It is important to remind ourselves about why we work so hard, dedicate and sacrifice so much, for very little certainty and security. With the added complication of this widely misunderstood and sometimes maligned art form that is opera - in Australia, in the 21st century.
The pandemic and its associated difficulties have brought about soul-searching and harnessing of purpose like no other. Artists and academics caught floundering in the face of government and societal structures which offered little support for the very nourishment to which most turned during lockdowns. The internet did bring us closer together - connections across continents and collaborations from afar - but opportunities vanished, career trajectories stalled, funds dwindled and earned income vanished: our worth reduced to what we were prepared to sacrifice to keep ‘in the game’. We - artists - face constant existential crises - often asked “as clever people” why we don’t “just do something else”.
In that often-asked (and disrespectful) question lies the difference between artistry and creativity.
Someone suggested recently that essentially, being an artist was simply another creative profession. That personal and financial sacrifices for creative work were a choice, and not necessary: for you could simply apply your ‘creative’ talent to a less-demanding (and commercially-viable) form. It struck me that this attitude is wide-spread - reflected with governments renaming Arts Ministry to Creative Industries, feeding into a lack of understanding and valuing what it means to be AN ARTIST in society - as opposed to a creative professional.
By definition, artistry and artistic ability is the cultivation of skills and talents honed towards creating works of art. In short: art is an original - unique creation, with the intention of sparking an emotion or response in the person watching/listening etc. Creativity and creative ability is defined as the skill of pooling together different elements to find a solution to a problem. A perfect example is advertising - creative thinking and originality geared towards delivering a business result. The two are NOT the same, although they overlap.
Art and creativity share similarities, but the pursuits and deeper skill sets are different. As an opera singer, a belief in the individual voice as unique - both in sound and something to share and say - the belief in one’s worth as AN ARTIST and devotion to the development of artistry is at the core of sustaining motivation.
Call me romantic, but I believe most artists on the other hand are ‘called’. We all call upon creativity in various aspects of our lives, and most certainly complex creative thinking is part of producing any work of art - particularly so for the greatest of all collaborative performing arts: opera. Creativity can be applied, but artistry is, for the most part, other-worldly.
Artists are here, not to solve a problem or produce a commercial result - nor to necessarily ‘make sense’ - we’re here to connect, inspire awe, provoke dialogue, and sometimes, to surprise; othertimes, to charm
“It is one thing to get all the notes right…it is another thing to play the thoughts within the notes, the light around them, the darkness behind them, the silence at the end of the phrase. That is what inspires awe.”
ALEX ROSS, "The Art of Fantasy," The New Yorker, Mar. 17, 2003
CHARM:
To subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to affect by magic.