I Drink My Juice Out of Whiskey Glasses 2

Although I have long believed in creating meaningful work, sometimes it's more important to make something that means nothing. Something that is just for the sake of having fun. I think art making ought to be considered a type of labor and that we should recognize it as such, but it presents its own unique challenge, as it is impossible to separate the labor of art making from the artist. Unlike non-creative fields, as artists, we put a bit of ourselves in everything we create. So if all of our works of art are considered labor, and we are in some way our work, are artists in turn only made of their labor? I don't think so. 

The idea of play and leisure under capitalism is a complex issue, especially as an artist, where you are semi-forced to monetize your craft and relinquish control over it. You cannot just make work for yourself and survive off of that, unless you are one of the few lucky individuals for whom money is not an issue. You have to think of an audience for whom your work will appeal, and make work for them. But this reduces the artist to just their labor, so I believe every now and again, you must make work that is mindless, kitsch, and nothing more than something you want to create.

This piece was for nobody but myself and was created in a week during my Christmas break as a high school senior. It's completely self-indulgent, means absolutely nothing, and was incredibly fun to make as a sequel to a prior painting, titled "I Drink My Juice Out of Whiskey Glasses", which I have also included below if you are curious.