The Reliance Upon Commercial Interest

The nature of the artistic cycle means that ideas are used by corporate interests and media giants to promote their products. What is represented or expressed by society is gleaned for originality and unique perspectives which are used to peddle certain products, or ideas, which ultimately benefit the larger interest. Finding a balance between art and business is a challenge for all involved in this societal field.


As alternative subculture as a rule tends to avoid large commercial interest in favour of small and voluntary expressive groupings, finding the glue between both edges of the cycle can be difficult. When a group of individuals decide to begin producing media of some description, they find that they at some point need to look to commercial sources for their solutions. A fan-zine needs to be printed, a blog needs to be hosted, an album needs to be recorded. Ultimately, at some point, a product or consumer market is called upon in order to create and then distribute new art.


As the production and delivery of art is very difficult to profit from in the first generation of an idea set or philosophy of artistic thought, the passion for expression is usually the currency that pays the way for the pioneers of the day. The social status and artistic pleasure that result from unique and consistent themed expression keeps the fire burning, where as their reliance on software, hardware, and iconic clothing all take precedence, meaning the original outlay for art can be very high -not only in cash for businesses who can find solutions for the adequate delivery of art, but in time spent making, sculpting, and defining an expression and ethos that is worth perpetuating at great personal cost.


Eventually, a line is drawn with any artist, where they can simply no longer afford to be so generous with what they are doing, and their work requires the input from business style models that can ensure longevity and relevancy in this outlay of personal energy. Finding the right stencil to draw marketing and commercial interests from is a choice for the artist, however in order to maintain a continual output of material, more than social status needs to be considered. In this way, the big brands who originally benefit from the mostly voluntary outlay of artistic talent become business tools rather than artistic tools, resulting in products with considerably more value.


This injection of energy over time is required for art to find cultural value through its own social status, and only by the continual validation of its principles by a growing movement can it become viable for growth into subcultural self-autonomy. Further still, for the energy and work done in the concept of the original contributors, it is the second and third generation artists who find their way into a scene prepared to be maintainable and perhaps even profitable for work. This however removes the element of originality from the equation, meaning that anyone who wishes to be truly creative will always find it difficult to find an opening for their work.


This is why the voluntary element of passion for expression is the main currency of this early work and line of original thought. This ultimately grows into an artistic movement, once the correct commercial and artistic interests begin to follow suit, by unifying concepts across their various fields. Because of the exclusivity of alternative scene subculture, it's a challenge to communicate across fields, and artists find it difficult to work in business settings and vice versa. This requires a third kind of specialist who can work in both areas, and the limits to this is the lack of social capital within both realms, as each walk of life has its own set of rules which for the most are fairly dismissive of the ethos of its counterpart.


This ironic twist results in a three way partnership in which artists, retailers, and promoters all work together to form the movement of art over time. These three distinct areas of culture and expression all rely on each other for the perpetuation of each theme of subculture, and work together in the provision of the entire experience waiting for those who take part in the scene once it is established.