Intro to Pragmartistry

Ugh, I have a blog now. I'm such a weenbag.

HI! Let's begin.

Pragmatism: an approach that assesses the truth or meaning of theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.

Artistry: creative skill or ability.

(Taken from the little Macbook "dashboard" dictionary do-dad that magically beams onto my computer when I hit F4. And to think, there was a time when F4 really only meant F4.)

Pragmartistry: Faux-clever word invented by one Aaron Sydney Golden (est. 1985, a year after Winston Smith got F-ed in the A by Big Brother) to attempt a definition of his place in this F-ed up video game we call existence.

I am an aspiring screenwriter/filmmaker in Los Angeles, and being that this is the first blog every written by a screenwriter, (HA) I hope people will respond to the things I have to say.

I am a White (cliche!), Jewish (cliche!), Canadian (the cliche hat trick!) attempting to create great films in Los Angeles. And I mean, GREAT. I believe that what success means to me, and what I am attempting to do here is, though not unprecedented, certainly not the normal path for many young screenwriters trying to "hit it big". I think. Who knows.

That's a big theme of mine. Who the fuck knows? No one, that's who. Fucking amazing.

Anyway, here's where pragmartistry comes in. I am not fully pragmatic in that attempting to become a professional artist is anything but sensible. However, I am not a true "artist", creating purely out of a desire to create, in that I tend to think the success of artistry should be defined by the practical effects it has on people.

Pragmartistry: The creation of art with clear intent of purpose, wherein which success is defined by its practical, positive effect on people.

News flash! Many people in Los Angeles are not artists. This is the land of commercialized entertainment. They are not here for the good of humanity, do not see movies as a tool of human evolution. Every movie in your local theatre is designed to pay for an extension on a studio executive's house. Every television show has gone through "testing" to ensure the broadest appeal so each and every one of us will have at least two swiffer sweepers. Because life without a swiffer sweeper is...well...fine, actually. Everyone makes their money, humans are given their escapes and distractions from the mortgages and pink slips, and everyone joins together in producing copious amounts of carbon dioxide.

However, "artists" are full of shit. Well, no, artists who create without the need to explain or actively aid in the bettering of humanity are full of shit. (Mind you, anything I ever say that sounds "conclusive" is merely my opinion based on the knowledge I have accumulated thus far. If anything I say is wrong, and you have good knowledge as to why, PLEASE tell me, as I always strive to understand "The Deal".) There must be the burden of understanding placed on artists. I have no problem with an artist who doesn't want to explain their work for fear of giving the audience pre-knowledge of their intentions, thus hurting the potential for truthful reaction...but Lars Von Trier can suck my dick. Artists who won't explain their work are a)full of shit, b)lazy, or c)utterly selfish, at the expense of the rest of the planet.

So....where does that leave me/us? I'm of the opinion that art is playing an integral role in human cultural evolution. That we are at an amazing crossroads, where we're ripping the very roots of our societies up in order to maybe survive on this planet for a while longer. To maybe make life better for everyone on board (yes, potentially at a cost to you, Mr. Hollywood suit.) To maybe attempt to really understand our universe and enjoy it a little more.

So, in conclusion, this blog will be all over the place. Nothing is off limits. I don't know what I'll talk about, but, as this is my first blog post ever, I promise I'll get better.

Pragmartistry: Nonsense, just like everything else.

Cheers,

Aaron Sydney Golden