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The flawed development system.

Developing and pitching ideas for animated TV shows to networks and studios is a tough way to go. I have been going at it for seven years. I’ve managed to sell one property, my short Hero Heights at Nickelodeon. I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours developing other shows and pitching them to all the networks only to be rejected time and time again, usually for silly reasons. Plus all of this development work is done for no pay

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This vague nature of the definition has made it possible for all types of twisted abominations to be labeled as art and sold at ridiculously inflated prices.
What is art? While its boundaries are hard to encompass, Webster’s defines art as:

Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation.
An occupation requiring knowledge or skill.
The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.

As a result those who want all the perks of being an artist but don’t want to do all of the work have taken a shortcut. Rather than dedicate themselves to enriching art they have chosen to be smart asses at art’s expense. They become Conceptual and or Appropriation Artists.

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In this episode I go off on an a couple of things that really make me mad. First, A certain talent network of creatives that gave me the runaround all summer. Second, People who want artists to work for free, or offer a “back-end deal”. Third, I really lay into some jackass Flash Developer that thinks treating artists like crap is the way to go. I don’t like seeing Artists being pushed around, or taken advantage of. It’s a Pet Peeve of mine.

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Today I want to rip apart and put to rest 7 awful myths and misconceptions about of art!

These Myths are totally wrong and mess up the integrity and purpose of art.

1. Art means whatever people want it to mean.
No way Jose! A professional artist, always has intention, and it’s his job to communicate that intent through mastering their craft and applying their skill in the form of hard work.

2. Art is all a matter of opinion and is subjective.
Hello! Every kind of response to art is an opinion, so that’s not news. What the myth implies is that all opinions are equally valid. That is FALSE! Some opinions are better than others. Opinions that are based on better reasoning are much stronger than opinions based on bad or zero reasoning!
Not all art is subjective. Some art is objectively good, and some art is objectively bad. The correct assessment depends on the evaluation of the criteria, not on the viewer’s whims or tastes.

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Well I learned that there is no free lunch in Animation. The first hundred years of modern animation was no picnic! Especially for the Artists.

Producing animation is tough. It takes hard work, devotion, and vision. Even animation that is “phoned in” or “hacked out” requires effort.

Animation has dealt with B.S. and adversity at every turn. But more importantly I learned that the greatest achievements in animation no matter the era, always have the most humble of beginnings.