Aside from the notion that we’re hospitable and always smiling, we Filipinos are also known to be creative people—giving pride to our long list of National Artists and internationally-acclaimed talents in music, dance, and acting like Amy Vachal and 4th Power. However, when it comes down to it, there seems to be a disparity between artists who perform on stage and on-screen, and those who paint on a canvas.
Last week, a Facebook post by Filipino multimedia artist Vin Quilop went viral (for a day or two before it was taken down) showed screenshots of netizens questioning (and possibly insulting) people who pursue art as a profession, and called it as simply “for bragging purposes” and not a legitimate paying job that can sustain one’s children in the future.
We Filipinos can easily spot our own famous singers, dancers, and actors doing their thing—be it locally or internationally, and think, “Oh, he/she’s probably doing great for him/herself” because, hey, they get paid to entertain people, as well as their exposure when they’re advertising certain products.
Meanwhile, artists—painters, sculptors, digital artists, and many others—are given the short end of the rope, unless they’re in the same rank as National Artists Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo.
So much for giving (equal) pride and recognition to Filipino artists.
Preen reached out to Vin to hear his take on the topic, and he said, “I think one of the factors why some are still dismissive of the fact that being an artist is a profession is because of the olden thinking that there is no money in art. Up until now, some Filipinos carry that belief.”
“While there is truth in that, I still believe that it’s a matter of how passionate the artist is [about] his work. There is money, you just have to know how to maximize your skills as an artist,” he continued.
Maybe it’s the thinking that artists will most likely starve if they don’t do well that has Filipinos up in arms with the whole profession. We live in a third-world country after all, and having a stable job means being able to provide for yourself and your loved ones.
On that note, we’d like to think that people who are unfairly criticizing an artist’s work are just looking out for their well-being, but receiving constant discouragement, especially from loved ones, will achieve nothing, and possibly end with artists giving up their dreams.
To be fair, doing any kind of art-related activity (yes, including performing) that someone’s passionate about is going to be deemed as just a hobby until they get out there and use the talent that they have to make an earnest living for themselves. And with enough exposure and validation, this can become a long-term career venture.
Doing what they love and getting paid to do it—that’s every person’s dream come true.
But again, while performers are getting paid lots of money for entertaining people, there’s this horrible notion that artists are just doing it for the exposure and get paid little to nothing for their effort in creating a company’s advertorial and many other things. There’s even a Twitter account that collates all the nasty comments that artists have received.
In fact, artists need to work twice as hard with internships left and right to be able to afford reservations for galleries so they can display and maybe sell their work to pay for their materials (which are pretty damn expensive) and their house bills. Give them props for that! Exposure is great and all, but that alone won’t sustain their needs.
Just think: If Filipinos continue to mercilessly discourage artists from doing their craft, there will be no future Juan Luna or Fernando Amorsolo from this generation. We wouldn’t have impressive Pixar animations made by our own fellowmen. Hell, our country that has become well-known for its diverse art and culture would become bland and boring.
On another note, artists should not stop working their asses off to get that well-deserved recognition (and paycheck) for their work because one day, someone will post a status with #FilipinoPride next to their names and be appreciated, and they’ll feel like every Filipino-American contestant who has joined American Idol and The X Factor UK.
“People discouraged me to pursue what I was doing because I sucked at it and I wasn’t earning. It was crushing but I said to myself that everyone started out small, and if I just persevere and practice a lot, I know that I’ll get there,” Vin concluded.
Photo courtesy of Biyaherong Barat