I’ve been building for years. I am tired, and I've had enough.
A reflection on the line between artist and hobbyist, the myth of the starving artist, and why perseverance is the only real difference between failure and success.
I’ve been building for years. I am tired, and I've had enough.
A good artist & friend asked me yesterday my opinion on something the famous Roy Hargrove said. Roy roughly states that
“you do this (your art) because you love it, and even if you're broke, you are still gonna do it”
this striked up a conversation about what truly makes someone an artist. My idea was that an artist is different from say a hobbyist in that they have the innate desire to make a living from their art. To be able to sustain oneself of their own craft.
I find it fascinating how the idea of being a starving artist is so engrained within our culture, it’s expected as a part of every homegrown success story. Something like
“I worked as a server or in a corporate job for years while I grinded on the side until I was able to become successful in art.”
It can make the struggle feel better and worse depending on your mood. On one side you are glad that others can relate to your sentiments. But on the other you are receiving any pity from your peers, coworkers, family, or fans. In the United States we live in a live to work culture, we spend our entire lives working and that's just something we aren’t going to be able to change.
But how do we navigate those periods of time when you feel like you have been trying and trying for weeks, months, years and you still aren’t receiving the fruits of your labor.
As I spoke to another friend about this he told me,
“You are blessed to know the difference between good art and bad art…and you have to use that to your advantage. You have been doing things for a long time but stopping is only going to give you one outcome, which is failure”
And he is right, I mean there really is no other way around it. You just have to keep making, creating, and innovating until something works.
We just wrapped up a productivity series, and even in my own life, I’m grateful to have implemented some of those strategies. But doing just those things hasn’t granted me success as an artist. They’re just tweaks and add-ons to the core mission:
Keep creating. Until one day, you’ve made it.
So that's my only encouragement to you today, wherever you are in your journey, just keep going the only difference between those who succeed and those who fail is that.
Top News and Other Curated Content From This Week
- 12-foot statue of Black woman in Times Square sparks debate on social media. Read more here.
- Mexican Government Agency Says MrBeast’s ‘Ancient Temple’ Stunt Followed Rules—But Not Everything Was Real. Read more here.
- Through the Olive Trees (1994) is a film I understood long before I was able to properly watch it. Read more here.
- Citizen Kane, The Social Network, and the American Ozymandias. Read more here.
Dope Sh*t I Found This Week
- Music: wishful thinking – Duval Timothy – Listen on Spotify
- Video: Francis Bebey at Real World Studios – Watch on YouTube
- Read: Cool Is Everywhere: New and Adaptive Design Across America – Purchase on Amazon
Thanks for reading,
-Wolfgang
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