7:45 yea I feel this, and you’re right they won’t understand. Most people in the world have simple minds, this became really obvious to me in college where I thought I would meet more like myself but in reality it was a bunch of people that wanted a degree to make money not to deepen their understanding of the world. The way I deal with it is to remind myself I don’t need approval from people who don’t value the things I value, especially when it comes to art. Some of us are gifted with a curious mind, I like to focus on how special that is as opposed to who different I am from others

Also yeah, this is how it is and how life goes for a lot of things for those who are creative

The majority of the word behaves as crabs in a bucket. When their dreams die in childhood and they get thrown into the system, they are resentful because they are fully bought into that system and allowed themselves to be defeated. They will try to pull you back down when you strive. That system can make them money, but never satisfy them. The artist sees money as tool (to make more art). Artists do not treat money as the goal. Money must be seen as the RESULT of merit. It’s a result and not a cause. This even goes as far as the feeling of making money by any other means OTHER than from their craft has almost no value. Like it doesn’t count. We’ve all felt this. The thing about money as the goal is, you will likely succeed in getting it, by another means. The issue with that is, when you get it (by any means other than a fulfilling path) you are still not satiated. Money, on its own, cannot satiate. It cannot fulfill. This is why millionaires still blow their brains out sometimes. If an artist commits EVERYTHING to their craft, and plays the long game, fully investing in and betting on themselves, through adversity, naysaying, mocking, societal obstacles, etc. they may succeed in being able to sustain themselves off of their work. Being an expert gives you rare power and insight. Every path is different, but one thing is certain: there’s no choice. None. If you have an artist’s soul you have no choice but to pursue it. Even if you ignore it, deny it, tuck it away, pretend … it’ll always be there eating away. So, artists MUST create or their souls die. And then, they will turn into the crabs in the bucket. The “you can’t (insert reasons)” people. The money will come when you demonstrate “value”. And that can only come by pursuing greatness, relentlessly. It’s the long game that counts. Artists HAVE to have grand vision and see into the future. They must believe that the small strides, little by little, will eventually lead to undeniable mastery. Don’t listen to ANYONE who hasn’t done it. ONLY allow yourself to be judged by those who’ve walked the path and lived to tell the tails. Everyone else will never understand. Forget it. They are just noise. A distraction. Find people greater than you. Role models. Mentors. Empty your cup. Drink in knowledge. There IS a way and MANY before you have done it. You are not alone and you are not the first. Money, to an artist, is the result of merit. I challenge any artist to be satisfied in any other paradigm. You must bend the world with willpower and perseverance by being a master. Demonstrate value to people and money is the natural result.

It's not literally about fine art, but something similar.. I once was listening to a podcast where a few gaming streamers (without a doubt even less understood by the general public than artists) talked about their experiences with others around them, getting into the topic of how they actually tell what it is that they do to family members, especially in a country where most people are not tech-literate enough to understand what they do exactly and how they earn their living, especially when they meet more distant relatives on family gatherings or similar events. One of the streamers said something that I really think is spot on and I didn't think about it that exact way before: "Most people when they ask "what do you do?", they are really asking "how are you making money?" And from that point it's super hard to make them understand that many times what you do in the first place is not something that gives you a fix income if any at all, and they are really not interested in what you actually like doing, and they literally do not understand why you'd do these things if not for the money." They also talked about how they pretty much lie to people and say that they work on the internet is really vague terms to even dodge the whole question. I myself did the same at one point where I was only doing digital art (which is something most people still try to grasp if they even can), I just told people that I do "digital illustration" and most people didn't ask further, assuming that it's some sort of IT stuff like website building.

It's frustrating that they will never understand because they have been conditioned to think that way. They will never understand the joy of creation.(or the joy of any hobby tbh) Like I understand talking about paying bills and making sure that priorities are straight. But there's a nuance and difference between that and making art for the joy of it and being content with not being a ultra rich person. But even then. Its fucked up because we're so undervalued in the industry. If we were respectfully paid. We wouldnt even have a problem. Art is essential to many things

Thank you))

Thinnk About It a Lot Recently It's Fucked Up Somehow But This how it's Work

Noice

besides the message (which i love) can we talk about how you did all of this without editing/chopping the video?? amazing stuff man! Also i agree, i once tried to devalue myself to fit in and felt lifeless and went straight back to creative/artist mindset.