The Porch of Indecision

As I was looking for inspiration for this post, the Youtube gods gave it to me. Matt Maeson’s new song “Blood Runs Red” (the link is at the bottom) popped up on my recommendations and the thumbnail intrigued me so I clicked on it. To my surprise, the story behind it is eerily similar to The Picture of Dorian Gray … besides the homosexuality.  In Maeson’s song, he sings about how he lost touch of his faith because he gained, as he put it, “narcissistic tendencies” from being an accomplished artist. Similar to how Dorian became confident to a fault because of his high class in the Victorian era, Maeson and Dorian both had distorted senses of themselves.  In the music video, Maeson changed physically numerous times. He also notices and reacts to how he acts and looks throughout the stages of self-discovery. When the alcoholism is high, Maeson can’t fathom who he is in the mirror. If Dorian Gray looking at his portrait was in a video it would be 1:54 in Maeson’s music video. ...

In class it was extremely evident that the topic of “art for art’s sake” is controversial and polarized. On one hand, some believe that you can separate the art from the artist, and on the other hand, others believe it is impossible to separate the two. I am (consistent with the title of my website) standing in the middle of it all wondering where I truly stand.  So, what do I do when I am confused? I make a pros and cons list and hope I figure it out along the way.  Pros of taking art at face value:  You can enjoy every single piece of art and not have to think about the morals of the artist; you only have to think about the morals that are presented in the art. “Ignorance is bliss”- even though I don’t like 1984 , I still think that sometimes this quote-contrary to the purpose of it being ironic- holds value. It is much less strain on the mind if you don’t have to think about who the artist is, or what they support, just to listen, observe, or read their art. Art is eas...

     First and foremost I would like to thank my pen. I could not have made it this far in my writing journey without my trustee Profile Ball Pen. We have had our ups and downs: you had run out of ink, but held out long enough that the word “letter” could be carved into my paper. You were a life-saver, for I had received the sophistication point for understanding the rhetorical situation of the prompt being a letter.   To my binder clip, I appreciate all of the fastening you did for my reinforced lined paper. The strenuous efforts that you went through to ensure that I — as well as my classmates— had paper to stress, cry, and scribble on for forty minutes every Monday. It was well received and I hope that I find you again, for you have fallen out of my reach and are lost in the chasms of my backpack pockets. It saddens me when I have to take lined paper out of my Economics notebook because I am in dire need of replenishing my stock of paper and finding you again. All...