The contradictory “argument” of the breadless artist

The contradictory “argument” of the breadless artist

Everyone knows these statements:

• breadless artist / breadless art (breadless (dt.: brotlos) = wide spread German expression for unprofitable)
• You have to live from something.
• Art is just a hobby.
• One cannot live from art.
• Art is a luxury that you have to be able to afford.
• …

The list could be continued at will. However, it quickly becomes clear what I want to aim for. I myself have already gone through the following phases:

1. Art is my hobby.
2. I can’t make a living from my art.
3. I can make a living from my art.

But in the following six parts I would like to briefly outline what really stands behind (“breadless”) art and why these phrases are so contradictory or simply stupid.

Part 1 – The breadless artist

The term earning one’s own bread has been used for centuries to represent the ability to make a living through a corresponding activity. If you are not able to do this, you are considered breadless. It is already clear here that the generalized term „breadless art“ or the combination of breadless and art is misleading. To clarify, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Question: How many artists can you spontaneously think of who (probably) not only earn their daily bread, but also various houses, vehicles, luxury goods, etc., in short: have no problems affording things, which go beyond the basic needs? (A little tip: all members of ACDC are included)
2. Question: How many artists can you spontaneously think of who are financially dependent on outside help to get enough groceries?
3. Question: How many people do you know personally (acquaintances, relatives/family) who can afford a similar standard of living as the people from the first question?

Now, given your answers, ask yourself how realistic the term unprofitable/ breadless art really is. I’ll even go one step further and ask you: How realistic is it that in your job or in any job that one of your acquaintances, relatives or friends has (which is not related to art) you will ever come up against the standard of living of those people from question one?

Part 2 – You can’t achieve that anyway

When referring to prominent representatives of art, the objection is often raised: “You can’t achieve that anyway/ That’s something different”. In fact: no. Celebrities, prominent musicians or actors are people like you and me. Many of them started small. Their example shows what is possible. Rather, the problem is that most people turn a blind eye to the part that has to do with work, effort, hardship, and perseverance. But it is precisely this part that makes the decisive difference between those who would like to be successful and those who are. But I’m not concerned with whether everyone can, should or wants to achieve this. It’s more about a spectrum, a bandwidth. If we look at other industries, we quickly notice similar patterns, e.g. the real estate market. There are (although often less prominently) many entrepreneurs there who make millions of euros in sales. But there are also “small” homeowners who may only own one house and have problems covering all costs. In short: in all industries there is a certain range from not successful to very successful. Often we only see the extremes. But the decisive mass is usually in the middle.

Part 3 – But you…

The absurd “but you – argument” is often the last resort of the representatives of breadless art. They’re trying to show that because you’re not currently a prominent, successful artist, that would be proof of everything. Spoilers: it isn’t.

For one thing, everyone has different ambitions. Not everyone wants to be world famous. Not everyone aspires to number one on the charts and not everyone wants to become a millionaire. Success is a very personal concept that everyone should define for themselves. On the other hand, high profile is very relative. For example, as an artist you can be well-known in a certain scene, but quite unknown to the general public. Our perception of this is very limited and subjective. You just have to ask yourself the question: “How many prominent singers from pop music do I know, how many pianists from the classical field or how many painters, etc. It quickly becomes clear that our interests and thus our knowledge and our perceptions of certain things vary greatly. Maybe at some point I’m super well known and popular and you’ve never heard of me. A single example can never be the sole representative of an entire industry. This applies accordingly not only to prominent examples of successful artists, but also to those who could not make a living from their art and may only have gained fame posthumously.

Part 4 – The Great Justification Trap

What I’ve written so far is really just preliminary banter – here comes the famous surprise twist! Everything you have read here so far is a look through the keyhole, a small part of the big picture. It is the trap into which those fall who only listen at the door and think they have understood every word. But far too often you only hear and see what you would like to know. Even artists fall into this trap and justify their art with everything I wrote above.

In reality, art has absolutely nothing to do with any of this. Because art is free, practically an alien in our society, unrecognized in some places, idolized in others and ridiculed in others. Art is so different from everything else we know because it does not primarily arise from practical use, but from intrinsic motivation. This means that art or artistic creation does not need any justification. Art needs no purpose because it serves no one. Unfortunately, many conclude from this that art is not necessary or dispensable. This is a fatal fallacy. Because even if art is not essential for survival from a biological point of view, we still cannot survive without it. Because the only thing that really differentiates us fundamentally from all forms of life known to us is (put simply) the ability to reflect on our own mortality. Art is the only thing that can help us in this realization.

In a way, art is the water against the fire, the boat in the middle of the ocean or the light in the tunnel. I realize it takes a while to really grasp and understand this – but it’s worth the effort!

Until then, let me break it down a little.

Part 5 – The fire brigade metaphor

Imagine you live in an apartment on a street. A fire brigade with blue lights, siren and high speed drives regularly on this road. But you don’t know where this fire brigade is going and what its function is. All you know is that it’s loud as hell, drives way too fast and lights up your whole room blue at night and it’s annoying! So what is it all about this fire department? This noise is completely pointless and does no one any good. It’s also dangerous to race across the street with such a truck so fast.

What you don’t know, however, is that these firefighters might be putting out fires and saving lifes elsewhere.

Imagine this fire brigade is a street musician making music on your street (much too loud for you, of course, etc.). But what you don’t know is that maybe someone else is listening to this musician after a heavy blow of fate and gaining new hope and strength through his music to go on living.

Part 6 – Backbone of society

It is precisely in such things that the meaning of art lies, be it helping people through personal crises, opening up new perspectives, initiating social change or simply celebrating beauty, joy and confidence. Art (and thus culture as a whole) is the cement of society, or even better: the backbone of society. She gives us hope where no psychologist can help; she shows us ways where politics fail; she can comfort us when medicine is no longer working; it connects us when everything else falls apart. And no, art doesn’t fill us up when we’re hungry. But it gives us a sense of biting the bread in the first place.

Unfortunately, art is not only our backbone, it is often treated as such as well. Most people don’t pay enough attention to their bodies, especially their backs. Despite top performance, we take it for granted, disregard back pain until it is no longer possible and invest far too little in what allows us to walk upright and enable us to do our daily work.

It’s the same with art. The expression ” breadless artist” (and similar phrases) is merely a sign of ignorance, disrespect and lack of maturity as a human being. As a famous meme puts it: “You are the result of 4 billion years of evolutionary success – fucking act like it!”.

This topic interests you? Than I strongly encourage you to check out a post of my partner in crime about the same topic from a quite different perspective: Umgang mit dem “brotlosen Künstler”

Cheers!