A pro-gay-marriage artist explains why he supported the court's 303 Creative decision...

[allegorical oracle]

Excerpts from the magazine's My Turn opinion column written by David Carson:

I'm a graphic artist. Have been for decades. Throughout my career I've been nominated for an Emmy, received hundreds of awards, and lectured around the world. I've designed for skateboard and music magazines, whiskey labels, international companies, social justice causes, and much else.

I create through intuition. Creative communication begins with a feeling. Trust your eye, trust your gut. That's where great art comes from.

But all of that requires freedom. The freedom to fail and to experiment. And the freedom to create consistent with your own personal beliefs and artistic choices. If you can't put your own heart and soul into your work, there's no reason to do it.

That's why I was fascinated by the recent U.S. Supreme Court case 303 Creative v. Elenis. The case involves Lorie Smith, another graphic designer and the owner of 303 Creative in Colorado.

I filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Lorie's case. Not because I agree with her stance on marriage. Far from it. Let me be crystal clear: I support marriage equality.

Instead, I filed the brief because I believe so strongly in the underlying free-speech principles. And I understood that if Colorado could force one artist to create something inconsistent with her beliefs, it's not hard to imagine other governments in this country doing the same.

So while I absolutely disagree with Lorie's views on marriage, I wholeheartedly condemn the idea that the government can dictate what artists create.

Personally, I haven't–and won't–create a piece of art that's pro-guns, that promotes Donald Trump or that helps anyone sell cigarettes. I wouldn't design any of these messages if a client asked me to. Those are very personal decisions that should be left to individual artists, not the government.

Artists, like everyone else, must be allowed to choose for themselves what messages they want to express. To me, that's the most basic definition of art and freedom, and of effective communication, for that matter.

As long as we have that right to choose, some people are going to put forth messages I don't like. That's all right. I'm not endorsing Lorie Smith. I'm not endorsing her point of view. I'm endorsing freedom.

https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-ruling-art-gay-marriage-1812404

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I agree with this. If one person won't do the cake or website, there...

are a hundred others who will.

What do we say when someone won't do a Nazi piece out of conscience, but is told he or she must?