Terrorism is a terrible thing, but fortunately for most of the world, it is also very rare; "aesthetic terrorism," however, isn't. It has certain features in common with the more violent variety: a fanatical devotion to a singular, unchanging world; the need to enforce doctrine on everyone uniformly; aggressive responses to deviations; and--most importantly--an inability to recognize that alternatives to dogma not only do exist, but are also equally valid positions.
Conceptual art in the 1960s appeared at the same moment when it started to become possible for artists to stop making art and instead simply direct a computeror other machineto do it for them.
Robert Rich discusses the economics of being a small, independent artist/producer. His experiences agree with my own, much smaller ones arrived at over a shorter period. The conclusion he does not provide, but hints at, is that to survive within the long tail as an artist you need to already be established.... and even then it's uncertain.
