Traditional versus innovation

One of the key issues in art is about keeping to tradition versus innovation to keep up with the times. There are always advocates for both sides, and as someone who dabbles a bit in art, I am exposed to points raised by both sides.

On one side, we have advocates who say that an art developed through history and survived because of its traditions, and as the current practitioners, it is our responsibility to continue preserving those traditions. We have a responsibility to pass down a piece of history to future generations.

 

Advocates for innovation would argue that every field of art has evolved over time, with innovations to update them according to the times. An art that is not "updated" will eventually lose its resonance with people and relevance to society, and become lost. It is therefore necessary to innovate so that the art remains relevant and thrives.

 

I personally think that both sides are right, and it hurts the art more to obstinately stick with one side. Tradition is important for passing down history to future generations, but innovation is also important for remaining relevant. Obstinate tradition, however, leads to obsolescence, eventually leading to the very outcome that we want to avoid: the lost of tradition. Meanwhile, innovation without tradition has no roots, and therefore, is technically a new art that is trying to start from scratch.

 

Tradition is tried and tested by time. But the times change, and art needs to keep up too. This brings in the need to innovate. At the same time, we need to remember that not all innovation will survive. Out of everything people try over time, only a small percentage end up resonating with a wider audience, eventually taking root and become a new part of tradition.

 

As a member of an art community passing down tradition while innovating to keep up with the times, we have to remember that our ideas may not be accepted. That is the way of life. We can only hope that we keep practising tradition, and whatever innovation we have becomes an idea that others can resonate with, and eventually assimilate it into tradition.