Artists Were Made for People
Boy Blue (Ben Baugham) is a new wave visual communicator, and a street performer hell-bent on bringing the artist (not just art), back into social relevance. He has spent the past few years creating art in public and bringing visual excellence to the most bizarre locations. From construction sites to the office place, Blue has been hired all over the east coast to talk with and engage with people as he creates his works; thus, allowing people of any class, race or creed to feel a genuine connection with artists.
okay, Like she said on Boy Blue. Thank you. This one. That’s why I’m an artist and a street performer. And I just wanted a preface this by saying that art today is going to be a background to our conversation. So let’s just make that happen. Oh, that’s good. That’s good. So I’ve spent the past three years in a street performer, and I’ve talked with so many different people, and I’m talking like CEOs of big businesses to the homeless, And I’m trying to answer a question. I’m looking for an answer. The question is, why are people so uncomfortable with artists and art admiration? You know, everyone’s like artists are douchebags. It’s true, we’re bad people. So and I’ve come to a conclusion. I really have that I think has changed my life forever. So And don’t get offended. Art as we know it right now in my humble opinion needs to die. Okay, Andi, I think I want to be the one to kill it. I think me I want to dedicate my entire life to this cause. So let me explain why I think murder is such a good solution here. You can’t see that anywhere else. Wait, Go back several centuries ago during the Italian Renaissance, we will find something even more amazing than the art that was created. We will find a mindset. It is an attitude that they had so unlike modern artist today. And I am included in this. I’m not just bashing people. Unlike modern artist today, the greatest artists in human history, the greatest one’s Michelangelo, for example. They had art that was fueled by emotions, not based upon emotions. See, they were always making something for somebody else. They were always making something that was for something greater than who they were. See inspiration. It was not an abstract idea. It was a tangible property of our world. It was either a u know something inspired by the art that God created. That would be the planet, or is be something brought upon in light of God’s presence, which was the mind, right? So now when it comes to modern artists, you know, and I’m using this lightly, this brings me to my first point. And that’s art was made for people, not just the artists who make it see. Institution will tell you right now. They tell artist. They push this down our throats that somehow we are gods among men. You know, when you guys don’t understand what we’re trying to say, that just makes you stupid. Okay, That’s not right. Okay, let me give an example. If we send a text message to 15 different people and all of them tell us that they don’t know what we’re saying, that does not make the viewer stupid. That makes the communicator bad at communicating. Okay, Right. Thank you. OK, it makes him bad at communicating. So any artist who wants to become better at what they do will continuously search to become more sufficient communicators for other people. It’s for others. So and this is what led the entire Italian renaissance into becoming the epitome of artistic excellence. We know it as today. I mean, just thinking about this idea has changed me as an artist. So my ideas there now for you there for other people, they really are the emotions that you guys send right back to me allows me to restart that process. And that just exhilarate me. Really does. Until I’m asked why so many artists they asked me one. How do I get better. What I dio. And two, why are we so poor? That’s a great question. Why are we so freakin poor? And the answer is so simple when we deny that institution tells us that we’re gods among men and we see ourselves as public servants to you. Then people stop seeing what we do as a free luxury. And instead, they see it is a valuable service. Okay, so now the other point I wanted a point on This is something I like to call the Trinity of communication. And I’m going to use an example for this. Ah, musician musician goes up on stage. The musician creates art. And then art is given to the viewer, and the viewer gives emotion back to the artist that restarts the process. That’s what inspiration does for us. And that’s why musicians could make any song. You could be stupid. You could be terrible. And all of a sudden they’re rich. Okay, I am jealous. I’m being honest. I’m really jealous. So like, meanwhile, we have, like, our visual artists and they make something in their mom’s basement. I done it and then we put it up somewhere. It’s alone. It’s silent, untouched, and sometimes somebody comes up and they look at this piece and say, Wow, that piece really, really spoke to me But the artists had nothing to do with that conversation at all. In fact, ever so often you might see that little scribble at the bottom right hand corner of the you know, whatever canvas. But they’re not there. They’re not there to complete that trinity of communication. And since they’re not a part of your experience, who cares? Hey, ties back to that allegory say, if a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there to hear it didn’t make a sound. If a song is never heard, is it music? And if a piece of art is hanging on a wall with no artist there to lay claim to its glory, did the artists ever exist in the first place? And who cares? They weren’t a part of the experience anyway, So I mentioned for I’ve been doing a couple of different things to fix this for myself, and personally now I never drawn private ever. I never drawn private. I always make sure someone’s there toe watch me make a mistake someone’s there toe Watch me succeed They’re thereto Watch me innovate Whether I’m Tori the East Coast or I’m doodling in a coffee shop next to you I will be there. I want to be available to you because I want to have that connection with you I really want to talk to all the time. That’s just how it isthe. See, I have been given the opportunity to teach kids in different educational locations because I don’t even know schools. That’s a great place to call. You know, artist mind, right? Yeah. What is that? What’s the school then? Give It gave me this blessing to talk to these socially anxious kids about how to share their art and express themselves like a human. Okay, because that’s what they want. That’s what you want. And this goes out to any artist in the crowd. Craftsman, I don’t care what you are. People are dying to see what you can do. They’re dying to talk to you. I’m dying to talk to you. We want to connect with you like a person, not a God. That’s not what we’re here for. So for the love of God, any artist just show people what you do because we’re waiting for you and I’m dying to talk to you. So I want to leave you with something on. And that’s just the idea that everything that is truly great. I died once and came back better than it was before. I said before, I wanted to kill are not because I hate it, but because I know it’s rebirth as a beautiful form of communication can be so much better. Thank you guys for listening.
