The bad news for artists is that the world doesn’t really value art, at least not as much as it used to. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, so if you keep watching, I promise there’s good news too.

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I’m not just talking about making money here. It’s pretty clear that not many people see pursuing art as a career as a wise choice.

And maybe they have a point. It’s definitely not easy. But let me reassure you that it’s 1000% possible. But this message isn’t about that.

The idea here this week is that you, an artist, are living in a world that doesn’t truly value your craft or your skills.

And hey, listen, you may be listening to this and thinking, "Hey! This isn’t true! I know people who collect art, and I support artists..." Well, that’s great! But you are part of only maybe 10% of people who really see the value of an artist.

You know that feeling when you’re a kid and you realize people die, or you’re going to die and it just doesn’t make sense? It’s kind of like this epiphany moment....

Some kids stay up and can’t sleep. They cry, they worry. They become indifferent to anything mattering. And then you just kind of have to forget that dark and forboding feeling and maybe even pretend it’s not real. Or ignore that stark reality.

When artists go from feeling creative or idealistic and then the real world smacks them in the face with the reality that... the majority of people just don’t care about you or your art.

The majority of people only care about themselves, and quick fixes to make their lives better. The art that’s all around them, the stories, the game design... the design of everything... they completely take it for granted. It’s as if it was just magically created or always there. They don’t think about the humans, the artists who are making the things.

And that bad news, gets worse. Why wouldn’t people grow up to think things magically appear with AI and you can push a button and have groceries magically arrive at your door.

At that dark realization moment for an artist, there’s a couple of different paths that can happen.

#1 YOU QUIT and CONFORM. Man, I can’t tell you how many artists I’ve talked to who hit this wall. They said, "Fuck it," and just became cogs in someone else’s machine. Because it made the other people around them happy, secure, and safe. Why struggle?

But of course, those artists are a secret hot mess inside. I won’t even get into all the bad news they get up to beyond being depressed, stressed, and full of existential dread.

#2 That bad news pisses you off. You become some kind of crazy rebel artist. You’re not going to conform to the masses! You do it your way!

And hey, I have a lot of good art friends like this. Mixed success there. Some make it big with their Kayfabe on, and some barely scrape by... but... they’re free. And they’re happy. You see these artists sometimes and you might think... damn, they are cool. I wish I could be like that. They feel like the real deal. In most cases, they are.

#3 The third way is... You don’t accept the bad news. You know the reality. But you don’t let it define you or your feelings. These artists are more like stoics. They say, "Okay, these are the facts. The world kinda sucks, people don’t value art... but... I’m gonna die trying because this is what fulfills me."

Watch the full video to explore deeper!