by El S. Palmer

Created on: March 28, 2009

Many mistakenly believe that an artist's sole purpose is to create music, literature, art, etc that is pleasing to others. As if artists are hired servants admonished to entertain those who do not possess the skills to entertain themselves. Creating things that people want to buy, listen to, read, etc, that is the BUSINESS of art. Not all artists get into the business of art. Creative expression, at its very core, the part that latches on to a child and does not let go, has nothing to do with money or pleasing the masses. It has to do with having a voice.

There are some people who do not like profanity at all and for whatever reason, some of these people are intent on making artists express themselves in ways that is most comfortable to the people. If an artist feels profanity is the best way to get his or her point across, then he/she should use it. Creativity is an outlet, a voice. It has to be for the artist FIRST before it can be for anybody else. There is an audience for every type of expression. Some are big some are small. Some come now during the artist's lifetime, some come after the artist has long passed on. Either way, no matter how artists expresses themselves, if they stay true to their voice, they will have an audience. Now, just because some people can't relate to poetry with profanity in it, does not mean that the artist should go against what is most comfortable for them because it makes a segment of society uncomfortable.

As a writer, I am not for everybody. No one can be. And to be honest, who wants to be? Ultimately, you want a tight, loyal, group of fans who support you, support what you do, and are willing to spend money on your product so you can live. Now, should I not use profanity in my writing because one group of people do not like it? No offense, but if you do not like it, then do not read it.

There are some things that happen in people's lives that are worth a curse word or two. Horrible things. Not everyone knows how to come up with the perfect metaphor to express how they feel about their father beating their mother. Nor can they come up with a string of alliteration that really tells the tale of what it feels like to be hungry and living on the streets at sixteen years old. They need to get that out of them, as angry as it might be! They need to say it. You do not have to read it. But to tell them that there is something wrong with them, that they are possessed by a demon and that they obviously have some conflict with the creator for using a bad word is close-minded, ignorant, and a killer of creativity.

As an artist, I have learned that the box that people put you in and dare I say it, the box religious dogma puts you in, is a hindrance to self-expression. John Donne went through a transition in his life. But John Donne is well known because he discussed things in his personal writing that were considered "profane" for sixteenth century standards. He mixed sexuality and the divine. Donne's most famous works were not meant to published. And because he knew that his creativity was unbridled, in his chamber, alone, without the church standing over his shoulder nit picking and claiming damnation for using certain topics blasphemous to the creator, he wrote some of the most profound, touching, and genuinely raw expression of his relationship WITH the creator. That is art.

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