Talking About Art and Artists

I subscribe to Ted Gioia's Substack and I find him always worth reading. His interview with Image Journal,  Subversively Human: A Conversation with Ted Gioia, is also worth reading. He talks about art and artists and the economic life of artists. An example follows:

TG: I often talk about my rule of the six spheres—the six things we need to have a healthy, holistic life. It seems very simple. If there are really only six things, surely we can find time for all of them over the course of a lifetime. But the reality is that few people embrace all six with genuine success. They usually focus on two or three and neglect the rest. Here they are:

1. Your vocation: Make a living in a way that helps others live too.

2. Your community: Be a giver, not a taker.

3. Your family: Love them unconditionally and help them on their paths.

4. Your mind: Fill your head and heart with good things.

5. Your body: Help your body last a lifetime.

6. Your soul: Listen to what it tells you, and give it what it asks.

I try to find time for all of these—and this affects how I organize each day, each week, and each year. But I often fail to achieve the right balance. My wife Tara is better at it. She’s achieved a better balance among these six priorities than anybody I’ve ever met.

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