Value in Art in the Digital Age - A Short Essay (Patreon)

Just to give you guys a view into my, and many other creator's psyches, simply because I feel that sharing and educating is always better than internalizing and ignorance. 

The sort of project I did tonight (The Portrait of Bo Burnham) is stuff I really enjoy doing. I always have enjoyed painting portraits. However, I know that images like it will yield low overall audience response. Not that no one came forward and said they liked it, but overall, it would generally be ignored when paired against my other more accepted works. 

Due to this, my perceived value of the image, is lessened. Not that the value of the image or the project is actual worth any less than any other. However, in my head, it's value is dropped due to the aspect of "performance" that comes with doing anything online. My worth as a performer is gauged solely on audience response. No or low audience response means a poor performance.  So while a project might be something I really enjoy, it inexorably causes me a level of harm psychologically.

None of this is logical by the way. This is just a personal, psychological breakdown of the perception of the value of a art piece and by proxy, the artist in this "performance culture" we have created with the internet.

Small disclaimer, I am in no way speaking for anyone other than myself, and it should be noted that I am in no way a professional in any form of Psychology or Psychiatry.

If you have having issues or dealing with Depression, please speak with your doctor or another qualified professional. If you are having Suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.