I do not like to consider myself an artist nor do I like calling what I do art. Let me be clear though. I am not going to try
making any effort in defining art or justifying any feeling of imposter syndrome I may feel. Surprisingly, I do not feel as if
I am not an artist. The deeper concern is regarding the public perception of artists and how that feeds into a certain kind of
narcicissm that people with vulnerable egos, which is the majority of artists, often fall victim to.
They don't fall victim to this until they taste the fruits of their success. Those fruits aren't given in the form of donations,
merchandise sales, or show tickets, but rather praise and statistics. The number one motivator in today's social media attention
economy. Imagine, several million views on a piece you worked on, tens of thousands of people engaging with it in mostly positive
ways. There is no need to imagine it, because all you need to do is go to any high performing piece of work and see an endless
stream of praise and admiration coming from completely random people on a worldwide scale. There is no other trade in the world
that offers this kind of outcome. Not carpentry, not flooring, not pottery, not landscaping, not smithing, not roofing and not even
cooking. Not unless you are a celebrity, and art cannot be a career if the artist is not a celebrity.
They win the game of attention capitalism and subconsciously place themselves above non-artists. They view themselves as
the tortured mothers of culture. "Woe is me" they will cry, because no person could understand the pain of creating art and content,
not unless you are them. Continuously cry about their pain while being coddled by the very people that feed them. They will read
comments of praise over and over and over again until they have reasoned themselves onto believing they are agents of knowledge and
wisdom.
Poor you, with the privilege of expressing through creativity.
Glorious you, because nobody can do what you do.
Poor you, how a minority of your engagement could be so cruel.
Glorious you, because your wit and resolve has brought you to where you are today.
An artist should be looked at no differently than a chef, or a construction worker. Only then will I gladly call myself an artist.