Bax, Janina Abila, Bryan INTARTA

We, the Weirdos: The Survival of the Weirdest

An artist, in definition according to Wikipedia, is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating Art, practicing the Arts, and/or demonstrating an Art. If asked about definition, an artist would perhaps shrug off the query, look at you funny, or altogether ignore the last sentence. Artists do not wish to be defined, scrutinized, nitpicked, studied, nor attempt to be explained. Life is work, and their work is Art. An attempt to study an artists brain would garner futile results. Artists do not follow a pattern, a certain rule, or stereotype. Artists do not follow a distant drummer either. They would probably exude an impression of perhaps imitating another, but further engaging in their work would tell you that they do not actually follow anybody. They are influenced, yes. Taking those influences and making something out of it is the work of the artist. To an artist, these are all instruments for creating their life, their work. These are the artists set of instruments for their Art. Artists, throughout the centuries, through all walks of life, have had their own set of tools to work with, utilizing these tools in their everyday existence. Artists have an incessant need to use these tools to create, to make something, to work, as human beings are naturally inclined to work across any field. To work, to study, gives human beings a chance to further their lives, to push forth the inherent need to understand themselves with the tools that they have, with the tools that they choose to use. Human beings have a natural inclination to work and to study, to adapt and to survive, to live in the current and the contemporary. Creativity is limitless, as is the mind, the Universe. To further humanitys development is inherent in the artist. From the Self, the artist explores

endless possibilities with which human beings can fulfill their intended purpose in life. Creativity is a tool by which humans may discern their very existence. Leonardo da Vinci used his understanding of the human being to create his lifes work, his Art. He used his resources and encouraged his incessant need for understanding. He even engaged in questionable practices like dissecting cadavers and still born fetuses to further human development, to further science, to further the Art in the world. Einstein, too, had similar techniques. He encouraged his curiosity, encouraged to question the norm at the time in an attempt to explain the world around him for the benefit of the whole of humanity. How, then, do we understand how artists work? We dont. Take for example, Britney Spears. She was Americas sweetheart, before she became crazy. At 17, she was the golden girl of the 90s early 2000s. The whole world was on their toes when she started breaking out, started questioning the world around her. The world was distraught when she went over the edge. She went insane, even admitting herself in an institution, apart from shaving her head and partying every night. Yet to attempt to understand her is futile. To see her lifes work would give a better understanding of her choices. Under extreme scrutiny, artists are bound to break. Lindsay Lohan is also a prime example. Child star, Disney kid, she had everybody eating out of her fingertips. She was making money with it, too. But between the drugs and the alcohol and the numerous DUI cases shes had, the world pegs her as trash, as unfit to be a role model, when in fact, she can actually act. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis, Jim Morrisson, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix. They all had similar brushes with the media and the numerous attempts at explaining their lives. The constant scrutiny only made them crazier, in relation to the contemporary. The current, the contemporary, accepts the norm of the present day, being held enthralled by these artists who live in their work. By seeing the artists lives, seeing their worlds, the rest of humanity hope to understand their own lives. Instead of living out their lives, the contemporary would live through these artists in the hope that they, too, can be said to have lived.

There is really no use in studying or trying to understand artists brains, how it works in the present, within the contemporary setting. Artists are crazy, to say the least. To

understand artists, one must study their work, their Art. These are the windows to the artists soul. No amount of scrutiny and nitpicking would do any good. Artists would feel

trapped, enclosed, with the inability of self expression miserable, neurotic, psychotic and suicidal. Again, crazy. Artists love what they do because it is the reason for their existence, for their life. Whatever Art they are engaged in, whatever activity they have in their lives, it is the reason for them to live, to breathe, to exist. Artists work, produce, and create. They are able to step back from the norm, assess the situation, learn the issue, express themselves concerning the issue, and then release them through their Art, their performance, their work. And the vicious cycle goes back to square one. There is constant material for artists to work with, produce through and create out of everyday life. Artists are inherently curious of the world around them, constantly questioning everything, breaking it down, understanding and learning, and then expressing the Self through the work, because it is necessary for them, just cause. Artists, then, fulfill the need of mans basic purpose to work, to live, to be, to learn, to grow, to develop. Talent is another set of tools for the artist to work with. These skills are free for their choosing, whether to further the skill through study or enhance the skill through practice, it is because the artist does not hesitate, the ability is there and because the artist believes that he can, all to push forth for development, to further life in general. Talent gives the artist the ability to give shape or form to the understanding of life, representing authentic human development as mans purpose in life. The current, the masses, or the majority of the human populous are just technically bored people. Boredom is a struggle at an attempt to be lazy, for the lack of, say, talent to do anything, because life is, well, work. The masses recognize for a chance at a glimpse of humanitys sole purpose to work, to express, to develop through their contemporary artists. No amount of evolutionary psychology can sum up the human beings purpose to live, develop themselves and their lives through learning and self expression.

Life, for artists, is not complicated. Either you live it or you dont. No amount of handedness explanations can explain life, and the work produced in it. Like in all living things, in all social environments, to evolve is survival of the fittest, eradicating within the community those who cannot do, leaving the human being to grow from the mistakes. Evolution happens, and the output of creativity in evolution is beneficial to the rest of humanity. Creativity and evolution are the breeding ground for new species. Language, Arts, performances are all products to further mans evolutionary process. The performance teaches the artist to grow into the world, to learn about the Self, to express the Self and create new experiences to aid in mans holistic evolution. Artists do not explain themselves. They, like children, are questionably curious, mostly inappropriate, incredibly unpredictable, and extremely anti social. This is because artists do not have the patience to explain themselves to those that do not understand them. The fact that work is produced needs no further explanation. The work is the justification, the explanation. There is no need to expound, or attempt to clarify. Children, after all, need no further explanation. Children are children. Thats that. Artists do not have a hard time in attempting to fit in to social groups. They dont even attempt to fit in the first place. They dont fit in and thats fine with them. They remain to be themselves, whatever the situation. They are passive with the world around them, allowing for the world to go about its natural ways. Artists would live like they had imagined their lives to be, no matter the outcome. They would showcase their full potential through their work, their performance, but when asked about it, perhaps a demonstration of some sort, will never provide a full picture of their abilities. They give everything in their work and its either you take it or you dont. Nobody will force these on you. Its a free-for-all. You are free to your own interpretations, your own undertakings. Either you get it, or you dont. Simple and easy, these artists will not attempt to justify the work, nor make you understand the work. Your thoughts are entirely up to you, how you see the work and how you receive the work. The artist will lay bare body and soul, blood, sweat and tears to their work, but will hold true in it that they will never judge you on your perspective and your opinion.

They will take these opinions and perspectives and produce another sort of work. They will never stop this cycle because they cant stop. They will never stop. Evolution attempts to throw in random mutations to mix it up a bit, or so you had thought. These are not random. New, perhaps evolved from a previous encounter, or a new take on something old, but never is it random. Different, perhaps, but never is it random, nor are there wrong answers to questions. There are constant questions, only answerable with further questions, as the cycle goes on. New things, questionable things, like drugs, are frowned upon. Perhaps it is evolution, another tool to stimulate the senses because an attempt at normalcy is suicidal death is inevitable when life is uneventful. Dreams, then, are highly valuable to artists. Drugs, perhaps are utilized when there is a need to stimulate creativity to substitute the effect of Dreams on an artist. Dreams cannot be ignored, as it is the playground of creation. In Dreams, anything and everything is possible. Dreams become prophetic to the work that is to come. Dream is the best Realm by which artists find themselves tools to best express the work, the life. We, then, become

manifestations of the mind. The work is the manifestation of what we are as human beings in the current, contemporary world. We are, then, tools of the world in an attempt to make peace with mans sole purpose in life tools of the Universe in an attempt to explain why we live, how we live, when we live, where we live, and what we live for. Right handedness, left handedness, right brain or left will not explain how artists think or how creativity works. To artists, there is only the work, there is only the Art. What else is there to explain, then, when life is Art and Art is life?