Brand of loyalty

[amanda]

So I have these two friends, sort of.... more like two men that I have been casually acquainted with for almost three years. Both are artists and create a body of work that I consistently admire, even resonate with- which, even in my short time, I know is extremely rare to find. It's especially my good fortune that these two men know OF each other and, at times, collaborate together.

Both have created similar constructs, playgrounds if you will, that I enjoy dabbling in- both are as important to me as laying in the grass and watching clouds in the sky... there's no real inherent value other than my mind engaging in puffs of air, yet there's a wonderful sense of luck of being able to call these clouds anytime I choose to watch the components flow into new forms I would have never created on my own.

But I'm getting the sense that these constructs are commodities to these men, almost like brands of like products in a supermarket. If I am loyal to one brand then that means that I am not loyal to another.

On my side, nothing could be further from the truth- both men create a kind of beauty that is all too rare. The more of it I can bring into my world, the more fortunate I consider myself. My only concern is to repay even a small portion of what they give to me.

So here are my questions...

is an online social space a commodity? is it fair to base loyalty on the structure when it is really about the components within the structure (i.e. the people, the potentiality, the kinesis of ideas)?

am I being entirely selfish by not choosing between these two constructs, in so doing, potentially jeopardizing my interactions with both gentlemen?

would van Gogh throw a fit if he knew Monet’s painting commanded three benches to his none in MoMA? Would Monet be pissed if he learned that I spent ten minutes looking at Starry Night and three at Waterlillies? Would they both blow a fuse if they knew I fall victim to the sin of the guilty pleasures of admiring my own work as I hang it on my walls and not theirs, regardless how much I love their paintings?

sock it to me.