Four reasons art is made – and how they shape the art world

November 11, 2023

There is something very strange about the art world, which, I think, has to do with art stemming from four different motivations that often come into tension with each other. More specifically, I suspect that art is created mainly for four reasons: 1) Urge: many artists seem to have a compulsion to create (sometimes, to create oddly specific things). They make art to satisfy this urge. In this category, I would also include art that is mainly motivated by helping the artist ach...

Eschew Obscure Words

August 18, 2011

Intelligent people often like to use intelligent sounding words. Words like "nonplused", "loquacious" and "limerance" spice up writing and conversation, add beauty to language, and can seem to give the speaker an aura of sophistication. Even those who don't consciously cultivate having a large vocabulary may start to use such words automatically, having read them sufficiently many times in books or articles. Unfortunately, obscure words have a tendency to interfere with communication. Sometim...

Demystifying the Magic Of Attraction

August 9, 2011

Attraction is often thought of as a magical thing. Two people will meet and feel immediately attracted to each other, whereas another two, though they like each other personally and acknowledge each other's good qualities, will feel only friendship. The latter case is often explained with phrases like "they just didn't feel it" or they "had no spark", whereas the former, if it were to lead to marriage, might be deemed "love at first sight." The couples themselves might not be able to explain pre...