Making Meaning- For Classes 1/28/08 and 1/30/08

One thing I am coming to realize is the huge responsibility and history that comes with being an artist in this century. I had no idea how much thought about materials and space and even the history of the viewer brings to an art work. We have been learning in Contemporary Art History about Abstract Expressionists and how they wanted to find a universal language that communicated from one subconscious to another. To communicate ideas you must be able to understand ideas and what created those ideas. This is a bit daunting and i'm starting to wonder if my brain can handle the insight and understanding it takes to be a successful artist, successful partly meaning expressing ideas in an artistic method that is clear. sometimes I'm not clear-like now- on what it is that i want to say when so many people are talking what makes on voice more relevant. Perhaps that is why I like art is sometimes it screams at you but never breaks the silence.I guess discovering and conveying meaning is one of the hardest things we do. If i can convey a meanig or message in my art perhaps i will find the meaning/message in my own life.