Oh hello, it’s me, Morgan. You most likely found this newsletter through my instagram @out.yard or website. Or if a friend recommended this, heeeyy.
“New research is shaking up our image of art-making in Paleolithic times, arguing that children or even toddlers may have been behind some of the world’s earliest known art. The findings suggest that ancient rock painting was actually a family-oriented group activity, not a solitary male pursuit.”
— Artnet
I think about this article daily because OF COURSE - art is for everyone and by everyone. That ancient art that makes us feel connected to our ancestors was created by 2-year-olds. That the narrative of art history as being a primarily white, male endeavour is, of course, wrong.
(My favourite) podcast, The Anthropocene Reviewed, discusses the discovery of the famous Lascaux Palaeolithic cave paintings and says:
“[The hand stencils] remind us that the humans of the past were as human as we are. Their hands indistinguishable from ours. These communities hunted and gathered and there were no large caloric surpluses. So every healthy person would have had to contribute to the acquisition of food and water, and yet somehow they still made time to create art. Almost as if art isn't optional for humans.”
I highly recommend you give the whole podcast episode a listen or watch.
This leads me to the book I’m reading: “All We Want: Building the Life We Cannot Buy" by Michael Harris. It’s about the story of consumerism, and Harris discusses Aristotle’s ideas of well-being (our “eudaimonia”). He says: “the idea that the meaning in our lives derives, in fact, from a lifelong, habitual 'activity of the soul.' but that it’s not something humans can ever achieve. It cannot be grasped. Rather, a good life must be spun into being every day and every hour.”
This statement hit me in that part of your heart that gives you that extra hard beat to get you to pay attention. Does my art matter? I think it does because, to me, a good life is in the doing of creative things, and so, according to Aristotle - it must be spun daily. And hey, maybe Aristotle had some good ideas going.
Just so you know - I cringed when I wrote “Does my art matter?” because referring to anything that I do as Art feels..strange. But if we replace art with “anything remotely creative” then I can release the tension from that statement. Because that’s what art is. And we, as humans, are all artistic people despite what our culture tries to tell us.
I think there’s something dangerous in believing we can all make art - it is a great levelling of who has certain education and prestige and who doesn’t. If we can make our own things, then advertising loses its value. I think of how artistic it is to choose a garden layout and grow things, to spend time on dinner because it brings you joy, and every photo shared on every corner of the internet. So unless you are working on a factory line, doing exactly as you’re told day in/day out, then I think that you too are a person who makes art. Welcome to the club.
Things I’m thinking about / what to share with you:
Nerding out: thinking about why I need glasses - and not feeling great about it
Music: after finished Euphoria, all I listen to is Labrinth (lyrics: NSFW)
Shows: I just finished season 2 of Starstruck (on Crave) and it is endlessly charming
This meme, forever:
In the words of my 3-year-old, “see ya later croco-gators” 👋🐊.
