I have had bad days as an artist. I just had the worst.  It happens quite often. There are days  when you feel you aren7t good enough. When you feel that your pieces aren’t seen or heard- when you feel invisible. When you just keep shouting to the void and you feel no one responds. 

It hurts. It really does. And it feels lonely. I think a lot of us artists know and understand that.  We put a lot of thought, effort and heart into our pieces and it gets ignored. Or even when seen, people do not take the effort to acknowledge it. That too hurts.  People who are lurkers think that its ok to appreciate art, but not tell the artist. But that too hurts them. The feeling of not being appreciated or acknowledge can kill any creative spirit and discourage anyone who wants to create.

Audiences, Markets and Niches are important to an artist. I myself is still looking for that Niche. A lot of artists join bandwagons and fandoms to get known, some just create things that are lewd or inappropriate. Some people do satire. Some people wow us with skill.  Friends have advised me to do commercial art but and maybe I am just being stubborn but I can’t seem to get into any fandoms  lately. I did for a while. I was also ignored. I can’t seem to be satisfied with drawing something that someone else created. Maybe as a tribute if I really like it, but I have my own world and ideas.

So for me, the struggle is real. I who draw what I feel and love and who draw not to please a market, struggle to get pieces noticed. And sometimes no matter how good you think the piece is, it is never good enough. Most of the time I am discouraged and want to quit. But then I remember that I am nothing without my Art.

Swimming against the current is really hard. But since this is my passion, this is my life, I have to persevere. I cant draw anything I don’t like so I guess i am left shouting to the void.