Nice Art

"well, he's a jerk. I'm not going to watch his movies anymore." what does his personality have to do with what he creates? or she? requiring people to be pleasant and then also be great entertainers seems like a lot to ask. people romanticize van gogh cutting off his ear out of love, but that is not the action of a normal person - or a reasonable person. if they would have had phones back then, i'd imagine the woman who was the catalyst for that maiming would have gotten some unsavory voicemails from him prior - "i'll do it!! you hear me?! I'll cut off my god damn ear!! that's how crazy you make me!! hello?!!" but we don't know any of that. we only know his art. isn't that all we should know of an artist? reality shows have given us some idea that behind the scenes they should be a delight, but that has nothing to do with art. you're going to boycott what they created if they're not a person you enjoy? what if edison had been an asshole? "well, i'm not using lights anymore! i can tell you that much!" think of all your favorite art, not the artists, just the actual song, movie or book or whatever it is that you like from them. and then imagine the children they touched, the racial slurs they shouted, the things they drunkenly crashed their cars into. in the future, only the art will be remembered, so you may as well get an early start.