Friday links! Portrait of the artist as kind of a douche edition

Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates at the 1987 PEN dinner in New York City

Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates at the 1987 PEN dinner in New York City

The phrase “young artist” is probably a contradiction in terms. An artist is defined by what he or she makes, and young ones have by definition not had much time to make stuff. Interestingly, the per capita number of self-identified artists in any population goes way up as the population gets younger. Most people decide they are artists first, and then they make some art. Today is Friday, and artistry—if not artistic achievement—is mostly a state of mind. Won’t you romanticize your dysfunction with me?

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