Freedom in Art: Why Does it Matter?

Happy Independence Day! Around this time of the month, the conversation surrounding freedom, and what it means to be truly free, can take on a plethora of shapes. Naturally, here at SAEN, we’re using this time to reflect on the value of artistic freedom, the necessary limitlessness of expression, and the cultural importance of maintaining an honest practice. In other words, what does it mean to be free? And why, as artists, does the freedom to express ourselves with autonomy matter so much?

What it means to be free is impossible to answer concretely. Freedom is entirely idiosyncratic; it looks a little different to everyone. It also exists in different ways: some people seek financial freedom, others creative or ideological, and others bodily or spiritual. But perhaps this is what it is at its core; the ability to decide what it means to you, to build a life based on that image, and to live with the security of knowing that no one can take that life, or anything it entails, away. Artistic expression is the epitome of this freedom; to create is to build a new world, one that’s entirely your own, and invite other people to live in it with you. 

Throughout history, this element of creative freedom has been put to the test. The arts have often been some of the first avenues of censorship and oppression. If you’ve been following SAEN for a while, you know we’ve talked about the Abstract Expressionists, who turned to abstraction at the height of the Red Scare while censorship across America was at its peak. But they were far from the first group of artists to find workarounds to strict social or legal regulations in order to continue to express themselves freely. In fact, history has proven time and time again that when artists stay committed to their visions despite these regulations, they turn them into a kind of ideological paradox; every attempt to suppress our voice ends up strengthening it. Challenge breed innovation. Roadblocks redirect us to new movements.

It’s important to note that claims for censorship have been founded on practically every principle; religious, moral, political, cultural. Evidence of this dates all the way back to Byzantine Iconoclasm, around 730 C.E. The concept has been a constant for as long as humans have been creating art.  But no matter where, when, or why it was, there has always been a group working in defiance of suppression: Religious censorship in 16th Century Europe, as a result of the Protestant Reformation, gave rise to the infamous Golden Age of Dutch genre painting. The implication of Socialist Realism in the Soviet Union, which outlawed all art that propagandized socialist ideals, led to the Nonconformist Movement which became a largely popular movement in the late 20th Century.

Today, censorship takes on a different form. In a recent interview, acclaimed author Ocean Vuong made a claim that stuck with me; “the corporate model is the de facto model of progress.” He was alluding to our tendency, reinforced by social media and the demand for commercialization, to acquiesce to the status quo. In a society that mandates output as the marker of success, resisting the pressure to cave to an audience's appetite can feel impossible. Often, it feels far easier to make what we know people want to see, rather than what we crave to make. But when we abandon these ideals, as Vuong suggests, we run the risk of feeding elements of our culture into the corporate model, where it inevitably becomes homogenized, profitable, and largely unrecognizable to where it came from. Though less traditionally structured, this too is a type of censorship we should not only be wary of, but work to deconstruct. 

Photo credit: David Perell

The sheer number of limits that have been placed on artists throughout history can draw us to one key conclusion: art has power. It has the capability to influence individuals, transform societies, and preserve and reshape culture. It’s arguably the most direct mouthpiece someone without conventional power or influence has, especially in today’s day and age. Between social media making things more accessible than ever and the recent boom in the self-publishing and producing industries, this could be one of the best times to be an independent artist striving to preserve their craft. As tough as it is, entrepreneurial artists have more avenues of exploration today than they ever have.

And, of course, SAEN strives to make it easier. We work to find those avenues for artists, and make new ones wherever we can. It is our collective responsibility as artists to keep creativity at the forefront of people’s minds; the more people who engage with their creative freedom, the harder it is to lose. If you’re interested in taking part in this mission, we encourage you to follow along! Enroll in SAEN’s bootcamps, read the blog, or donate what you can through the links on our main page. When it comes to the preservation of artistic practices and freedom, no contribution is too small.