On Frivolity

I came across these quotes on frivolity today - on a fashion blog, albeit - and I thought they were interesting. Applicable to the arts in general, the notion of frivolity is one I've pondered in the past. I.E. "Am I wasting my  time by bringing more non-functional things into the world?" I always skate around the question a bit though, afraid that my logical mind will tell me to give up my passion and do something sensible and lucrative. After having encountered these thoughts below, however, I'm quite dedicated to making this work. It's going to be delicious.

“There is always some frivolity in excellent minds; they have wings to rise, but also stray.” (Joseph Joubert)

“You’re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity.” (Sofia Coppola)   

“If you compare it with philosophy, [fashion] is frivolous. But frivolity may be something good, something that is part of our lives. So I don’t dislike it. And what I like is the mix — that in your life you can have serious things, more frivolous ones. Fashion is about beauty and the search for beauty, I think it’s a fundamental thing. No one criticizes if you want to do beautiful homes. No one criticizes if you want to buy a beautiful chair. But so many intellectuals still criticize why you want to wear beautiful clothes, and it’s only our body, so it must be important in a way.” (Miuccia Prada) 

“I think here's nothing wrong with being interested in frivolity, so long as it isn't your be-all and end-all. Physical things like fashion, architecture, design are important to me because they frame the life you lead - they're the backdrop and settings that intersect when you form an emotional attachment or memory in association with them.” (Lin, out-of-the-bag.blogspot.com)

(quotes extracted from a fellow blogger here)