Artistic Integrity

6 Jun 2018 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:59

A short monologue (from a YouTube video) discussing the trade-off artists—specifically actors—face between staying true to their personal artistic identity (yielding fewer but more personally moving roles) versus adapting to industry expectations to get more roles and potentially a more successful career. The speaker frames this as neither morally better nor worse, but a deliberate career-management choice.

Chapters

If you choose to be the kind of artist that stands for something that you want to be yourself and bring yourself into everything that you do, you will get fewer parts. You will. The parts you get will move you in a way that most artists will not get moved.
Or you can bend and manipulate yourself a little bit and sort of be a little bit more of what they want and play their role. And even though you don't really buy into it, it's a part. And I want to be an actor, I want to be a performer. I'm going to do what they want. You will absolutely get more parts without a doubt. You can arguably have a better career, but will you be profoundly moved as an artist? The odds are lower. I can't say never. It's just the odds are lower. It's not better or worse. It is simply the decision on how you choose to manage or lead your own career.