THE NOBLE DISTRACTION OF THE PROBLEM OF ART AND CAPITALISM
I wrote and then did not post this caption to an Instagram post the other day:
"Been feeling very cynical the last few days. Not a great attitude to have, just generally, but especially when you're also trying to sell your work online. It's weird navigating sales and art, and I get all hung up on it every damn time. I just read an IG ad from a lady claiming she can turn your hobby into a six figure business (I always fall for it and I clicked "read more"). Turns out (according to this lady), you have to sell art the people want, not art you want to make. That seems backwards to me. Also like, not worth it, just trading in one job for another.
I've been wrestling with why I'm not content just making my art. Why do I need to sell it? Well, capitalism, for one thing. I'm not so idealistic that I'm willing to give up the luxury of society and running water and central heat just so I can buck that system.
Art matters. It's important. Creativity is important. Imagination is important. Helping people see the world in a new way is extremely important. Putting a dollar amount on that seems cheap, but putting a dollar amount on anything is cheap, really, and so I participate in the system.
There's got to be a better way to think about money and art, isn't there?"
Fortunately all I did was let it sit in drafts. If I had posted it, all it would have done was further muddy the waters for myself and all other artists out there who let themselves get distracted with this noble problem.
Of course, I'm posting it here, now, but let it be an example of why this is really just a very sneaky way to keep us stuck.
Let's break it down.
"Turns out (according to this lady), you have to sell art the people want, not art you want to make. That seems backwards to me. Also like, not worth it, just trading in one job for another."
I'm actually pretty happy with this thought. I don't want to perpetuate a terrible myth that we have to sell out in order to be successful. That's some bullshit I don't got time for, and neither to you.
"I've been wrestling with why I'm not content just making my art. Why do I need to sell it?"
Lots to unpack here... Or is there? Could it be that it's enough that I also have a drive to be an entrepreneur, and to someday work for myself so that I can focus on my passions? Who wouldn't want that? The way I know that this is a dumb thing to get hung up on (questioning why I want to sell my art in the first place) is that I do not begrudge any other artist who sells their work, or becomes filthy stinking rich doing it. Why would I make myself a martyr for idealism when I have absolutely zero qualms about others following a path that I won't allow myself to take? I'm just locking myself out of the opportunity to thrive by getting spun up on this "problem" of wanting to sell my art that is not really a problem. I want to sell my art because I see other people doing it and therefore I know it is possible to make a living at it, which sounds like a dream come true.
This might be enough for you to get unstuck and start taking steps to get your art business up and running. But my brain is sneaky and wants to take it up a notch.
"Art matters. It's important. Creativity is important. Imagination is important. Helping people see the world in a new way is extremely important. Putting a dollar amount on that seems cheap, but putting a dollar amount on anything is cheap, really, and so I participate in the system."
I can really get in my head about this one. And yet, I have the answer right there to calm my overthinking mind: "putting a dollar amount on anything is cheap." The concept of money is totally made-up in the first place. We assign meaning with numbers, as a way to quickly categorize the value of things. It is a great coping skill to navigate an endlessly complicated world. Sure, it gets us into trouble, like every human invention, but it's a pretty good system and not inherently evil. (As an ex-evangelical person, I have had to undo a lot of the deep-rooted bias against wealth and the belief that having extra money, or even a desire for it, is evil. This is why I need the back story on money as a construct - maybe it helps you, too).
And now we get to the real problem.
This is the reason it is so easy for me to distract myself with this problem of art and capitalism, and why it's probably also easy for you to be distracted by it: it looks SO noble. When I make art into this noble thing, into the apex of human expression, it does become impossible to "cheapen" it with a price tag. The next logical step would be to not sell it. Which means I'm left out on the streets unless I have a "real" job because [spoiler alert] we have to participate in "the system" in order to participate in modern society, which again, has issues but isn't evil in and of itself.
No one is happy at the end of this scenario, because I don't get to sell my art and nobody gets to buy it, and I just get to keep being miserable and keep wondering why my half-assed efforts to sell my art aren't working. It's a lose-lose situation all around.
What's really going on.
This "problem" of art and capitalism is really just a fancy way for me to hide from my real fear of failure, or that no one will buy my art. If I have a Very Noble Reason to not even try, I won't have failed.
It's amazing to me that after all of the books I've read, podcasts I've listened to, pages I've journaled around fear of failure that this one was hiding under my nose for over a decade. This Very Noble Reason was keeping me stuck and miserable and therefore it was not helpful, or good, nor was it even a fact that could be upheld in court. The Very Noble Reason was 100% up for debate and could be argued about for, well, over a decade.
I'm very ready to let this one go.
I know the Very Noble Reason not to keep trying to sell my work will continue to rear its ugly head. I know it's just my brain trying to protect me from disappointment. But you know what, Brain? I'm way more disappointed in the years I've spent stuck because of this Very Noble Reason. Nice going, Brain, your plan totally backfired.
Good news is, the Very Noble Reason won't keep me stuck anymore. I get to keep trying new things, keep reaching new people with my work, and keep building a life I love so that I can keep sharing that work with the people who love it. What more could I ask for?
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What's your Very Noble Reason not to pursue your dreams?
Please tell me what it is in the comments and some new thoughts you can hold onto when it shows up again!
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