The Struggle of Art

  Abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass once said "If there's no struggle there's no progress." This quote retains towards nobody better than the artist. Hence, if there's is no form of struggling for the artist he/or she wouldn't be able to creative works of astonishment. There's a problem with works of astonishment, and it's because they take time to create.

  Whether we're talking about Basquiat to Picasso or Baldwin to Wright all artist of any genre of age period discussed the problems of the time. For most of the time this makes the artist misunderstood in the eye's of his/or her's fellow peers in the particular field. Works of the artist are constantly questioned along with his/or her's achievements scold. Basquiat's artwork was often considered out of place and urban. Baldwin's novels were considered very raw and straightforward. Whenever an artist has labels stamped on his/or her's work it puts them in boxes and categories.

  I remember watching a film based on musician Miles Davis called Miles Ahead. In the opening scene Davis (played by Don Cheadle) was being interviewed. While being asked a question as to how he felted about the current state of Jazz music at the time Davis cut the reporter right off his tracks in disgust. "Jazz? Don't be calling my music no Jazz" says Davis. "When you use that term your sealing someone with a label or putting them in a box." I like to call it social music."

  Forced to live under distress as African-Americans and Hispanics the only way for us to express ourselves was through art whether it be through fashion, food, painting, or music. This only means that the only options we had were roles that never required thinking deep or building an infrastructure of great accomplishments. Our definition of progress has been foreshadowed because of this blockade. Most of my people don't like to admit this but somebody has to say it.

  While reading We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy I remember the author Ta- Nehisi Coates state that "the best thing the writer has is his/or her's resilience." Resilience is the key to facing criticism and bouncing back from failures. Resilience will always help you keep your head high while in the middle of controversy. Above all things resilience can break down doors.

  As a writer myself all I've ever had was resilience. My life as a writer was never an easy road. Professor's on the left and on the right wrongfully critiquing my assignments often hurt and caused doubt. Hearing your own family tell you that as long as your writing isn't paying their rent it doesn't mean anything made me livid.

  The time to prove that your art and it's proficiency to stand the times is now. Saying this I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Living under the current circumstances with President 45 being in charge you don't have any choice at all but to lift up your voice and yell (in my case writing). Matter of fact knowing that the next hour is met for no man I'll ask anyone to lift up their voice and yell. I don't give a damn whether you're an musician, painter, student, writer, or even an everyday citizen.

  Nowadays words like this either get ignored or muted out. All I have to say to this is you can push off the massager but no the message itself.