Can Art and Commerce Coexist?

"To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle." - Walt Whitman

Audiences worldwide long for a good read.  They want to be entertained, inspired, thrilled, shocked, educated, etc.  In short, audiences want to be moved and it's our job as writers to deliver an engrossing adventure.  As writers we dream of creating "the great American novel, or penning the perfect soliloquy.  What we must strive to achieve then is creating a satisfying journey for the reader/viewer.

I've noticed that quite often a novel by a new author or a small, independent movie by an unknown director, far removed from Hollywood, pops up and speaks to us in a different language, or with a different perspective and somehow that freshness strikes an universal chord.  Agents, producers and famous actors long to read that original script that grabs them from page one.  But it's important to recognize that sometimes it's the person who not only breaks the rules but who has no conception of them that captivates our attention and speaks to us in that authentic, fresh voice.

Consider this:  commercial success is not always the primary motivation for creating works of art and literature.  People write for as many reasons as there are styles of writing.  A book that examines this and a personal favorite of mine is Patrice Vecchione's "Writing and the Spiritual Life."  It reminds me that among many other things writing has the power to transform old wounds and lead us to a richer, fuller life regardless of our financial solvency.

Recently a friend of mine,  an award winning composer, was struggling after completing a new composition.  While the piece conveyed the juxtaposition of humor and loss he intended, the music didn't follow a conventional structure that would have made it commercially viable.  There was no concrete transition between an "A" part and a "B" part.  The disconnect between the two musical phrases was part of my friend's artistic intention.  Luckily, he didn't heed the avalanche of criticism to change it .  He didn't inject an artistically artificial transition between the two sections of music just to deliver what was expected.  He stuck with the integrity of his initial artistic vision and left the piece alone.  The result, at least for me as a listener, is that the absence of the transition emphasizes the narrative.  Parts "A" and "B" are distinct.  They are in conflict.   For me, the abruptness between the phrases works.


What my friend's example illustrates for me is the distinction between art and commerce.  First and foremost the music had to satisfy him then he could decide how he would shape and present it to the world.  It works much the same way for a writer.  Countless stories have come into being solely because someone took a risk and presented an honest experience over a well tested cliche.  An artist tries to think outside the box.  A craftsman yearns to build a better box.  Which are you?


Another excellent book by a wonderful writer and teacher is "Old Friend from Far Away" by Natalie Goldberg.   In it, she shares her thoughts about writing memoir.  Nothing spells adventure quite like memoir.  The lives of courageous men and women who faced great opposition is always wonderful fodder for uplifting and inspiring stories.   Some critics and many writers insist that to some extent all writing contains elements of the writer's own life story.  And, that's the seed of our fresh, authentic voice.


This week's suggested website:  Scribd.com - Scribd is the world’s largest social reading and publishing company. They've made it easy to share and discover entertaining, informative and original written content across the web and mobile devices. Their vision is to liberate the written word, to connect people with the information and ideas that matter most to them.


This week's writing prompt:  Give yourself five uninterrupted minutes of quiet time.  Make a list of five movies you haven't seen.  Not current box office fare but classic, time honored, universally acknowledged masterpieces you've been meaning to watch for years but somehow haven't got around to it.  Try to list the ones you're ashamed to admit not having watched.  Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Titanic, Raging Bull, Gone with the Wind, etc.  When you have five write an imaginary logline for each film based on what you think it's about.   In the next few weeks and months, watch the films on your list and see how close your preconceptions were to the actual product.  Enjoy.  Have a great writing week.  


P.S. - If WATERCOLORS is on anyone's list, please let me know.  :)