{"id":6179,"date":"2010-03-03T13:12:18","date_gmt":"2010-03-03T12:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/?p=6179"},"modified":"2010-03-03T13:12:18","modified_gmt":"2010-03-03T12:12:18","slug":"state-artist-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/celebrities\/state-artist-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The State of The Artist # 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/em>by Marvin Kanarek<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

I was going to do something else right now. I was outside having a smoke. Something came in again. So I\u2019m sitting here getting it out before it goes away. Three words:<\/p>\n

– Sacrifice, Selfishness, Balance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When that \u201cmoment arrives\u201d it\u2019s only you tapping into and following that energy (Muse?), before it disappears. All else becomes peripheral. All else disappears. It becomes a one man \/ one woman journey, fired by the fuel of the Muse. Like a free lance who can\u2019t predict when the next job or project comes in, one has to be immediately available when it arrives. If not, you lose it. The same applies here. There is therefore an element of sacrifice. The hours you could have spent with your loved one, a best friend becomes an impossibility unless you are willing to let The Muse go away. So sacrifice is one of the conditions.<\/p>\n

It seems as if sacrifice and selfishness are profoundly connected in this process. It is an event that only you and The Muse share. Everything and everyone else is excluded. Again, one can elect to walk away from that moment. I am too weak. I need to be available when that unpredictable opportunity knocks at my soul\u2019s door. So selfishness is a component element.<\/p>\n

Balance? Interesting. We are human beings with needs. Unless you live alone on a mountaintop, there are real life issues and problems to take care of. Food, shelter, health insurance (I live in the USA!), rent\/mortgage\/car payments. Supplies, music gear and accessories, clothes, entertainment. All things necessary in modern life. How can one balance between the obsessive act of creation\/expression and survival? Does one work at a job, if they\u2019re still out there, to support your art?<\/p>\n

Do you just work enough to get by in order to fuel the art?… Do you make the ultimate sacrifice by reducing your life necessities to bare survival level in order to concentrate entirely on this obsession? As of this writing, I don\u2019t have the answer. As of this writing, I know that I have done all of the above. I have been religiously selfish. Have made many sacrifices, both financially and relationships wise. As of this writing I do know one thing for sure. This applies to my own personal experience and journey. Having something to \u201cfall back on\u201d introduces the element of \u201ccomfort\u201d that will and does suck the life out of the sense of creation. Comfort will kill \u201cThe Muse\u201d. I know I would \u201casleep at the wheel\u201d if I lived comfortably. I don\u2019t want to suffer for my Art. I think that\u2019s a bullshit romantic perspective that exists in the realm of urban myth and movies.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think any artist struck out and followed The Muse to live a life of suffering. So Balance has become a very important word\/component of The State of The Artist. A phrase was just tossed to me. \u201cBody Of Work\u201d… And again if anyone ends up reading these ramblings, sorry for typos, side trips etc\u2026 It\u2019s being written as it\u2019s being delivered to me\u2026 Later<\/p>\n

The State of the Artist<\/strong>
\nPart 1<\/a>
\nPart 2<\/a>
\nPart 3<\/a>
\nPart 5<\/a>
\nPart 6<\/a>
\nPart 7<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Marvin Kanarek I was going to do something else right now. I was outside having a smoke. Something came in again. So I\u2019m sitting here getting it out before it goes away. Three words: – Sacrifice, Selfishness, Balance. When that \u201cmoment arrives\u201d it\u2019s only you tapping into and following that energy (Muse?), before it disappears. All else becomes peripheral. All else disappears. It becomes a one man \/ one woman journey, fired by the fuel of the Muse. Like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5],"tags":[728,3,743],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/PC260273.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paG8MM-1BF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6164,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/celebrities\/state-artist-muse\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":0},"title":"The State of The Artist # 3 – The Muse","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"March 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m sure there are dictionary definitions of the word Muse. I or you can look it up. Maybe I will when this cycle has passed through me. I had heard a great story about a Scottish poetess who was out walking on her land one morning when all of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrities"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrities","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/celebrities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/DSC_0206_2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6092,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/celebrities\/state-artist\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":1},"title":"The State of the Artist # 1","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"February 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Marvin Kanarek I\u2019ll try as best I can to describe the journey, the psyche, the attitude, the denial, the acceptance and anything else I can touch upon that might illuminate this elusive universe that I call \u201cThe State Of The Artist? It\u2019s a state of mind, spirit and necessity,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrities"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrities","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/celebrities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Photo-by-Marvin-Kanarek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Photo-by-Marvin-Kanarek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/Photo-by-Marvin-Kanarek.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6254,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/celebrities\/state-artist-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":2},"title":"The State of The Artist # 6","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"March 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Marvin Kanarek \u201cBody Of Work\u201d is here, let\u2019s see where this goes... Someone who designs a single house is not an architect. Someone who writes a single song or set of lyrics is not a songwriter. A person who owns a musical instrument is not a musician. A single\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrities"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrities","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/celebrities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/kanarek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28180,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/eclectic\/marvin-kanarek-rip-january-18-1947-december-19-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":3},"title":"Marvin Kanarek RIP January 18 1947- December 19 2012","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"December 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"May you Rest in Peace our Dear Brother Marvin Kanarek","rel":"","context":"In "Eclectic"","block_context":{"text":"Eclectic","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/eclectic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Marvin Kanarek","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Marvin-Kanarek-560x410.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Marvin-Kanarek-560x410.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Marvin-Kanarek-560x410.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1807,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/music\/new-song-marvin-kanarek-addiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":4},"title":"A new song by Marvin Kanarek, "My Addiction"","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"November 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"New songs by Marvin Kanarek, \"My Addiction\"","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/l_68d4930d03c0902bccafdd32c584a4d9.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/l_68d4930d03c0902bccafdd32c584a4d9.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/l_68d4930d03c0902bccafdd32c584a4d9.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6276,"url":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/eclectic\/epiphany-without-muse-guidance-children-drawings\/","url_meta":{"origin":6179,"position":5},"title":"An Epiphany","author":"Benjamin Kanarek","date":"March 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever watched a child draw? 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I have!","rel":"","context":"In "Eclectic"","block_context":{"text":"Eclectic","link":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/category\/eclectic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/jPg9GjKdi66gmwma2TyHqBF0_500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebkmag.com\/rebuild\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}