Blog #2 – Second Reading of “Is it OK to make art?”

I was pleasantly surprised by how much my experience had changed since I did my first reading. I had a more “vocal” conversation with the text. While I was reading the beginning of the article for the second time, I would remember something that I had read further on during the first reading. This allowed me to make more connections and comparisons. I was able to find definitions of words that I skimmed over during my reading like “egalitarianism” which means “belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life.” Also, after the class the discussion, I was definitely more alert and eager to find what my peers had noticed in the reading.

One thing that I did not notice during my first reading was how much, “Hilton’s crushing anti-pep talk” and many other EA opinions had discouraged many of the artists featured in the article. Many times Southan recalls himself or other artists feeling defeated and questioning whether or not they should do what they love after hearing the ideas of the EA. After Southan’s script was rejected he felt that the EA’s “might have a point.” One member of the EA admitted that before he joined he “wanted to be a filmmaker” but then thought it did not do enough good for the world so he changed his mind. The dramatic and manipulative remarks of the EA crush the artist’s spirits until they feel their medium has no worth in the world.