Anti - “Separating the Art from the Artist”
Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash
I think I’m ready to talk about this now. Since I have been a writer and a fan of many different artists across quite a few mediums, and more recently I have heard people with this idea that has really bothered me as a person that actually crafts and weaves words together. I also have a couple of artistic hobbies, so there is that as well.
“Sometimes you have to separate the art from the artist.”
The first time I heard it was when I was talking with someone about a problematic artist. I can’t remember which one was the hottest topic at the time, but at this point it could have been anyone. Anyway, I remember hearing and feeling a visceral repulsion at the idea. I have never enjoyed the thought.
I understand why this is a common statement. The artist has proven themselves to be a sh!tty person in more than one way, and the fan/audience member is trying to find a way to rationalize still enjoying their art while knowing that they are sh!tty people. I get it, and understand it. The separation is still wrong though, IMO.
So for today, I want to offer an argument as to why separating the art from the artist is not only irresponsible but disrespectful in all of the ways. Strap in and get ready because I can be long-winded when I get on a soapbox.
Photo by Marty O’Neill on Unsplash
Disrespecting the Artist
One of the first things you learn as a person that creates art including writing is that the process of creating that thing, painting the painting, or writing the book is akin to giving birth. It is usually a long and laborious process and takes a lot of emotional, mental, and physical energy.
One of the hardest parts for me is editing my own work. I have to take time away from my writing before I can even begin to edit my work. On top of that, objectivity is nearly impossible without taking time away. For example, I could have written a chapter of a book that was particularly difficult. I was fortunate to be able to power through. I remember all of the emotions and stress of getting through that particular section. That chapter has scars on it. It was crafted with blood, sweat, and tears between those lines. NEVERTHELESS, if it doesn’t belong in the whole book and/or would make the book better to delete it, it has to go.
Can you imagine what that feels like? If you’ve ever worked on something with that magnitude, such an edit feels as if you are cutting off a limb. The pain is real. At the same time, you know that your entire body of work is suffering from this terrible limb, so you have to do it. It is difficult as hell.
There is a reason every artist resonates with Erykah Badu when she says:
“I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my shit.”
-Erykah Badu
It’s because that is the most honest statement of any artist. Our work is a culmination of sacrifice, effort, and a part of ourselves. To separate the art from the artist is ABSOLUTELY disrespectful.
Do you think the “TERF Queen,” J. K. Rowling feels honored when people celebrate anniversaries of the Harry Potter series, and she isn’t even invited? It doesn’t matter how problematic she is (mind you she has always been problematic, but hold on to that for later in the post). She deserves to be there for every accolade and every celebration because the Harry Potter series is her work!! There is no Harry Potter without J. K. Rowling. She still says some odd things. For example, the people that worked on the movies owe her nothing. Everyone was paid for their services, but the brainchild that is Harry Potter is beyond shadow of a doubt hers. Also, the series itself is problematic AF, but people like to gloss over that. More on that later.
Photo by Marty O’Neill on Unsplash
Orphans the Art
Yes, I said it. Separating the art from the artist orphans the art. Artists have a hard enough time with people trying to replace us with artificial intelligence or machine learning systems. Art is not only a reflection of an artist, but is the embodiment of that same artist in the medium they have chosen.
J. K. Rowling has always been racist, prejudiced, and transphobic. There are no openly trans people in the Harry Potter series. There are people that transfigure into animals, but that isn’t the same thing regardless of how you try to bend it in your brain. There aren’t many people of the global majority in the book series even though it was set in a time where these spaces would have more diversity. ALSO, the book is magical, compelling, and great work. No one else could have done this; otherwise, it would have been done already. The Harry Potter series is J. K. Rowling’s because of the bad things and the good things.
If you take her away from the art, you just have a magical world of racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, and transphobic characters in it, led by a problematic wizard that is apparently closeted gay (Dumbledore, fyi). Seriously though, why does the most powerful wizard in the world have to be closeted? Is he actually powerful or just white…just wondering.
Anyway, it just no longer has an author. Even if something is created from AI, the developer is still responsible for what comes out of it.
R. Kelly has written some of the best modern music known to man. He has crossed more genre cultural boundaries than most could ever imagine. He is a terrible human and some of the music he has written has included that. “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” is still a terrible song if you remove his writing credit from it.
Tim Burton is a racist piece of sh!t. His movies illustrate his racist ideologies visually without him ever having to comment on the lack of diversity in them. If you take his credits from him, his movies still have the same problems. Many of them are also still good, which is to his credit as well.
Art without an artist is just garbage. That’s why machine learning creations haven’t worked out so well.
Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash
For Whites Only
I wish I didn’t have to go here, but it is so glaringly obvious that I couldn’t skip it. Separating the art from the artist has only ever applied to white artists and never to any other ones. If you don’t believe me, tell me when is the last time you have watched/listened to any of the following artists that have offended a majority of people’s sensibilities:
Bill Cosby
R. Kelly
Chris Brown
Dave Chapelle
Bobby Brown
Trey Songz
Kanye West
Mind you, I haven’t listened to any of these artists either in a very long time. It has also been over a decade since I have read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter movie. Tim Burton, unfortunately, still has my attention, but I am wrestling with that. (more on that later)
The list could go on for a while, but you get my point. The darker skinned the artist is, the more likely that his art dies with his persona. White artists like Rowling, Patterson, Burton, Miller, Leto…get to still make money while fans pretend that it’s okay to still patronize their work because they can “separate the art from the artist.” The level of mental gymnastics it takes to do this is appalling to me, but it’s even worse when you see how it applies to race. Black problematic people don’t get to make money, and their fans are terrible for still listening to them. Nevertheless, Pottermore is still running and J. K. Rowling is one of the highest paid authors of all time…STILL. J. K. Rowling fans = Harry Potter fans, so her fans still get to proudly buy their fake wands and play the video games with no shame. However, if I try to listen to a Chris Brown song, I must be an abuser apologist. Cute…
Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash
Lazy Fandoms
Let me say this: <AHEM>… I HATE STAN CULTURE more than anything in the world! I am not a part of the Beyhive, the Barbs, or whatever. The Swifties also get on my nerves. Yes, I said it. Cancel me before I get any louder, IDC. Nevertheless, one complement I will give all of them is that they stand by their person regardless of the sh!tty things they say or do. Taylor Swift writes racist songs and divulges intimate details of previous partners to the tune of revenge p0rn, but her fans will say “Yes, and…” with no regrets. They support their person’s rights and wrongs. These are truly die hard fans.
Stans are not lazy fans. The people that are “separating art from the artist” are. Art is supposed to be something you wrestle with. The world is terrible right now, so escapism and nostalgia are hot topics at this point. I get it. ALSO, if you are going to like something by a person that is a sh!t-human, you should just own it.
Tim Burton has produced and <allegedly> directed some of my favorite movies of ALL TIME. I will watch the Nightmare Before Christmas every Halloween and possibly again on Christmas. Roald Dahl is another absolute garbage human being, and I still love James and the Giant Peach movie (also produced by Burton). I still watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version) even though the Oompa Loompas are based on enslaved Pygmies…I KNOW!!!!
Walt Disney was anti-Semitic and racist AF, and I have a subscription to Disney-plus because sometimes nostalgia helps on the really bad days. I promise…I KNOW!!!!
I know, and I wrestle with that. I’m not going to pretend like these aren’t problematic pieces of work. I acknowledge my toxic traits just as much as I amplify my good ones. I’m a human being with beauty and flaws. We all are. Art reflects that. Art amplifies and in many ways beautifies the worst traits of humanity. Avoiding that is not appreciating art, it is numbing yourself to the world.
We are now in conversations about how people can know of atrocities in other countries (Palestine, the Sudan, Congo, Haiti, and the U.S.). It’s easier to do when you can’t see it every day. It is EVEN easier to do when you are not actually engaging with the art that you consume on a daily basis.
Numbing yourself to the atrocities of this world is what causes them to be reflected more in art. Pretending that terrible people can’t create beautiful art is dumb. We have to do better than this. Art is not meant to be mindlessly consumed. It is actually supposed to break us out of the monotony of regular life and allow us to envision something better. We can’t do that if we are separating the art from the artist.
Whew…that was a long one as usual. Still not up for opening comments yet, but I will let you know when I get there.
Until next time…Later babes…
