I’m an artist in my 30s. without any great success. Before the pandemic, there were quite a few opportunities. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has shattered political and personal matters beyond my control. My job and social circle. I lost contacts and no time for networking.
My art has evolved with me, becoming less conceptual and more narrative and relatable. The most fulfilling moment I’ve had in recent months was when I surprised a local cashier by giving her an illustration. Nevertheless, I’m starting to wonder if I can move people with my art.
I don’t know how to reach out to people without spending hours on social media (social media is draining). Advances in generative AI worry me. There is very little money to be made from art. I put my heart and soul into my art, but my energy (and health) is not limitless. Other large, well-known artists are also seeing their work being used to train AI models without their consent and suffering. I keep asking myself this question. “What’s the point?” I feel like art and artists and cartoonists and illustrators are no longer respected in our culture. Should I give up?
Eleanor says: Do you remember when you started making art? Maybe it was when you were a kid? When you first picked up a pencil, something about it made you want to keep doing it. I guess he didn’t think, “I want to do this for money” or “I want others to recognize my skills.” Something about the activity itself called you back.
If I’m hearing you correctly, you’re probably wondering if you want to keep making art, given the current lack of money, cultural recognition, and industry success. Of course it makes sense. Anyone would find that demoralizing. But the strange thing is that money, success, and cultural recognition were probably not the purpose of making art in the first place. You just wanted to do it. It seemed inexhaustible.
We all have to make money somehow and measure things in some way, so to be an “artist” in adult terms means someone who creates art for money and is successful. However, I think it’s worth thinking about the question of how much you want to create art as part of your job, or whether you aim to “stand in the art scene.” The question of whether or not to continue making art in the first place is different.
The first question is, “Should I continue to strive to make art a major part of how I make money?” It’s an economic decision. How much you have to pay for time and opportunity costs depends entirely on what your remaining financial security looks like. Money is a part of life, and I believe we can and should make decisions based on cold, hard calculations of anticipated utility bills. If you can help it, long-term housing and retirement are not something you should take on as a high-risk gamble.
Another question is, “Should I keep making art even though I don’t know if I’ll be recognized as an artist?” We want our talents to be recognized. We want people to understand that there is value in what we create with skill and love. I understand the concern about how artists will lose that recognition in the age of AI. And yet, at the same time, you’re also getting stories of completely candid and beautiful reviews from the women you’ve illustrated. It shines as a feeling of fulfillment for you. Reaching people with your art is not just about your digital footprint and industry metrics.
Of course, the need to promote ourselves imposes metrics on us. It forces us to think in terms of “impressions,” viewership, grant funding, etc. (And the more you need to make money through your art, the more likely you are to measure it by that standard). But when you ask if your work is valued, be sure to also measure human accomplishments, the days you accomplish them, the meaning you feel, and the moments you feel deeply fulfilled.
The third and final question is, “Should I keep making art?” Even if it might not make you money? Even if the algorithm doesn’t evaluate it? Even as the slope continues around me, I feel a growing indifference towards culture and indifference towards craft. Should I keep making art? You might answer this. “Why would you stop?”
This letter has been edited.
