without sounding like an authority spout out.

“Marvelous”, “Stunning”, “Shameful”, “A Disaster”, “Must See”, “Screeching Noise”, “A Wonderful Experience” and many more splatter the pages of magazines and newspapers and websites followed by a respectable experienced and licensed critic. As these words sway naïveté, no one thinks of the phrases as basic advertising.

My point is to you Mister or Miss or Misses or whatever ‘Critic’. I will read your review with a grand of sand and perhaps give it a bit of thought, but I will make up my own mind for what I like and what I don’t like. It may be great, but I don’t like it. It may be poor, but I like it. That is just the way it is.

What Makes You Famous?

Everyone now a day has the opportunity to write and publish on the web. Anyone can become a writer and author without needing a publisher to edit, print, bond and distribute their work. 

The same is for musicians and dancers and artist. Though much of the performing arts need to be seen and heard in public, all the advertising and promotion can be done electronically. 

So other than tickets at a show or sales slips, how do you know you are famous? Maybe you are not as good as you think you are.

Just like the NSA collecting data, every artist must evaluate their work and the public response to see if they wish to continue with this line of work. 

Some web sites are effective and get attention and some don’t. The same is true for books and magazines. 

If you measure the number of hits on a website, is that a conclusive number of views? If you sell so many magazines, does that mean everyone who buys it will read your article? What about books? No matter how many are published, unless they become classroom text may only windup in the bargain bin. 

But the promise of being on the New York Times bestseller list or welcoming a movie deal keeps every artist hoping. 

I started out with 3 to 4 reads when I started. Now I’m up to 40 to 50 averages reads. Is my writing any better? Probably not, but it is rewarding that more eyes read this mess. 

All artist want some response for their efforts otherwise they would just do cave drawing for themselves. Just like the paintings hanging in the museum, does everyone appreciate them even though that they have been valued by the appreciation experts that they are worthy of hanging in a museum?

Distribution

It is an economic reality. Whatever it takes to create art, and however the promotion is used to make the public become aware, the art has to be disturbed to the location the public uses. 

Today the distribution of artwork or music can be handled through the Internet. Website can be established for branding or distribution sites can be uploaded with samples that can be observed but not downloaded without a charge. There are also other social networks to inform the public and guide them to your site. 

There are also the tours of festivals and fairs but the booths will have to be carried from location to location and a library of work carried. With the music is by one or several, instruments and sound systems must be moved and repaired from place to place. The same process holds true for any other performance art. 

Along with travel to distant destinations the distribution off your art includes eating, sleeping, and washing arrangements along with financial processing. Also every state and community has certain legal requirements for setting up and displaying your art.

The Audience

Most of us are in the audience. 

We pay for a ticket and attend a venue to watch and listen and enjoy a performance, but we are the audience. 

The audience has paid their fare but they are rude. Most are not there to appreciate the artistry being performed before them. For high-end venues, the audience is to be seen and will cough and squirm and leave at the first intermission. The smaller stage will present an audience who paid less per ticket but are true fans of the performance.

Due to the constant chatter from the audience, the volume gets louder to gain attention. 

The same is true for artwork of every kind. 

Flashy and bright artwork zooms across computer screens trying to catch the viewer’s attention. It seems no one has the patience to sit and enjoy a full opera or walk quietly through a museum to view the details of the artwork.

For sales of static art or performing art helps to know what the audience wants. Don’t take a violin concerto to a rock festival.

So as you plan your website and book your presentations, consider your audience.

Why do you write?

 

There are hundreds of thousands of books, short stories, magazines, website presenting ideas, opinions, factual observations, historical research, and more. Fiction, Science Fiction, Graphic novels, Cooking, Science, History, and even E-Books, the list goes on and on about subjects and categories. Behind all the different methods to deliver these words, someone is writing them.

What drives a person to sit down and write their thoughts for others to read? Some strive for the recognition, fame and fortune. Some hope for changing ways of thinking. Some just enjoy creating sentences that will tell a story that someone else may connect with and enjoy.

The same is true for anyone with a creative slant. Painters, dancers, musicians, performers what to entertain, inspire, and overall influence their audience. The reviews and comments are much more cherished than the paycheck.

I Want Your Money

Everything is for sale; at a price. And we sell everything. 

We sell our personality and qualities and education and skills to acquire employment. We sell our ideas to make more money. We apply our experience and knowledge to make even more money.

Then once we have some money, everybody else wants it. 

Television, radio, Internet, stores, transportation companies, health companies, investment planners, animal shelters, public service organizations, even the beggar on the street wants some of your money. 

Certain requirements in life demand you give them some of your money. Shelter, food, clothing, transportation, childcare or education, and the occasional gift to your sweetie to keep life balanced. Then all the insurance companies come by to tell you that you MUST have insurance on your auto, house, and family or you are a bum. Then the health companies come by and tell you that you MUST have health insurance to cover catastrophic accidents and to cover the massive array of meds to keep you healthy. The list goes on and on.

Now bankers and investment planners say you should save money, so give it to them to keep in a safe place. They even offer a tiny interest while they use your money for their own purposes. If they didn’t no one could get a mortgage or loan. Who would let you buy a house if you didn’t have that much money in assets? 

Yikes! Did I say “loan”? Borrow money from someone else to purchase something that you cannot afford with only the legal agreement and your signature to pay back. Shoot there in an entire industry for credit. There are ratings and score, just like football teams. If you rank high enough, in their calculation, you get a ton of junk mail offering you “free money” for only a little fee. If your score is not the best, you better pay the cash that is in your pocket and when that is all gone; stop buying. 

So how are all these big expensive projects get paid for and how do all those rich people make all their money? I’m not an economist or a financial advisor by any means. All I know is I have some money in the bank. After I pay my bills and taxes, the rest of it can be spent on anything I choose. I can buy myself gifts, or splurge on fancy dinners, or indulge in luxurious entertainment, or just keep it in the bank. I also know that if I spend more than I have, I’m in trouble. 

But I will give this advice. Get a sponsor! 

Think about it for a minute. Take NASCAR for example. They have a huge outlay of money in equipment, transportation, salaries, and repairs. Some money they can get from network coverage, but if you look at the drivers (and the cars), they are covered with stickers. Logos of companies who will give money to a team are plastered all over the place. These companies want to associate their name with a winner. It isn’t charity or a free grant, but a partnership with one who has money and one who wants money.

So when you are trying to be creative, your mind should be on your work and not on making money. Find an organization, company, foundation, or philanthropies and sell your reason why they should invest in you. Have a good business plan for success and with a little leg work, your financial troubles will be over. 

Don’t say, “I want your money.” That is robbery.

Interesting Question

After waking at five this morning to a neighbor’s truck that sounds like a tank, then hearing more trees trimming, I decided it was time for coffee. It is suppose to be a sunny cool day so I take off through the neighborhood. There are not a lot of Halloween decorations around this year. Spiders seem big, but I’ve not seen any of those half buried bodies coming out of the ground yet.

As I traveled I had the usual question to myself. “What will I have for lunch?” “Burgers” today, “Pizza” tomorrow. It is all settled.

Then I think of all the questions we are asked, but cannot or will not answer.

“Do you make a lot of money?”

“Do you love me?”

“Did I make you feel good?”

“Are you happy?”

“Will you be mine?”

“Did you do that?”

But the big question yesterday was in the e-mail. Some person who I have no idea said they’d read one of my blogs and offered an invitation to a new site to post stories. I hadn’t heard of the site, so I Google it and the site was real. It even looked pretty good.

I like the concept.

“ReadWave is a new place for sharing 3-minute stories.

We believe that 3 minutes is all it takes to tell a story that can change your life. We call these stories ReadWaves. 

A ReadWave can be about anything - a confession, an experience, and an inspiration a life-changing decision or even something fictional.” 

It looks legit enough and the price “FREE” is right, but I wondered. I read a couple of stories and they were very clever and well written. So what would be the harm? 

The question was “How did this person find my e-mail address?”

So I did a little more searching and found a blog site discussing the request made to others from this ReadWave. I guess in today’s security conscience society, any message by anyone must be examined. 

Writing is a personal expression, just like painting or playing music or dancing. It can be posted for all to see or secured to only a few. The words can be copied or protect by copyright laws. The ideas behind he writing could be original or mulled over for centuries.

I think I read this ReadWave site for a couple of months before deciding. That is just the way I am, but I will suggest you take a look and give me your opinions.