I read this: http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/804-op-ed-does-the-struggle-of-making-art-in-america-make-for-better-art/.

This land of opportunities with no public funding and a queue of talented young musicians lining up for the big time is very, very brutal, albeit exciting and nowhere near perfect… There is something about trying to fight through the masses of people and reach the sprawling musical tapestry, sometimes failing intensely and sometimes not…

Despite all of our free art conservatories and funding, we don’t seem to export Tchaikovskys and Björks as often as you would think. We are mostly exporting pleasing, cool pop acts that fit the current cultural trend, while countries like America and certain areas of Europe, despite and possibly because of their hardships, are leading the way in experimental, progressive music…

In Denmark I was nurtured, given freedom to hone my skills and experiment with my boundaries and in America I had them pushed to their very limits, thrusting me away from comfort into hardship and struggle.

Hmmm…

[This was actually many months ago, and I’ve been searching for a while for the little bit of thought I put down on paper about this. I found it this past Sunday, while looking for something else, of course.]

My only insight about struggle is this:
1. When you are struggling, you are more likely to answer the question: “What would you create if you knew you were dying.” You are in touch with the fact that you might not have many chances, and so you feel and you know deep in your soul – viscerally, intrinsically, instinctively, at a cellular level – that you must make this one count. “There’s no time to be merely clever or simply entertaining or interesting.”

2. AND – you make art that’s designed to speak to those who are also struggling. And so you talk about things that matter deeply. You try to help. You are lonely and broke, making music/art/books/theatre for other people who are lonely and broke.