A single story we often tell kids is what it takes or means to be "artsy." The token creative friend in movies and sitcoms is more often than not the weird one, placing cultural "normality" in a place superior to self-expression.
To prove my point, lets spend some time in the Disney archives:
Even in a movie about how fun it is to be a theater kid, the theater kids are the bad guys! And while this stereotype certainly seems trivial in the face of many other stereotypes, in the United States creative people are portrayed as second class citizens to the 9-5 white-collar worker. They have fun! But they don't have health care. They are chasing their dreams! But they will probably fail. Or at least be really, really poor.
And sometimes, they are even really bad at the artsy thing they do.
A problem I see with this stereotype is the limits it places on creativity and stigmas to those who are inclined to look for less traditional work. Often these characters are socially inept or anxious, and friends are often frustrated with why they don't "get it." But as the world of work in the United States changes, the popularity of skilled work outside of corporations will increase. There should be channels that encourage creative people to succeed, rather than obscure the path less-traveled.
It also limits the "average" person from being creative. Because in many situations in popular culture there is a "creative" friend, the rest of the characters are forgiven their general lack of ingenuity. This is misplaced because everyone has the ability to create, and the trope of the artsy friend stifles the need to explore creativity.
Sometimes we do get it right, and we love the quirks of the artsy friends. But we need to be careful not to force quirks. As media perpetuates a single story for artistic people, we limit the number of people willing to create things for the world. Each of the artifacts I chose represents a (sometimes) harmfully portrayed artsy character, but we know from General Authorities that everyone is creative, we just need to find our channel.
We are all the creative friend!
I totally agree with the ceiling it puts on the "average" person
ReplyDeleteThat's such an interesting idea, Ashley. Not only does this single-story hurt the stereotyped individuals, but it limits everyone. I wonder if "artsy" people feel the need to self-identify with that story in order to achieve success among their peers. Also, I really like your examples.
ReplyDeleteI totally single-story "creative types" as like hipsters and people that eat kale and do yoga and go to food truck roundups, haha. But the truth is that, like you said, every individual can be and is creative in their own way.
ReplyDelete