really?

I just love (not) the response I get when I say I'm an artist. "Really" It defines pretty much what most Americans think of "the Arts." We're not very well tuned in to this aesthetic attitude are we? It's a peripheral event, a sunday entertainment, a distraction, an outsiders viewpoint, a detriment to practical issues, an obviation of necessity... Should I go on? The truth is, it is our very lack of creative thinking where it is really necessary, in the bureaucracies and institutions that oversee our daily routines, that has led us to this scary point in history once again: the very real precipice of economic crisis! So, yes, I'm an artist. And finally proud of this fact! What is not to be proud of is the fact that the term "starving artist" by way of association delegates to externalalities what really is the internal failure of most of our enterprizes. That is, while we jest about the starving sunday painter, maybe we should hire him/her to inject some inventive innitiative into our boardrooms and for that matter anywhere we convene, whether it's to make policy, re-design for a greener future, or re-design public restroom stalls that actually allow you to reach the toilet paper without contortion. So, the next time somebody tells you that they're an artist - try to imagine what they might be able to do for you and your own network, and go from there. Discover an untapped resource America! It's right under your nose.