"Currency"- Thesis Prep Post

"No man is an island" is a fairly well-known cliche, but it is the first thing that came to my mind in considering the matter of the artist as a part of his or her modern day world.  In my opinion, the question is not whether or not any given artist gives off an impression of their "now," but rather, how the "now" manifests in their work.  We are surrounded by our time period and culture, and no matter how boldly a person might proclaim that their work is their own, free and untouched by influences outside of their own brave and brilliant individuality, they will nevertheless be influenced by their context.  
That probably sounds like a given to some people, so then the next matter is what our current times request and inspire in artists today.  On the whole, I would say that our modern day zeitgeist encourages a sort of playful experimentation and openness to possibilities.  Particularly in North America, it could be argued that we are a people unaccustomed and violently opposed to being told something can't be done-- particularly in this age of incredible and rapid technological advancement, which permits so much more to be done.
Regarding my own work, I have to admit, while I'm sure it does reflect the times in some ways, I can't quite pinpoint how.  Perhaps the fact that I feel comfortable maintaining my cartoonish influences while also pursuing some more classical methods of study and artistic development is reflective of the aforementioned atmosphere of experimentation and freedom.  To a large extent, I feel that I won't be able to determine exactly in what ways my work is "current" until time as gone by and I can look at it retrospectively.  In addition, I always feel that in many ways, it is difficult for me to assess my own work, for fear of misinterpreting out of bias, and so it would be difficult to accurately form an answer to the question.  
I suppose the best conclusion I can draw right now is that working in today's environment allows me to feel free to "play" and experiment, however, I won't really have significant perspective on the current world's influence on my artwork until it is no longer current.