[Ansteorra] Cookies and merit badges

[Cairenn Day]

This is a JMO (just my opinion) on why doing an art for money is frowned
on.  We seem to have 'caught' this notion from the attitudes found in
many university art schools.  One should do their art for the love of
it, not for 'filthy lucre'.  I'm not sure when this attitude, crept into
the art world, it may have been around the time of the impressionists
(and the term 'starving artist').  Somehow, making items that are
'commercial', destroys their intrinsic art value.  What a modern
notion!  The great art of period was done for MONEY.  Much of it, was
determined by the paying patron, i.e.,  I want a painting, of this size,
to hang over the alter at such and such church, it will be of the
Annunciation, the Virgin will be attended by these Saints (often one
will be a patron saint of the buyer).  You will use blue of this quality
for the Virgins robes and blue of this (cheaper) for the other blues.
This is closer to modern commercial art, like advertising, than it is to
the modern idea of fine art.
I keep encountering this attitude both in and out of the SCA and I HATE
it. In the SCA, I would feel that if a person shared their knowledge,
and was willing to teach their art, that that is what makes a
difference.  Keep what you know as a 'trade secret' and you sell your
work, that seems a little too commercial, for me.  However, that IS a
very PERIOD attitude. In period, one was not allowed to share trade
secrets, sometimes, doing that was even punishable by death.
Related but OT.  Suzanna the Herbalist and I wish everyone a great time
at Warlord.  We will vending at Artfest, in Addison.  This is a big,
major mundane art show.

Cairenn