Loss of Creativity : part1

Oliviero Toscani brings up a fascinating point when he says that art is dying. Because I grew up in a different country I can see the difference clearer, I see with my own eyes how creativity is beginning to rot as a result of committees and our over/under sensoring. Toscani states, " magazine editors have lost their editorial independences, and work for committees of publishers. TV scripts are vetted by producers, advertisers, lawyers, research specialists, layers and layers of paid executives who determine whether the scripts are dumb enough to amuse what hey call the "lowest common denominator." Film studios put films in front of focus groups to determine whether an ending will please target audiences. All cars look the same. Architectural decisions are made by accountants. Ads are stupid. Theater is dead." Although considering the possibilty of this being true is depressing, I seriously consider this statement, and although only partially agree with it admit that it is largely valid. My backround I think makes me look at this issue from a different perspective. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine in 1986, I lived with my parents in a one room dormitory while they attended art college. Soon after my birth an enormous explosion at a petrochemical plant in Chernobyl took place. The government covered up the embarrassing accident for months, and my family was extremely fortunate not to be effected. When I was two years old my parents and I relocated to Baku, Azerbaijan to reside with my grandparents. In a few years the political situation in Baku worsened as the conflict between the Azerbaijani people and the Armenians escalated. After fleeing the country we were lucky to be able to arrive in America.