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Being a different artist
6 years ago
I'm trying to be a bit more active online here so I am going to be journaling about random topics, thoughts, and ideas from time to time.
Tonight I want to talk about a few thoughts around being your own artist/writer/musician/other content creator, and thoughts on being different as said artist or creator.
I recently stumbled on a post by an artist who's work I love and they stated that they were considering not posting on FA anymore as they did not feel that their work fit. I was sad to hear that, especially considering the number of people that chimed in telling them that they were wanted and appreciated here. I lent my two cents which amount to this; Being different is not bad, in fact it's very good! Being different means that you stand out from the crowd and it does get you some attention.
I got to thinking about the sentiment and how it applied to my own experiences on this site and in the furry and greater online art community. It's really easy to notice that my work isn't super popular and doesn't get much attention these days and hard to ignore people who criticize and tell me things that I am not doing or not doing well as reasons behind my inability to garner more interest. But then I look and see that there are people that really are interested, and I realized that being who I am and creating what I feel like creating is more valuable than fitting in, doing what is expected, and showing what would immediately be popular.
If you are an artist, writer, musician, or other content creator, remember that if you follow the herd, you are one of a thousand, but if you do what you do, you are an individual. I think the older I get the more disenfranchised I get with the idea that we must listen to and like unsolicited, uninvited, or unwanted critique. Healthy critique can be good, but there is a kind of critique that bothers me a lot. The one that comes from someone you never hear from otherwise, that they have been seemingly wanting to say but biding their time til now to say it and it comes out of left field, often hi-jacking a question or request for simpler feedback from you, the artist. Most people think this is normal but for me it raises my hackles and sort of feels like the artist world equivalent of r/niceguy posts.
What I am saying is, only you know your journey and what you are trying to achieve. As a teacher, I can tell you that negative comments only destroy relationships and do not teach. So don't listen to crits that make you uncomfortable or contribute to negative thinking about your work. You most likely are already your own worst critic to begin with. So listen to the helpful, kind, or positive people and be you.
And if you don't fit the average, be proud of that. It makes you visible.
Just my thoughts on a couple things that have been playing in my head recently.
Tonight I want to talk about a few thoughts around being your own artist/writer/musician/other content creator, and thoughts on being different as said artist or creator.
I recently stumbled on a post by an artist who's work I love and they stated that they were considering not posting on FA anymore as they did not feel that their work fit. I was sad to hear that, especially considering the number of people that chimed in telling them that they were wanted and appreciated here. I lent my two cents which amount to this; Being different is not bad, in fact it's very good! Being different means that you stand out from the crowd and it does get you some attention.
I got to thinking about the sentiment and how it applied to my own experiences on this site and in the furry and greater online art community. It's really easy to notice that my work isn't super popular and doesn't get much attention these days and hard to ignore people who criticize and tell me things that I am not doing or not doing well as reasons behind my inability to garner more interest. But then I look and see that there are people that really are interested, and I realized that being who I am and creating what I feel like creating is more valuable than fitting in, doing what is expected, and showing what would immediately be popular.
If you are an artist, writer, musician, or other content creator, remember that if you follow the herd, you are one of a thousand, but if you do what you do, you are an individual. I think the older I get the more disenfranchised I get with the idea that we must listen to and like unsolicited, uninvited, or unwanted critique. Healthy critique can be good, but there is a kind of critique that bothers me a lot. The one that comes from someone you never hear from otherwise, that they have been seemingly wanting to say but biding their time til now to say it and it comes out of left field, often hi-jacking a question or request for simpler feedback from you, the artist. Most people think this is normal but for me it raises my hackles and sort of feels like the artist world equivalent of r/niceguy posts.
What I am saying is, only you know your journey and what you are trying to achieve. As a teacher, I can tell you that negative comments only destroy relationships and do not teach. So don't listen to crits that make you uncomfortable or contribute to negative thinking about your work. You most likely are already your own worst critic to begin with. So listen to the helpful, kind, or positive people and be you.
And if you don't fit the average, be proud of that. It makes you visible.
Just my thoughts on a couple things that have been playing in my head recently.
