Fired!

On April 1st, 1876,Vincent van Gogh was fired from his job as an art dealer... He was resentful about the fact that art was being treated as a commodity; and his customers were apparently made very aware!

Does anyone really know what the word "commodity" means? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? I had no idea that "commodity" actually implies something that has become generic. You might purchase a commodity at Nordstrom or Walmart and get the exact same thing! The demand may have sky-rocketed (good) but the value of the product is made next to nothing when you can purchase it anywhere; as fast as you can pull out some "plastic"! (bad)


More and more, fine art and craftsmanship are being replaced by mass "cookie-cutter" type reproductions made possible by modern machines and robotics. I suggest that artistic value is being diminished as the masses themselves are being industrialized! We are rushed through schools that train us to think alike and follow protocol... We become drones as we lose are divinity in the search for the bigger, better and more.

Think back to 1st grade when we were told to "color within the lines". If we were asked to draw a flower, we were corrected when it didn't match the expected. As children of God, we have the awesome ability to create; and the right to be unique! Our ancestors created beautiful sculptures, paintings, carvings, weavings and architectural designs. I crave to admire the great attention to detail in such pieces, don't you? I enjoy the grand beauty of an old building or hand-carved furniture in which so much thought went. (As well as blood, sweat and tears!)


Today, in the place of elegant palaces, tower elusive sky-scrapers. The most art many of us will see on a daily basis is the latest iPhone design or the new packaging on your bottle of Coke. Maybe some of us are fortunate enough to have an art-appreciating boss who had framed prints placed around the office but how often are they admired? Perhaps they need to be updated?

As an artist I have found that one of my very biggest struggles, thus far, has been the pricing of my art. I feel that putting a value on a piece is akin to putting a label of worth on myself. Was Van Gogh right? Is art a commodity? And what of photography when the photos are so easily reproduced?

"How is anyone supposed to do this?" I wonder as I struggle to find the balance between a price that is a generic fit amongst the other commodities or an ambitious value that no one else respects.
All my life; I, myself, put off my artistic calling because I was trained to believe it was not valued!

However, I have come to believe my art is special and that makes it so. You can find a unique personality in it; and, even though it is photography, that gives it value. Forethought, time, attention, skill in the craft... all give worth to something.

As I have grown as a person, I now realize the value of the present moment. It is most precious. I have found meaningful value in my art because it brings me to the present. Anything that makes you aware of the moment is a heaven-sent miracle and should be treated as sacred. Children, marital relationships, nature, good food, and art are all sacred!

What more great a cause can I be part of?! ...Now that's value!





(come visit me at http://www.meloniepacker.com)