Artist/Promoter/Cashier

Eliminating the Gatekeepers Made the Artists' Burden Heavier

Do you know what it’s like for artists now?

The odds of you being gifted as an artist are pretty slim. It doesn’t matter what era we’re in, I believe there is a certain percentage of people gifted as artists, as doctors, as pastors, as florists, etc. There are plenty of people working in this sectors who aren’t gifted in them. A kind of forced and unnatural path. But that’s for another essay.

What it’s like for artists now is that they are required to not only pursue their art and be faithful to it, but also act as promoter, and often cashier, for the sale and distribution of their own art.

For the first time in history, we’ve seen almost an entire era of photographers and other artists distracted with the incorporation of the rapid introduction of a series of new tech. And also the relentless self-promotion on social media and websites. In the past, the artist had only their artistry to concern themselves with. But, for a while now they have been expected to pull focus from that in order to “keep up” with a carousel of tech that does little to improve that artistry.

We will never know what creative heights could have been reached without this heavy siphoning of their attention.

The following are important comments from dankartdirectormemes, and then tabithaswanson_ (on Instagram).