Art  as a medium

Motivation

Ever since ‘Stof en Aarde’ came into existence, it has largely stimulated the idea  for  anyone to have the  perfect right to do whatever  he/she  is good at.
Anyone should be able to qualify in whatever  one really likes, to  fit  into and what  he/she  feels to be made for…
In that way people have more joy in life and thus minimize their need for external  gap filling or surrogates  in order to feel  happy.
Is it a coincidence that ‘Stof en Aarde’ goes off on its favourite topic:  someone who feels good, content and fulfilled will consume less?   Besides, someone who really  feels all right will also pass this feeling,  even unintentionally, to others.  Fear and competition dilute;  regardless of what the other may be or do, the sun may shine for everyone…

The artist has no longer a self-evident (natural) position in our society   

Artists are people who express themselves or show their true self by creating anything beautiful or/and interesting for themselves or/and for other people who in turn look / listen / touch  / smell and enjoy it.
Art does not only include joy and pleasure, it can also be painful, confronting and it can trigger memories and emotions…
Art is an externalized mix of feelings and communication and has the artist as its medium.
Universal desires, doubts and fears, happiness, feelings of love and hate are all concreted through numerous forms of art;  art materializes what was pure spiritual. The artist is the canal of that transformation.  
In both ancient and present traditional cultures, the artist has his own position and is fully recognized;  this implies he has no daytime task to go hunting before creating masks, ornamental dresses or sculptures in the evening. Just as the medicine man, -if he doesn’t happen to be the same person- he can freely be occupied and the community returns food as a favour.  The entire community is well aware of his necessity as all of his art is in function of the gods (thanking, praising imploring). He is an important and essential part of the community as only a few are able to give form to the hidden and unseen spiritual world.

Our modern times let the gods for who or what they were.
Yet, i t doesn’t  erase the  importance and the need to recognize those persons  who feel  called for depicting  our deeper feelings and emotions in paintings, writings, songs and to give them a valuable place in our society.  Converting the intellectual, emotional and spiritual value into a material context may be liberating and healing for both the artist as the public.
Therefore, as a community, we must be aware  the artist can do his thing by providing him with the primary necessities.