A value, as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is “a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged.” It is also defined as “the relative duration of a musical note” and “relative lightness or darkness of a color”. We could speak for ages about my relative lightness of color… but I would rather not.

Of course, my artistic values warrant a somewhat different discussion. Any artist (if they dare call themselves such) has values, for our values are the cornerstone from which are is made. Why does someone make art? It’s because someone has something to say. Someone to change.

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I could spend the duration of this post beating around the bush, but the truth of the matter is that I am still trying to figure out my personal artistic values. I suppose that at the core of whatever they may be is a desire to tell a story. In a world dominated by glamor and spectacle, it seems as though we are moving away from the human need for storytelling, and are being consumed by light and noise. Granted, light and noise are entertaining. I will not be the one to pretend that I think otherwise. However, at the end of the day light and noise seldom moves us to the point of however we may be moved. On most days, I would rather see a compelling story being told in a bare bones, blackbox theatre by a group of compelling storytellers with stakes in the story than a multimillion dollar Broadway extravaganza.

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Maybe that’s why I act. I just want to tell a good-ass story. I want myself and every member of the audience to have a communal experience.

And at the end of the evening, I want that piece of theatre to keep us all awake at night.

At any rate, I still don’t know quite what my artistic values are. And I anticipate that my ideas now will be completely different several years from now. But why would anyone want to stick with one set of values? Sure your art would be interesting at first, but it doesn’t take long for monotony to set in.

And monotony is boring for everyone.