I used to think of art as self expression but there are negatives to it:

  • isolation
  • lack of connection with audience
  • puts too much emphasis on myself, which means I’m often unaware of how other artists go about developing their art

Then I started to think of it as manufacturing / design, but that still doesn’t work:

  • it puts too much emphasis on selling, which forces stronger connection with audience
  • however it disconnects the artist from their art

I think the healthiest way to view it now is to look at it as if it’s an esport like dota:

  • i think it’s apt, you have to put in the time to develop your own strats
  • but at the same time, you’re also looking at other artists and potentially get something from their strats
  • most importantly, it’s skill expression. youre expressing yourself but at the same time it’s not just about you
  • there is an audience too, there are people who believe in you and you should appreciate and try not to let down
  • there’s so much more to it as well. like the achieving your dream aspect. I’ve rewatched the ti8 ti9 documentary on OG esports and like there’s something magical about it. magic that I feel have been missing severely in my art journey for so damn long.