Share Knowledge. Make Art.
Recently, online, I have found myself repeatedly running into instances of professional artists and content creators announcing something to the effect of:
‘Many people are reaching out to me looking for tips or advice on how to be a successful artist’
‘I worked my whole life to get to where I am now, so you need to work too’
‘I paid a lot to learn what I know, so you need to pay too’
‘I’m not just going to give out for free what I had to learn the hard way’
‘I know my worth and the value of my time, and I don’t have time to help everyone’
The vast majority, if not all, of these artists are also fervent anti-capitalists. As a professional artist, anti-capitalist, and anarcho-syndicalist myself, the hypocrisy exhibited by these creators is not lost on me. This kind of hyper-individualism is, of course, just internalized capitalism. There are several false assumptions that undergird this mindset:
‘The art world is somehow a zero-sum game in which your success is just competition for me.’
‘The fact that I did not have mentorship in my craft somehow makes me more deserving.’
‘No luck of any kind, including any privileges I have, had an impact on my success as a creator.’
Ability to pay for formal schooling is a fair and just predicate to success as an artist.
‘No one should have an easier time becoming successful than I did.’
‘Spending my time helping others only takes away time from my work, and does not provide me with anything of value in return.’
Upon even the briefest of consideration, these assumptions quickly deteriorate. In their wake, a new clearer paradigm arises – more aligned with the spirit of mutual aid than that of capitalist competition. In this view, it is your responsibility to share your wealth of knowledge to other artists, as it enhances the very media in which you work. This is especially true when sharing knowledge to folks less privileged than yourself. Furthermore, helping another artist is creating a connection, an opportunity for collaboration, and opening a door to the possibility they may have something of value to share with you.
All this being said, I can and do appreciate the fact of time-scarcity. However, unless dozens of people per month are asking for your advice, I imagine time can be made for respectful inquiries. And if there is such a demand for your insight, then you can make it worth your time - you can host trainings, write articles, or make explainer-videos about your content and artistic process - and you can monetize this content.
It is my hope that this sentiment will spread, disrupt, and eventually supplant the internalized-capitalist paradigm that suffocates the spirit of collaboration and altruism in the current independent-art world. If you will join me in making a commitment to aid up-and-coming artists with advice and insight, especially those less privileged than yourself, then please display the following where it may be clearly seen by admirers of your work.
This artist is a firm believer in
the spirit of collaboration
the importance of dispensing knowledge
and the fact that helping others hone their craft can only make the art-world stronger
They commit themself to living these principles by answering all respectful inquiries about their process, and passing down any knowledge they have acquired about their craft, especially to those less privileged than themself. It is their hope that living by these principles will make the independent-art world more equitable and more bountiful.
Share knowledge - make art.