The True Value of Art and Entertainment
Well, it's been a while since I've shared anything here, so I thought it was high time. I've had a busy summer, and I'm currently gearing up for my holiday season. I've been tracking some of the press on corporate holiday parties, and how many companies are cutting back, due to the economy. And of course that can often cut into the bottom line of those of us who earn our living performing in such markets.
This morning I was thinking about entertainment and the real value of it. It's also come up recently about the importance of the arts and the loss we all suffer when funding cuts lead to the elimination of arts related programs.
So as a performing artist and entertainer, I give some real thought to the value of live entertainment. I was realizing that in our culture, much of the entertainment is mostly escapist in nature. In other words, people use it to "zone out" of their everyday stresses. Which is fine as far as it goes, but unfortunately, it often leads to "lowest common denominator" types of fare. Entertainment that just goes for the shock value, or the glitz and glamour that grabs attention, but has no real value beyond pure escapism.
In this climate of mindless media, it's easy to see why people often think of entertainment as frivolous and unimportant and having no real value. In order for entertainment to make the leap to performing art, there has to be something with a bit more depth: a message with meaning, or something that makes people think or feel, or simply something with real "heart and soul".
It needn't be complicated or even blatantly obvious. Red Skelton comes to mind for me. He played the clown, but in everything he did, his humble sincerity shone forth like a beacon of compassion. He touched people.
In magic, it's easy to be "lazy" and just go for the "I fooled you" effect. But what about creating a deeper experience? What about putting something of yourself into your magic, so that you can create a common experience for your audience? Doesn't matter if it's an experience of wonder or joy or something else entirely, so long as it has some real depth. Sincerity, honesty, something real.
Perhaps when and if we do this, it will become easier to sell what we do in the relevant markets in which we work. Entertainment can have more true value to people, value that makes a difference in their lives. We just have to create it that way.
And speaking of the value in what we do, here's a really interesting story from this week's CBS Sunday Morning program on how sleight of hand effects the brain, and how it may even be useful in helping to diagnose autism. Here it is.
This morning I was thinking about entertainment and the real value of it. It's also come up recently about the importance of the arts and the loss we all suffer when funding cuts lead to the elimination of arts related programs.
So as a performing artist and entertainer, I give some real thought to the value of live entertainment. I was realizing that in our culture, much of the entertainment is mostly escapist in nature. In other words, people use it to "zone out" of their everyday stresses. Which is fine as far as it goes, but unfortunately, it often leads to "lowest common denominator" types of fare. Entertainment that just goes for the shock value, or the glitz and glamour that grabs attention, but has no real value beyond pure escapism.
In this climate of mindless media, it's easy to see why people often think of entertainment as frivolous and unimportant and having no real value. In order for entertainment to make the leap to performing art, there has to be something with a bit more depth: a message with meaning, or something that makes people think or feel, or simply something with real "heart and soul".
It needn't be complicated or even blatantly obvious. Red Skelton comes to mind for me. He played the clown, but in everything he did, his humble sincerity shone forth like a beacon of compassion. He touched people.
In magic, it's easy to be "lazy" and just go for the "I fooled you" effect. But what about creating a deeper experience? What about putting something of yourself into your magic, so that you can create a common experience for your audience? Doesn't matter if it's an experience of wonder or joy or something else entirely, so long as it has some real depth. Sincerity, honesty, something real.
Perhaps when and if we do this, it will become easier to sell what we do in the relevant markets in which we work. Entertainment can have more true value to people, value that makes a difference in their lives. We just have to create it that way.
And speaking of the value in what we do, here's a really interesting story from this week's CBS Sunday Morning program on how sleight of hand effects the brain, and how it may even be useful in helping to diagnose autism. Here it is.
Labels: Red Skelton, sleight of hand, value of entertainment
posted by Mitch Williams at
10:13 AM
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