thoughts on the general overall condition of artists and art -

geez - I wonder if any of the accountants in the world or the bookkeepers or the doctors - lawyers - musicians - waiters - ever feel the need to critize and claim that one or the other can't do accounting or doctoring or sing or wait - no wait paint or create art or whatever there is a parallel - I remember this skater I think it was in the Olympics who had another skater injured because of the fierce competition and then someone told me the other day that they ballet dancers in the Bolshoi are beating up on the other ballet dancers - in fighting in the ballet because of -- competition - jealousies whatever - you want to be heard above the other person and personal assaults seem like the way to go or you feel that you know more than someone else and that there work does not measure up to what should be lived up to in order to call what we are talking about - art - perhaps some alien from outer space or some spiritual entity representing the Universal spirit collective will come down from the heavens and proclaim that no one - not one should - not Van Gogh or Rubens or Warhol or Valasquez or de Kooning or Pollock - or Haring or well not one person here on planet earth has come close to knowing let along producing what - REAL art is - then what will all of you do - sit there with your mouths open and gasp in wonder - the truth is that no one has yet to create the ultimate art - we are all - struggling to work towards something more perfect - something more real - something more beautiful (in some cases) or more truer or whatever it is that we are so inspired (through inspiration) to achieve - and through the struggle - the trials and errors - the rethinking - the questioning and the doubting that we have when we are creating our own work or thereafter when we are looking at the results of our efforts - there is only to learn by viewing other people's attempt at producing their work - where they have gone what they have done and what the results have been along with the reactions that the viewers have given others' work and how they have responded with the dollar or yen or rupple - it all seems to matter except when we get back to the canvas - the drawing pad - the computer screen - the wherever it is that we begin the adventure again or pick up and continue on for we are all headed no matter what the subject matter we are tackling or emanating or living - we are all headed into unexplored territory - always !