Artist'blues

Visiting countries is making friends.
And after leaving the countries the friendships continue thanks to internet.

Yesterday a message was received from Tehran, Iran.
From a young woman who wrote this story:

No country for young artists

This story is about Mina, a young lady who is a painter…
Living in Iran is not so easy for a young, artist female and specially a FEMALE. Maybe being an artist (female artist) in the other countries is not a strange event, but here everything sounds more different.
Mina has studied painting in one of Iran universities called “Shahed”. She was very good at that time, a top student and in that time there was no problem the same as happened later (because being a student in Iran is a good point for every one included women). But after her graduation from the university, painting became more difficult for her because it did not make money for her and it had no value in social position. Most of the people can not understand why she is involved in this nonsense business, in their opinion she should do traditional things like as marriage and bringing a child, but she still is single. This is not so easy to explain to them when you are at the age of thirty, explain about why you are still single and marriage is not your only aim in your life, most of the people specially women say that time passes very quickly and you can not bring a healthy baby when you are getting old.
At this time Mina works in a high school as an art teacher and works more seriously in the field of painting. Her effort for continuing this difficult situation and not giving up was very important for me, because I can understand her situation very well.
Traditional society is very strong and resists about new movements. Our society is a kind of traditional society and traditional painting like Gol-o-Morgh (that means flower and nightingale) always was belonged to men society, now Mina is trying to appropriate this tradition as one of the first women in her own way.
Nowadays everything has changed and traditional society is fighting with new generation. New generation wants to be different from the past, but it dose not want to ignore the past, it wants to make new things, new roles, and new paintings or in a better word new attitude and of course it’s not easy. There is no place for the artists, the space is very limited, as an artist you can work in your home or you can have your own studio but it depends on your income! But it sounds that you do not have any social support for being an artist and nobody cares about what is in your mind and what is your achievement in this field. If you want to be successful in the area you should be so rich or you should be connected to foreign countries markets and Mina does not have anyone, so working with these limitations inside the country is really great for me and I hope to show this part of our lives in the best way.

Yesterday in the Netherlands a young photographer was met who talked about his struggle to get his work published and exhibited and who explained how hard it was to make a living.
Worldwide it is always a problem to be an artist.
And this is understandable.
In the end, an artist choses to follow the own desires, passions and interests usually totally disconnected from what is important for the society.
The artist wants a privileged position: while the others go to the office or to the factory and live in a disciplined rhythm not only to their own benefit but also to society, the artist wants to wake up in the morning and work during the day at the own choice only.
And make products that are not of direct use to society.
Hence, the blame never is with society when an artist feels to complain.
It is the artist who is responsible for the own choice that is made and the consequences of that choice should be accepted without bothering anybody.



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