I just read this great article titled “Ten Types of Authors Who Can Go Fuck Themselves” by Gabino Iglesias. I don’t consider myself a writer, but I do make art, and one of the last paragraphs really resonated with me.
I’ve borrowed that paragraph and switched all the mentions of “writing” to be “making art” so that I can revisit this in the future.
We make art because it’s the only option. We make art even when our art doesn’t get published. We take time away from friends and pets and partners and family and sit by ourselves and listen to the voices in our heads and make art and then look at it, hate it, remake it, change it, and hopefully get to share it with the world.
Gabino Iglesias (edited)
It’s a beautiful thing and we need to be grateful that we get to do it. The moment you lose track of that and start thinking that everyone needs to pay attention because you are doing what you love and they owe you that, the minute you start thinking people owe you their time and their focus and that the world is a better place thanks to the stories you “gift” it, then…well, you can go fuck yourself.