What Art Will Survive the Test of Time?
Introduction
Many people strive for longevity, and to have done something that outlives you is a great feat, right? What are the determining factors in deciding what art will survive the test of time? The art community is a niche with fierce competition, and as has always been the case, most of the artists and works of art being made right now will not be remembered in the long run. Fame is short-lived, and it seems its life span has only decreased as our technological advancements have grown. Desperate for crumbs of global attention the viral superstars of the modern age try their best to make something while they have their eyes on them, and for a little bit some dance to the tunes of millions and even billions of views at times. However, it’s short-lived and before the next year, a lot of these people fade back into the obscurity and the irrelevance they came from.
In this open arena that is the internet how do you set yourself apart and how do you ensure that your work will survive the test of time and be remembered far longer than these brief viral moments? While not a definitive answer this is only a theory, and there’s no guarantee that who you are and what you do will even be worthy of a footnote in the grand scheme of things. Instead, this blog post will briefly explore what kind of art survives the test of time and it also begs the question if it’s truly something you should be striving for and if it’s even possible to achieve it while desperately trying to.
Forgettably Average & Memorably Earnest
People remember things that connect with them and there’s one thing the genuine and the novel have in common: they’re both remembered. We remember things that stand out, that’s how our memory works. Our brains automatically sort out things that are the same old, there’s no real value to remembering the same thing over and over. This gives rise to phenomena like highway hypnosis and doing things automatically. New and novel experiences are more likely to be remembered - and what is more novel than authenticity? The world is filled with dishonest copycats and frauds people trying to be something they’re not - so what is more memorable than the perfectly average person who is entirely authentic in their being? In a world of clout chasing and quick trends, the person we remember isn’t the next one on the bandwagon of virality but the person who radiates authenticity in this black sea of mimicry.
We often pay too much attention to novelty over authenticity. Thinking if we just stand out enough from the crowd we will be remembered. This turns people into a dualistic frame of mind where they stand between two extremes: either being the best or being the worst as both of these are memorable. We can either inflict a strong negative or positive impact on the world to have it remember us, and for a lot of people, the negative is the easier choice. Some who have failed to make that positive one turn to the negative one. It is indeed easier to remember a negative experience, but a positive one lasts even longer, because of the sheer amount of power it has called upon. We should hope to do good and be remembered for it for moral reasons, but to truly have your work stand the test of time it needs to be great.
To be great means to be authentic and to be honest which is a virtue in of itself. The visionary and the madman are separated by this fact: the visionary has convinced others of his truth. Conviction takes connection and while some attach themselves to falsehoods it eventually melts when the heat rises like the wax it is. This is what it means to be sincere - to be without wax and be pure. This is more important than mediocrity - in truth because most people are average that’s what it means, but authenticity is a rare trait. Popular songs have survived decades because of how they connect with people, and a lot of really old folk songs still live on to this day. They’ve survived the test of time because of their honesty, not because of their intellectual lyrics and complex melodies. They’re simple, and as simple people, we relate to that and we remember it. Life isn’t all about profound culture that will shape the ontological reality around us to some higher degree of finesse. Sometimes it’s about the simple things and just portraying that earnestly and with great accuracy.
If you choose to chase the longevity of your art and you want to make something that will stand the test of time above all else seek to find yourself. Find what you love and go deep within your soul to figure out what you are and what you are not - then express that. You don’t need to be a genius, you don’t need to be the best or even the worst, you are perfectly fine as you are, just remember to be honest. Do your work diligently and with love. You don’t need to sacrifice anyone or anything, you don’t need to be tortured or insane - you just have to care. Care about your work and be sincere about it. The levels of meta-irony we deploy as a defensive mechanism on the daily doesn’t serve the work, it only obscure it and makes it forgettable. Because no matter how unique or novel it is - if it isn’t honest it won’t be remembered.
Ars longa, vita brevis.
Or in English:
Art is Long, Life is Short
The beautiful thing about this saying is that it’s two-sided. On one hand, it expresses how our work can outlive us and how our toil can have an impact long after our lives. In the truest sense of the word, our lives have an impact on the afterlife. Beyond vague theology, this is concrete proof of it. After our lives, our deeds and our work continue. Whether forgotten or remembered it will have an impact, large or small it extends immediately beyond our mortality. On the other hand and perhaps more originally in the Greek aphorism - art is understood to be skill or craft. Not only is the aphorism talking about the longevity of our work but it’s also telling us that mastering a skill or a craft takes a very long time. To create something that stands the test of time takes a very long time.
We’re given a false idea in today’s world where we see viral trends and works of art receive massive followings and intense success overnight, and oftentimes we don’t see the time it took for them to get there. Artists and creators often struggle for many many years, before even receiving any kind of notoriety. Van Gogh is a great example - a painter who didn’t receive any recognition until after his death. It took his entire lifetime to create a legacy - but it is a legacy that has survived and will continue to thrive for a very long time. Art is long and life is short - don’t waste time and don’t rush to reach perfection. Be patient, be methodical and be persistent - that’s how you reach the summit. If you don’t you’ll burn out and while some might believe that the brightest burns out the quickest it depends on what kind of fuel you’re running on. You can still burn bright and you can still create something great but don’t let perfection hold you back.
Perfecting a craft takes a lifetime, and it’s a road of failures that leads to that point. You have to be creating, learning and improving constantly to even get near it, and in the end you can’t measure that perfection yourself. Somebody else is the judge of that. Perfect means just right, it means completed and finished. Finishing work takes a long time, and your life is too short and to precious spent worrying about it and worrying about what others think. Don’t focus on things that are outside of your control - focus on what is within your control and work with that.
The Judge & Hung Jury
Ultimately the decision is deadlocked and only time will tell. You can’t work as if it’s not gonna work and you can’t work as if it’s magically going to work out. In a couple of years, I would love to tell myself in the mirror that it all worked out and I can barely believe it, but that’s not a guarantee. A guarantee, however, is that in a year I will be able to look myself in the mirror and say “I tried and I had a blast doing it”. I can’t guarantee success or that my work will even have an impact on anyone, that’s out of my hands - what I can guarantee is doing the work and having the courage to relentlessly pursue it. You’re not in control of how people receive what you do, and you’re not in charge of what survives the test of time and what has faded into oblivion. You are however in control of what you do - and using your free will you decide how you spend your time. You can chase delusions or you can freeze and be completely paralysed by your fear the choice is yours.
In the end, you’re not the judge of your work, you’re not even part of the jury - you’re only responsible for your actions. There’s a fine line in this where you can’t care too much what others think and you can’t care too little. If you’re completely nihilistic to the rest of the world, perhaps you’ll make some great things but it will be devoid of joy and use - serving only the self is guaranteed misery. For the self is a feeble master whose satisfaction is short-lived and whose pains and woes are only cured by the love of another. If we on the other hand care too much about what others think we won’t be able to think freely and we will lose our authenticity. There is a middle ground where we can care for one another and do so without compromising our own boundaries and without losing ourselves in the process. You can’t create what others want because most people don’t know what they want, and you’re never going to find a new treasure in a spot already dug. Stay true to your work and be honest.
I’m not the judge of what art will survive the test of time and neither is anyone else. It’s a complex amount of things that go into it. There’s luck and what some might call destiny involved - a lot of being at the right time at the right place if you believe in such things. One thing is for sure though and that’s something all of the great works that have survived have in common: they’re honest. They’re perfectly frank in what they are and what they do - there’s no pretence of it being something it’s not. It might not be the ultimate and objective truth of reality but it’s earnest in what it is. The art that will survive the test of time is the art that connects with people and that art is honest.
