the Ken Gage Web Family
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Ken Gage
Writer/Musician
I.Z.M. Enterprises
P.O. Box 353
Maple Park, IL 60151-0353
United Satanic America
http://www.kengage.com
http://www0.delphi.com/kengage
https://www.angelfire.com/extreme/kengage
THE ARTIST AND THE INTERNET
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One of the laughable things I recall hearing artists -- particularly musicians -- say during interviews is, "It's not about the money, man. I do this because I love my work." I, too, love my work, my art. But in the real world -- the one you and I share right now -- money is not some whimsical option that can be simply discarded, like an ideology.
The Internet gives every artist the chance to put up or shut up. He or she can now create art by the gigabyte, posting it for the world to gawk at and appreciate. What's more, the Artist can do this for his or her love of it, for free -- without receiving one red cent whatsoever! But how many professional artists actually use this medium to prove, after all, that they're "not in it for the money"?
Now some people will stop and tell me here that mimes and other performance artists require the instant feedback of a live audience. And maybe audience approval does stroke the frail egos of some performers, temporarily exorcising personal demons like self-doubt or whatever insecurities, but a show is a show, whether performed for a lone, quiet tripod camera or an additional stadium of rabid fans. The Internet is already aswarm in live shows. What makes the cyberstripper's act any different? But even if one conceded audience participation as essential -- as in the case of the stage magician or certain rock bands with self-esteem problems -- the Internet can still instantly capture these performance for vast global spectators. One has to wink and nod when performance artists exalt the highs they get from an enthusiastic crowd, as if they never saw a cut from the ticket sales or would perform all the same even if they weren't getting paid. But this talk of free shows is a slight digression from the meat of the matter.
I've been slowly learning HTML to show off and make available my art. (I cheated for this essay, though, and used an editor.) Sure, I'd like to get paid a barrel of cash for my artistic efforts. But I'm still living in the real world, where deals and contracts are drawn up for exclusive or limited use of intellectual properties. And I know these things don't always come easy. If I were stupid, I'd also say, "I'm only in it for the art!" I'd like to only be in art for its own sake AND still have a roof over my head and three square meals on the square table. Certainly. Did I mention, though, that I live in the real world?
What I'm driving at is an easy challenge, put to artists everywhere. Tell the truth. Stick all your beloved art on the Internet as soon as possible. (And before big media businesses blockade individualism here, too.) Either do that or stop pretending that the lap of luxury is some personal Hell to be disdained and belittled. The work-weary poor have that very same gleam of diamonds in their eyes -- only they're not sitting on top of the world and griping about the immensity of their incomes. No. I'm sure they're living at the blister end of a shovel (or some other toil) enjoying their work and wishing they could do it for free, day in and day out. But they accept their whimsically small paychecks anyway, probably just to amuse the real world, the one so many artists have now vacated.
Written for Ms. Snackpanties
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Last updated 3 January 2001: a former casualty of the occultural wars and angelfire "glitches."