I consider street artistry to be more of a secondary sociological group, for the reason that there are much larger impersonal settings in which the artists interact with each other and is not as emotionally tight-knit as a family, significant other or even an arts collective might be. Primary groups are composed of people that we interact with every day and hold great significance over our social development due to their ways of serving emotional needs and expression rather than pragmatism. While both groups are similar in organization and purpose, they distinct themselves when it comes to execution and impact. Primary groups are believed to support expressive function, while task-focused and time limited secondary groups go on to serve a considerably more instrumental function within society. It is important to take into consideration that both groups are viable aspects of social life as there are no rules when it comes to social groups and it is healthy for people to move from one group to another.
Art will always be questioned in its originality and authenticity, however I have noticed more often than ever that the same concepts and aesthetics are being recycled due to their popularity and relevance within todays society. It is no secret that a number of the artists on Pinterest
, Etsy and even local markets garner inspiration from the works of others, but put their own small personal touch on it to avoid facing potential consequences for copyright. For example, there are a number of online accounts selling personalized Disneyland mouse ears. Technically, that would be a copyright infringement due to the fact that Disney owns the mouse ear logo, along with all of the characters from each movie. However, by making small alterations, utilizing the technology available today and crediting Disney merely as a source of inspiration for their work, shop owners have found great success in selling their ears online at a much lower cost than the park does. In the same way, there are only so many possible chords and keys on a piano. Very few people notice how a number of popular songs in the world share similar, if not the same chords though there are different lyrics. It might be argued that the song was written with those chords because they are audibly appealing to the audience and the artist felt deeply inspired by the works that came before. On the other hand, the song might have been written with those chords simply for the reason that they are relevant in todays society and therefore will attract a larger audience out of relevance, in turn, becoming mainstream.