Price Tag by Jessie J is one of my favorite songs. The lyrics is simple and direct, talking about how people nowadays live their lives in a money-oriented way. Everyone’s value is measured by the currency. Though it is a heavy topic, but the song has a relax and brisk flow, which represents more of the artist's “boho” style, how she doesn’t care the fame at all. Ironically, Jessie J is one of the most successful singers, and she has an estimated annual income of $200,000,000.
Then this comes back to the classic paradox of being an artist. Artists need to have their own styles to stand out from the publicity. However, at the same time the artist also needs to be accepted by the publicity to live (or make money) as an artist. In the book The Painted World, Tom Wolfe even infers an extreme idea. He thinks that the little group of bourgeoisies have little interest in the art movement or the artists themselves, but the bourgeoisies will pick out the artists who has the similar ideas as theirs and push them to the front stage. They simply use the artist to speak out for them. Thus, a new artist rises with a tag “hanging on his or her neck", and it can be dadaism, conceptualism, or any-ism. He or she is just like a commodity in the Walmart of the Target waiting to be selected by the customer.
Even more satire, nowadays the young artists even use those “tags” to flaunt their uniqueness, rebellious spirits, and willingness to experiment, and they think they are the vanguards of the epic. Come on, boy! As long as there is a tag, you are categorized with a group of people! Monet did not call himself impressionism. At first it was word the public used to quip how sketchy his paintings were.
What should be important is how you define yourself. Most of the depression comes along with the missing of self identity. If one decides to be a commercial artist, speaking out for you customers will be the goal. The recompense is how people appreciate your work, and one no needs to feel bad about it. On the opposite, if one choose to be the “boho” artist, rethinking about the common phenomenons and speaking out loud your own voice are the mission. Some people of course will hate you, since you are challenging the unspoken rules and their secrete privilege. After all, one can also definitely be an atheistic artist, simply just making what one thinks is beautiful. As long as you defined yourself, your soul would be strong and crystal. The tags people put on you are NOT going to cover your true face anymore.
