The Flower Shop is a novel centered on the contrast and conflict between the creation of art for passion and the creation of art for profit. Exploring this division from the perspective of an individual in the music industry, the novel additionally explores themes of growing up, growing apart, the exploitation of artists, harassment, vengeance, fantasy versus reality, and the evolving way media is produced and consumed. As protagonist David Fair fulfills his lifelong dream of being a musician, he finds himself not in a place to share his music with the world, but rather a cog in an business that places money and status over artistic merit. Through encounters with his overzealous and fame seeking roommate, an aging rock star obsessed with maintaining his image, an alcoholic superstar, and two women disillusioned with the predatory industry, David must decide what matters more—being a celebrity or being true to himself. Inspired partially by the author’s time working in close proximity with aspiring musicians and his own experiences with writing and editing, The Flower Shop aims to provide a reflective look at what it means to be an artist.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Flower Shop is a novel centered on the contrast and conflict between the creation of art for passion and the creation of art for profit. Exploring this division from the perspective of an individual in the music industry, the novel additionally explores themes of growing up, growing apart, the exploitation of artists, harassment, vengeance, fantasy versus reality, and the evolving way media is produced and consumed. As protagonist David Fair fulfills his lifelong dream of being a musician, he finds himself not in a place to share his music with the world, but rather a cog in an business that places money and status over artistic merit. Through encounters with his overzealous and fame seeking roommate, an aging rock star obsessed with maintaining his image, an alcoholic superstar, and two women disillusioned with the predatory industry, David must decide what matters more—being a celebrity or being true to himself. Inspired partially by the author’s time working in close proximity with aspiring musicians and his own experiences with writing and editing, The Flower Shop aims to provide a reflective look at what it means to be an artist. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hall, Ian McKinzey"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"English and Theatre","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z","subjects":["Fiction"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2020 Ian McKinzey Hall"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/722","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hall, Ian McKinzey"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English and Theatre"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Fiction"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2020 Ian McKinzey Hall"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/722"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Flower Shop is a novel centered on the contrast and conflict between the creation of art for passion and the creation of art for profit. Exploring this division from the perspective of an individual in the music industry, the novel additionally explores themes of growing up, growing apart, the exploitation of artists, harassment, vengeance, fantasy versus reality, and the evolving way media is produced and consumed. As protagonist David Fair fulfills his lifelong dream of being a musician, he finds himself not in a place to share his music with the world, but rather a cog in an business that places money and status over artistic merit. Through encounters with his overzealous and fame seeking roommate, an aging rock star obsessed with maintaining his image, an alcoholic superstar, and two women disillusioned with the predatory industry, David must decide what matters more—being a celebrity or being true to himself. Inspired partially by the author’s time working in close proximity with aspiring musicians and his own experiences with writing and editing, The Flower Shop aims to provide a reflective look at what it means to be an artist.
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"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/722"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2020 Ian McKinzey Hall"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Fiction"],"dc:title":["The Flower Shop"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English and Theatre"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z"}