The Arts Aren't Important

Of course they aren't, they don't provide any value to society, they don't feed children or help the poor. The artists don't cure the sick or help the unemployed. They don't develop new technologies, medicines or fix the economy. What a fucking waste of time. The arts serve no purpose, if we had no arts we could continue as a society, we could still function. We wouldn't be wasting money on pointless art galleries or theatres, that really no one wants to go to.
And yet...if it is such a waste of time then why do we keep talking about the arts? Why does the Government and high ranking figures in Education insist, almost all the time, that the arts are a waste of time? They constantly tell us Universities and Businesses don't respect the arts, the arts don't pay well. If you tell family members you want a profession within the arts you get people raising their eyebrows, or look like they pity you, or they even voice their fears aloud.

"How will you make a living?"

"There aren't many jobs in that field."

"Perhaps something more secure would be more worthwhile."

And you have thought about these things and recognise the difficulties, if you've come this far, perhaps joining choirs, youth theatres, reading clubs or writing groups, practicing an instrument or sketching each night; having gone to University to study an art, and you're now facing the deep, dark pool of an unknown future within that field. You know how hard it can be, but you're willing to take the risks and push yourself all the way. You've watched friends and peers decide it's too hard, they can't go the distance, they aren't willing to push themselves through rejection, disappointment and frustration. The work is harder than expected, the criticism and refusals more difficult to cope with. And you are constantly reminded how worthless your degree is, how stupid your every day practice is, how useless the arts are.

But why? Society can survive on purely a basic level, if we stripped our societies of the arts, our bookshelves empty, our TVs blank, our magazines and newspapers empty white pages; our theatres, music halls, art galleries, libraries and cinemas all closed, we could exist. But what kind of existence? How much joy and hope could we find out in life? We would huddle in our homes and workplaces, grey and empty, there would be no pictures on the walls of course! It would be quiet, dull and then someone down the corridor would begin telling a funny story about what happened on Tuesday night, between so-and-so and so-and-so. People would gather, and laugh, and that person would be known as someone who could tell an excellent joke. They wouldn't know it, but they would be a storyteller.

And this is why the arts aren't important. Or why the Government wants the arts to be unimportant. When people gather to listen to a story, or even watch a dramatic retelling of a story. Or they sit alone and read a story, that does not always complies with the status quo and can suggest new ideas, ideas that are not Government approved, then there is danger and rebellion. When an Artist paints a picture, and people gasp with horror, or a film depicts an uncomfortable truth, that's the true working of Art. Sometimes, rather than having someone stand on a box and shout above the crowd, the arts can reveal the same thing and an audience will listen.

The Arts represent danger and truth, and if a Government can persuade us into thinking they are worthless and stupid, then people will start believing that. The truth is, we can survive without the Arts. However, we cannot live without them.