Age of Entertainment – Jan Karlin

Events vs. Culture

November 9, 2017 Jan Karlin

My observations of our world have a recurring theme — ample resources exist alongside an inability to spend wisely. Whether looking for solutions to the pressing problems of the environment, education, or politics, people who control the money rarely look beyond their individual experience to explore what is best for their community.

In politics, each voice tries to scream the loudest to be heard rather than finding a compromise. We have charter schools with their own focus to the detriment of public education. The oil industry continues to deface our planet for profit. And in the cultural world, we throw money at status entertainment rather than developing paths to future creativity.

The International Language

September 26, 2017 Jan Karlin

Music is truly the international language, able to be understood and experienced in any country around the world. I learned this on my first trip to Europe as a graduate student and member of the Boston University orchestra which had been chosen as one of ten orchestras worldwide to compete in the Herbert von Karajan competition in Berlin. Under the baton of the late Joseph Silverstein, we won second prize, and interacted with colleagues from all over the world for the two week festival. Before leaving for the tour, Mr. Silverstein admonished all of us to remember that we might be the first Americans the other musicians would meet, and that we were cultural ambassadors for our country. In other words, people would form their opinions of America from each of us.

Inspiration and Language

September 12, 2017 Jan Karlin

Every morning we wake up to the newest perversion of our language – right is left, news is fake, pop is art – all now acceptable and beyond most people’s comprehension. How did it become so out of control?

As I begin my first blog, I find that the topics I wish to write about cannot be divorced from the current state of U.S. and world affairs. I have made my life in the arts, which has taken me on unexpected and wonderful paths. Many musicians travel, meet colleagues from other countries, represent their country artistically, and are unofficial ambassadors of their nation’s cultural life.

What’s Next? Creativity in the Age of Entertainment

September 8, 2017 Jan Karlin

My new book, “What’s Next? Creativity in the Age of Entertainment,” is a memoir of observations of the interconnected causes of the creativity crisis that exists today in an environment where entertainment has replaced and compromised the arts, education, and business. I focus on creativity as the background of the arts, innovation and culture, and the inspiration it provides throughout our society. WINNER OF 2020 BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD AND 2019 READERS FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL AWARD