{"id":254,"date":"2024-11-22T16:11:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T15:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/obarra.blog\/?p=254"},"modified":"2025-08-10T18:41:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T16:41:57","slug":"artists-areuseless5-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/obarra.blog\/index.php\/2024\/11\/22\/artists-areuseless5-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Artists Are \u00abUseless\u00bb.5 Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artists Are \u00abUseless\u00bb. 5 Reflections<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Artists are \u00abuseless.\u00bb When faced with practical problems, no one turns to us. If someone is sick, they seek a doctor; if a vehicle breaks down, they call a mechanic; if there’s a legal issue, they hire a lawyer. These and many other professions provide clear answers, direct functions, and tangible results. But an artist? Why would anyone turn to a photographer, painter, writer, or musician when they need to solve an immediate problem?<\/p>\n

In fact, in a world that values functionality and utility, our existence might seem irrelevant. To be honest, artists don\u2019t build bridges, cure diseases, or produce technology that fuels the global economy. When people ask us what we do, our answers rarely satisfy their curiosity. And if they dare to ask if we make a living from it \u2014 as if living off art were a questionable privilege \u2014 we often don’t have a comfortable response. That question, strangely enough, is never posed to doctors, engineers, or lawyers. Those professions are assumed to be respectable and sustainable, while ours seems to live under constant scrutiny.<\/p>\n

So then, what is the purpose of artists? What role do we play in the grand social machine?<\/p>\n

MEASURING THE IMMEASURABLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Art isn\u2019t designed to operate within the logic of measurability. We often ask, perhaps with a touch of irony: What would humanity gain without Salvador Dal\u00ed<\/a>, Beethoven<\/a>, Akira Kurosawa<\/a>, Frida Kahlo<\/a>, Mario Benedetti<\/a>, Robert Capa<\/a>, or the Beatles<\/a> and the Rolling Stones<\/a>? What do street musicians, acrobats, puppeteers, clowns, or dancers contribute to a society obsessed with economic growth and productivity?<\/p>\n

The truth is, in a world fixated on performance, our work can seem extravagant, even unnecessary. Artists don\u2019t produce tangible goods or provide concrete solutions to day-to-day urgencies. We can\u2019t fix a washing machine, negotiate a mortgage, or save a life in the emergency room.<\/p>\n

But what if the purpose of art isn\u2019t to solve problems, but to remind us that we are human?<\/p>\n