2/4/23 --- The Hypocrisy of Art

 Hey all,

Today is a little bit of rant, so if you want to skip this one, feel free.

Recently, I've seen several of my favorite artists/authors speak about what you should and should not do when making a career out of your art. They give this advice from their cushy lives as full-time artists making enough money to not only support themselves, but a higher class lifestyle that most of us don't ever get the chance to experience.

The theme has been "be true to your heart, only create what you love regardless of popularity".

I feel this, deep in my bones. And I want so SO badly for it to be something that everyone could do. But that's just not how life works.

In order to be a full time artist, you have to grind, and grind hard. You have to create things people like so much that they want to buy them, that they can't live without. Only with several thousand fans of this caliber can you ever even DREAM of going full-time.

Following your heart and creating what you love is great... if your goal is only to do it as a hobby.

But I know there are tens and hundreds of thousands of you out there that would love to make a living from your art. And to that I say this, ignore what these people say. Grind, create, learn tropes, make tiktoks that gain you followers, do everything you can possibly do to make your dream come true. It's hard and exhausting, I totally get it, but continuing to make something wildly unpopular in the hopes that someday other people will 'wake up' and recognize your genius is a good way to spend your whole life spinning your tires. 

Sometimes we have to grind and make stupid popular shit to get ahead. However, I can guarantee that there is something popular in the things you love. All you have to do is combine what you love with what's popular and you have a winning ticket. There's always a way to make that work.

Then, when you become a full-time artist and successful, do me a favor and don't make youtube or tiktok videos saying that everyone else's work isn't 'real art' because they are trying to be seen.

Remember your roots, practice gratitude, and don't shit on other artists who are still figuring it out.

Thanks.

-Blake

P.S. You also have full permission to not grind at all and just do your art as a hobby. That is totally valid, but you'll probably have to keep that day job.