Frequently Asked Questions
Why did you start your conartists.org website/group?
I have lived, worked and traveled around artistic and creative circles for most of my life, and in all that time
I had never encountered a single other person who identified themselves as conservative(within those circles.) So several years ago I had an idea to create a somewhat secret society where conservative artists could network with one another and help each other out. Mainly though, it began as an experiment of sorts, like a radio signal that was beamed out to see if any other conservative artists out there like me existed in the universe. In the first year only two people joined! The next year many more started showing up. Fast forward a couple years and now we have over 100 members, all artists working through various mediums.
Some people would like to make it into a real political organization and become an actual political force. I’m pessimistic about all that stuff. I don’t see the point in trying much to change anything. Seems like a lesson in futility. And political activist types are usually annoying people. I don’t want to be one of them. For me then, it is just a harmless club.
Who is eligible to join?
It is currently open to anyone who identifies themselves as both an artist and a conservative. There are no platform requirements or litmus tests. We accept members from all walks of conservatism: neocons, paleocons, theocons, RINOS, libertarians, royalists, oligarchists, monarchists, authoritarians, and so on... All are welcome.
What do I get if I join?
Nothing really, at least right now. You get the satisfaction of knowing there are others out there like you, and organizing with them.
Isn't it in the nature of art to be
progressive, and that is something that is hard to combine with
conservative political views?
Well, I think that generally artists tend to have their heads in the clouds and not be grounded in reality, so in that sense I agree with him. Imagination, creativity, isolation, anger, loneliness, desperation, the forces that drive people to be creative. These things are part of the human condition. Though they are often portayed and looked upon as alien creatures, conservatives are still human. Throughout history there have been countless conservative painters, writers, musicians, actors, playwrights, novelists, etc. In recent times I think it is more of a chicken and egg phenomenon though. Young people who become interested in art are bombarded with leftist cultural icons and education from an early age, so I think they just assume that’s what they are supposed to be and fall into those roles. A young person has to have the curiosity and initiative to seek out conservative literature or art(or the often hidden conservatism within many liberal works of art.)
They would not be exposed to it by default. However, it's possible to be conservative in one's politics but not in art and vice versa, as well as simply art that is apolitical. Personally I prefer art that has nothing to do with politics. I'm not a fan of political art, unless it is subtle or cryptic. At the same I would never dislike a piece of art solely based on the fact that it conveys a message I might disagree with.
If this is supposed to be an organization of conservative artists, why do you have such a shitty website layout?
Well, for one thing, I don't use any of the webdesign software out there, still use just plain old html in notepad. Believe it or not there is also a method to my madness for you see I have some nostalgia for the earlier days of the internet or the "pre myspace days". I like my webpages/blogs to have that 1998-2002 vintage look. I'm not kidding. Not to mention, I hate fancy flash animations and all that jazz. They make my old school IBM laptop run slow as balls. I'm also kind of a minimalist anyway. I promise the look of this web site will someday get better, but for now it's just something I threw together. Try to deal.
Aren't conservatives always arguing that actors and celebrities should just shut up and stay out of politics?
There's no doubt that some of the less thoughtful conservatives hold that specific view. The correct answer though is that there's nothing wrong with expressing one's opinions.
The problem many conservatives have is when they are paying for entertainment or to see someone perform, and in that context the artist
goes off on a political tangent, the people in the audience feel as though their time has been hijacked. They didn't realize they were going to be attending a political rally, thus they feel like they got ripped off. There's also a certain arrogance/ignorance associated with someone who preaches to the audience he is entertaining, in his assumption they must share his or her political views just because they may appreciate his artistic endeavors.
Then there's the silly idea that by freely criticizing someone's views or boycotting them through freedom of association, you are somehow infringing on their freedom of speech. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism nor does it mean freedom from the consequences of private individuals and entities wishing to disassociate themselves with someone based on something which offended them in said speech .
Also, this isn't "celebcons," but rather just a group of conservative artists, some of which are well known, others struggling or obscure.
It's just a harmless little club.
Why do you think it is difficult to find conservative artists that are willing to talk about their political views?
I think that mainly it is just uncomfortable, and most conservatives would not even bother.
The isolation from your peers that goes with being a politically conservative artist creates a sort of bunker mentality. Conservatives living in metropolitan areas are surrounded by liberals in all aspects of life, so they develop a thick skin and grow to become very tolerant of liberal points of view. There’s a certain politeness that comes with being in someone else’s territory, and not wanting to rock the boat. It’s not enough for liberals to just politely disagree with conservatives though. Generally conservatism is so alien and vile to them they think we’re evil, racist, heartless, sexist, bigoted, brutish, homophobes. They would criminalize our views and imprison us all if they could. Indeed in some countries they have, and do! So yes, it’s often just better to pipe down about politics and discuss mutual personal interests.
People joke that in Hollywood, conservative is the new "gay." Conservatives do have a fear that if they "come out" with their views they may lose a lot of good friends and become ostracized in their metropolitan community.
Nobody looks forward to being demonized, and just as many social conservatives think being gay is a psychological disorder or social disease...certain segments of the left hold similar views about conservatism. So in a strange way conservative artists can actually identify with gays. What an interesting world we live in.
