This idea of commercial consumption has been on my mind a lot lately. I remember reading a biography of Charles Shultz (The Peanuts cartoonist). There was a lengthy passage where he explained to someone (I forget who) that he was a commercial artist and that meant he had to make art that someone wanted to buy, not just look at.
I make illustrated haiku as a type of commercial art. I'm still at the beginning of the journey, but I already make more than many poets who only submit work to literary journals. Some poets even pay reading fees to be published in prestigious publications. The problem is the audience for those journals is other poets and poetry editors.
Everyone should create the art they want, but if you want to make a living from any type of art, you have to make stuff people want to buy.
This idea of commercial consumption has been on my mind a lot lately. I remember reading a biography of Charles Shultz (The Peanuts cartoonist). There was a lengthy passage where he explained to someone (I forget who) that he was a commercial artist and that meant he had to make art that someone wanted to buy, not just look at.
I make illustrated haiku as a type of commercial art. I'm still at the beginning of the journey, but I already make more than many poets who only submit work to literary journals. Some poets even pay reading fees to be published in prestigious publications. The problem is the audience for those journals is other poets and poetry editors.
Everyone should create the art they want, but if you want to make a living from any type of art, you have to make stuff people want to buy.
Thanks for another great comment that provides a bit of commentary to the post!