On Why Making Art Isn't about "Having Fun"

Someone praised my website the other day. It was a genuine compliment and I appreciated it very much.

It isn't often in this, the era of COVID-19, that I get a chance to hear a warm statement in person about my work. I thanked her and expressed how versatile the fabric/textile medium is for creating art. I said I have many ideas lying in wait, so I'll stay busy for the rest of my life. It was an innocuous filler statement in that awkward moment after a compliment has been given and all that needed to be said has been said.

And then she said the dreaded comment: “But you're having fun though, right? That's all that counts.”

On the surface it doesn't seem so bad. Of course, the tone doesn't translate to writing very well without a descriptor. But then again, we all know how tone can easily be misinterpreted. What struck me more was the idea that artists - and art - are not considered to really be work. It is just something people do... to past the time, just for creative creativity's sake, to have fun…

All our work ought to be enjoyable. (I suppose I could have asked her if she was having fun in her receptionist work, but I didn't think of it at the time.) If we have a career, ostensibly we chose it because it provides some amount of enjoyment and pleasure. Certainly, all work has its stresses and difficulties. But if one isn't enjoying it, there could be other options for many people (although, admittedly, not all).

So why is it not the same expectation for artists?

I expect part of that answer is due to the tired trope of only the leisure class being allowed to foray into the art world as creatives. Yes, art takes a long time to make (good art even longer), and a long time to sell, so to live, one needs an income in a capitalist society. This is difficult to do if art is taking a long time to sell.

But I expect that coupled with the idea that making art is only for those who can afford it, is that art and artists are not well respected (although their work is used in everything in life). At least, those who don't come from the leisure class aren’t well-respected. And, as I've written about before, some art (ex, quilt art) is less respected than others (ex, photography) because it has been historically associated with a less respected group of people (i.e., older women).

So, it doesn't surprise me that a comment like “but you're having fun though, right?” is said with some level of condescension. There seems to be either a hidden jealousy (Are you so well off you can just quit working and have fun making art all day?) or pity (Aw, you can't really work? Well at least you're having fun).

But here's the thing. Making art is a lot of work. It takes skill, often specialized, and concentrated labor. To make good art requires intelligence and often education.

Since John has been learning how to quilt, he has experienced just how difficult it can be, learning all the steps that go into creating a piece, all the concentration, all the labor. And to be honest, it isn't always fun. Sometimes it is frustrating and even aggravating.

There really is no difference with the end result as with other work we do. Creating an art quilt is just as painstaking, difficult, and rewarding for me as it was working with students in their academic development. John has made many comparisons with quilting to his research, lab work, publishing, and even delivering lectures. In some ways the artwork is more difficult because it is so personal.

Making and creating art is very rewarding. But that doesn't mean it is always fun and that certainly isn't a criterion to do it. Let's recognize that art - the making, that creating, the doing - takes just as much work, skill, effort, and intelligence as ANY other type of workforce labor.