As my whole little Whipit project moves forward, I feel like it’s time to try and get a *little* more serious about the blogging side of things. I mean, no one wants to read paragraphs of text in an Instagram post.
The problems I foresee though are the lack of spontaneity in writing a blog and the fact that people really won’t see what I write. I need to flip it around and recognize that everything I post, here and on social media, is for me and my personal exploration. Other people seeing it is incidental, and don’t get me started on why seeking validation through social media isn’t healthy.
Which segways me to markets. Markets are a blow to the ego. Stand there with your artistic soul on display for disinterested people to glance as they stroll past and, even worse, put a monetary value on it. People have taken cards and chatted, shown real interest and enjoyment from my work but the lovely people don’t seem to buffer away the impact from the countless disinterested ones.
Focusing on this more business side of creativity is a double edged sword. Each painting or print in a new home boosts my creativity and inspires me to keep creating. But that boost makes me seek the next boost which seems to lead me to create what would produce ‘results’ rather than just painting and creating for the joy of it. It’s like an addiction, I’m seeking what I long for even though I should be pursuing what is good for me. How do I even balance that? I’m trying to take it a day at a time, not much else I can do. One day I feel like I love my art, the next I feel like what I make is cheap and lacking any skill. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion right now.
Go onto Youtube…there is a clip of a guy selling original works by Banksy for $60 as uninterested people walked by.
You might enjoy this TedX talk by Amanda Palmer. She talks about painting herself silver and standing on the street working as a human statue. It’s interesting how she talks about connection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g
I remember another clip of a famous classical musician busking in America. He is highly respected and praised, yet when he was busking people barely even noticed or left any change, let alone stopped to listen to a live performance that others pay hundreds of dollars to attend. Thank you, Ian. These put things in a really different perspective 🙂