idk stuff,??

In my AP Art class, there was a girl who was just starting to experiment with mixed media. At this point she was still playing around, trying to decide what direction she wanted to go with her portfolio. So one critique day, she brought in an abstract canvas with some rhinestone highlights and painted and real peacock feathers. She loved sparkles and peacock feathers so she thought she’d try introducing them a *little*. And after everyone had given some input, the teacher gave her his advice, VERY roughly paraphrased here:

“So here’s the thing… I do not like this style. These are just elements that do not speak to me personally, but I see that you like them, and you’re doing interesting things with them.

“My biggest critique is, I only merely *dislike* this piece. I want you to make me HATE it. Go crazy with the things that you like. Don’t hold back trying to make it palatable to people like me. Because I am NEVER going to like it. And if the audience does not like it, it should drive them crazy seeing how much YOU love it.”

Her portfolio was chock full of neon colors and glitter and rhinestones and splashes of peacock feathers and it was a delight. Our teacher despised every piece lol, but she got great marks and I think even won some awards. And more importantly, she was happy and proud of the results. Because she didn’t limit herself by trying to appeal to people who were never going to enjoy what she enjoyed.

Waterfalls Coming Out Your Mouth - Glass Animals

(also ft lyrics from Soap - As It Is and Needed a Change of Pace - Jhariah)

The protagonist isn’t always right

The protagonist isn’t always good

The protagonist isn’t always written to be relatable or likeable

The narrator isn’t always right

The narrator isn’t always good

The narrator isn’t always telling the truth

The narrator isn’t always the author

The protagonist’s moral compass, the narrator’s moral compass and the author’s moral compass are three entirely different things that only occasionally overlap

Pay attention to what characters do and not just what they say

Pay special attention when what the characters do is at odds with what they say

Is it really a complex or just lacking context? Why would someone go so far to be a walking lie? Yeah, that don’t sound like me, I don’t think I’m that guy (Enter “Beginner’s Guide”) Please excuse our current appearance I realize that it’s quite a mess And our deepest apologies for all of the noise We’re understaffed, and we’re over-stressed

I noticed that the sunshine is a gaslight

I’m hoping that this one might be my past life

My Lord, I know enough to get my facts right

And that’s good enough for me

And everything and everyone will die soon

And we’ll have nothing left for us to lie to

No matter what we seek you’ll never find truth

And that’s good enough for me

 (check under the cut for detail on the time gate because I spent a LOT of time on it)

Well, you're gonna live your life in misery, and the angels all despair,

They know all the times you whittled down that halo 'round your head

And I said, "Hey hey, how ya doin'? The others are to blame,

and all the angels gather 'round you and brought us all to say...

aka redrew this old thing lol

I could drink your blood if you let me, baby

Hang from your rafters, patchwork and paisley

I could suck you dry on the rocks with a twist, but

Just like a vampire, I don't exist

All those posts you see of young artists charging $3, $6, $10 for a drawing because they need help? That’s fucking exploitation, and fuck you if you think it’s reasonable or a “good deal" to pay nickels and dimes to squeeze a full-color original drawing out of some talented, hardworking kid because things are tight, and they can’t afford their textbooks. Or food. They sure as hell can’t afford to make you art for $6.

Instead, stop. And ask them where you can donate. If you can afford a $6 drawing, then you can afford to spend $6 simply to help someone. You don’t need internal organs as payment.

And if someone claims something that took you an hour to draw isn’t worth at least around $10 per hour of work, dont listen to their bullying. To the non-artist, its hard to see the worth in art especially if they didn’t put 10, 5, 2 or even 1 years of solid effort to get to the level of artistic ability there are today.

If the person complaining is still unhappy with the price despite that reasoning? Well let THEM make their own drawing themselves and spend the $10 elsewhere. GL to them getting the level of artistry you have without those years of experience they put behind them!