I had the good fortune of taking a walk with my friend Mary in Prospect Park today. Mary is an excellent painter and we got on the subject of the art profession. I asked the question, “Where exactly does the desire for success reside?” It’s a question that I myself could not completely answer, or answer well. Is it internally based or social scripted? Is it a part of the evolutionary mechanism or a spark of divinity in each of us? Is it Oprah-istic magik or the most profound element of human civilization?
I don’t have an answer but I do know that success resides differently for artists from what I can tell. It doesn’t just sit and grow. It matures, it snakes away, it devolves, and then it flourishes. Success is a many-headed monster for artists, unlike say, for doctors, cowboys, and educators. It’s not cool to talk about success, especially in the year 2002 but now I’m risking sounding like Andy Rooney.