Much to-in and fro-ing over art and artists, this morning. Some good stuff's being said. This subject's like a blue whale; it surfaces every now and again. The conflict between the limitations of the fandom (any fandom) and the folks who chafe at those leads versus those who don't has enough of a varied root system that I don't intend to explore it deeply. What you're about to read (should you choose to read it) comes from my own musings on the subject as a fringe member of the furry community and as a professional artist, a successful freelancer with a lotta years behind my belt.

I think most artist folks in any fandom are doing it for fun. Fun should always be a core element of an artist's life, but the difference between a professional and a fan is drive, nine times out of ten. There's no way to instill drive in someone, as much as you may want to. And to a certain extent, the desire to push a fellow artist is misplaced. It's their choice to make. Mind you, it hurts when you see folks who truly could make it if they tried, and you *want* them to succeed in the worst way....but they get to measure success on their own terms.

The primary danger of any fandom lies in the word "safety". It's the reason the vast majority of the top folks in any fandom don't have a hope of making it in the larger world. Fandom is a great big down pillow. It's comfortable, welcoming, safe. The bar is set much lower in a fandom. You don't have the All-Powerful Engines of Industry pushing the threshold for the betterment of the stockholders and the board members (with a few peanuts left over for the likes of you and me). As you feed the fandom's wants, you turn your eyes away from what the larger world demands. Your work suffers accordingly.

Now, this pathway exists in the professional world, too. It's a standard track in life. Mostly you get caught on it. It's not something you seek out. External pressures guide you there, and it's up to you to stay awake and aware. It's called "pigeonholing". Maybe you're good at landscapes, or painting faces, or logos, or whatever. Pigeonholing is a potential in any given division of the art market.

Fandom...any fandom...is one gigantic pigeonhole.

Here's the pattern, in a nutshell. Artist enters the fandom. This artist has potential, maybe a lot. Gets great feedback. Draws more. Skills improve. Gets still more praise. Finds likeminded artists, gets plugged into the community. Starts to feel good about their work, starts getting some confidence to shoot for the Professional World. Puts a book together and tries it. Catches a fist in the teeth. Retreats to fandom, licks wounds.

Here lies the pivotal moment that separates the person with fire from the ones who will stick with fandom. The professional world isn't a world full of sharks. I wouldn't have met some of my dearest friends were it not for my professional career. The point is, I did that track I just described, stewed for a bit, and came back swinging. And I made it. I'm no Michaelangelo, but I make an excellent income and I have life on my own terms.

Therein lies the choice, because if you want to make it in the professional world, you have to leave the nest, and that nest is Fandom.

There's nothing "wrong" with doing art for fun! Not a thing wrong with enjoying a fandom for what it has to offer: community, support, encouragement, friendships. But for an artist, it's easy for fandom to act as a set of blinders. It WILL cap your abilites. Any fandom has a popular look, usually copped from some source in the larger world, but the current tends to sweep the more imaginative people to the edges and promote those who best feed the desires of the masses. Follow that current and I guarantee the work you make won't get you jack in the commercial world. The bar just isn't set high enough.

The recipe for making it in the professional world is a simple one. Don't confuse "simple" with "easy"!! But it IS simple: work like hell on your skills and imagination. Go to museums and events, check out the work of those employed in the fields you want to plant yourself. THERE'S the mark you've got to hit. Work work work. No time for fan art, little time for friends and fun. That liesure time will come later, when you've established a foothold. You won't get that latitude in the beginning.

The people who make it in the professional world fight, and fight, and fight some more to make it. Talent isn't always the deciding factor. Stubbornness and timeliness swing much greater weight in this equation. I know. I'm not pulling this out of my ass. I've seen the truth of this so many times I've stopped counting.

Art's about love. Love can be strong as steel or fragile as a rose petal. The commercial world can crush that love. It's a very real danger. You need to think about it seriously if you want that gold ring. What I have, I have because I always saw myself as earning my keep through my art. That doesn't make me better or worse than anyone in "fandom". I made a choice.

I'll bring this full circle. Fandom is a place to grow and even flourish. It does nurture. It can also smother you. Like any good drug, it lulls you into thinking you're totally in control no matter how deep you sink. No part of your life should rule you. Let fandom move you along but, if your sights are aimed high, let it be a place you return to now and then, like the place where you grew up.

Don't let the politics, the hyperbole and most of all, the praise, rule you.