I wanna be a transmitter. Alan Lomax told me so

In a 1991 CBS interview, folk musicologist Alan Lomax explained to the CBS interviewer about the wrecking ball effect of the entertainment industry that's unbalanced global cultural equity, and turned twentieth century populations into passive cultural consumers. [Source: Uncut magazine, March 2008]

Lomax's statement got me thinking about my own transition from 'transmitter' to 'receiver' (his terms). I used to paint, write and draw, right into my mid-twenties, and now I'm a salesman who obsesses over music, film, and comics. This used to make me ashamed and regretful, but these days I revel in the art of art appreciation, with only a tinge of regret that I'm a passive cultural consumer. And I take comfort that I write about culture here and on the Steve Hoffman forum, and get active and explorative in my hobbies, so it feels less passive.

That said, my mum was a passionate dabbler in all the arts, my dad conducts, step-mom dances and teaches dance, one brother plays music, another photographs, aunts are all artists. My wife photographs for exhibition, and maintains a great Flickr site. My daughter paints and dances, son dances and draws. In fact, while I used to be one of the most dedicated and prolific artists in the family, I'm now silent. Various family members have voiced surprise and disappointment, half-hearted encouragement to 'get back into it'. There's a strong family distaste for business and respect for art.

My favorite medium is poetry. I haven't written a poem in ten years. I tell myself this is since I used it as self-therapy, and don't have that burning need for therapy any more to fuel the process. And the more I read, I doubt I have anything original or differentiated to add of a quality to warrant attention, or engage an audience.

I know this is all an excuse, and I'm being lazy and cowardly. I expect I'll get back into it. No doubt, I'll be out of practice, and not come up with anything worthwhile for a long time. I give up easily, and lean heavily on deadlines set by workshop groups and courses. But if I persevere, I expect I may come up with something insightful.