Just because something's original doesn't mean it's automatically good. Sometimes, the reason no one else has done something before you, is that they have better taste.
01/03/2016, 14:50
I don't know if you are an artist, but if you are, you would know that feeling.
What's expressed here is something that you face as an artist on a daily basis.
If you draw your original characters or stories etc. you will hardly find enyone who will be interested.
But with the same skill level, just mix some popular fandom with porn and people will start throwing money at you (not literally)
It's the easiest way for artists to get by.
But on a long term, there will be no more popular fandoms, if there is no more original content.
What's expressed here is something that you face as an artist on a daily basis.
If you draw your original characters or stories etc. you will hardly find enyone who will be interested.
But with the same skill level, just mix some popular fandom with porn and people will start throwing money at you (not literally)
It's the easiest way for artists to get by.
But on a long term, there will be no more popular fandoms, if there is no more original content.
I have dabbled, and I DO understand the sentiment. However I also work with artists who illustrate for a living, and are paid to draw other people's ideas (the fanbase as well as the writers). What I'm attempting to do here is not mock, but present a counter-argument.
If you intend to draw or create art for a living then you have to find a balance between originality and marketing to your audience. If you tell a joke only you think is funny, if you draw cartoons only you think is cute, if you tell a story only you think is engaging and interesting... that's all fine for you, but it's unfair to expect anyone to pay you for spending all your time and effort on yourself and your own personal whims. Your audience is not a separate entity, divorced from your work; they are a symbiotic part of the creative process that cannot be ignored if you want to get anywhere.
Is your original creative work entertaining? You may think so, but your audience gets to vote too... and they outnumber you... a lot. (Besides which, they're the half of the equation with the money. ;) )
A balance, a mix, flexibility and adaptability is needed, to be successful.
If you intend to draw or create art for a living then you have to find a balance between originality and marketing to your audience. If you tell a joke only you think is funny, if you draw cartoons only you think is cute, if you tell a story only you think is engaging and interesting... that's all fine for you, but it's unfair to expect anyone to pay you for spending all your time and effort on yourself and your own personal whims. Your audience is not a separate entity, divorced from your work; they are a symbiotic part of the creative process that cannot be ignored if you want to get anywhere.
Is your original creative work entertaining? You may think so, but your audience gets to vote too... and they outnumber you... a lot. (Besides which, they're the half of the equation with the money. ;) )
A balance, a mix, flexibility and adaptability is needed, to be successful.
The whole point of this comic is, that people, most of the time, are giving a shit about any original art.
But they will go totaly ballistic over some popular fandom.
It is the sad truth that quality comes in second for the popularity of the source.
This is not mainly about money and making a living, but that people don't recognize if you do, what you truly love.
Artistic and/or writing skill does not matter, as long as it panders to some fandom.
But they will go totaly ballistic over some popular fandom.
It is the sad truth that quality comes in second for the popularity of the source.
This is not mainly about money and making a living, but that people don't recognize if you do, what you truly love.
Artistic and/or writing skill does not matter, as long as it panders to some fandom.
Hmm... Maybe I got too long-winded and confused my point. I'll try it shorter:
An artist's personal opinion of their own work may not be the truest measure of its quality or value.
Inarguably, one very literal way to measure of a work's value is how many other people value it, and by how much, monetarily speaking.
An artist's personal opinion of their own work may not be the truest measure of its quality or value.
Inarguably, one very literal way to measure of a work's value is how many other people value it, and by how much, monetarily speaking.
VERY well said. This applies to any creation, actually. Not just art.
Actually, it applies to even kids, and how you raise them (Except for the money part).
Actually, it applies to even kids, and how you raise them (Except for the money part).
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