A Manifesto for Artists Trying to Sustain
Their Happiness in This F****d Up Art World

Most viewers in an art gallery or museum consist of high-class pretentious on-lookers. These audience members are so separated from the artist and his/her studio in terms of class, lifestyle, and viewpoints on life entirely. Successful artists today are making work for these members of society. We as artists have to create art which financially sustains us and, in this process, the work starts to emotionally sustain us less and less. This is partially because artists do not have the means or even the drive to support each other. Even financially successful artists aren’t interested in buying or pursuing other’s work. The artist community has become somewhat of a negative one. Artists treat art-making, success, and recognition as a competition. They are always comparing themselves to one another and thus don’t show support to one another like they should. Sustaining yourself as an artist is already hard enough. Feeling like people in the field view you as a competition rather than a colleague makes it even more difficult to continue mentally. All artists are insecure and that drives this competition mentality. We must learn how to be happy for each other’s successes. Your own artistic journey cannot be compared to another in any way. Our paths are all different and we need to learn to be happy within the path we’ve been given. Stop showing negativity to the other artists along your path, trying to puff out your chest and impart some sort of rank. Stop creating competitions that do not exist. We are all artists after all. Our jobs are non-essential and quite frankly a privilege to lead. If you lose the joy in art-making during some self-diluted mission to feel superior, there is no longer a point to continue.  

Surround yourself with artists and people who want to show you support and love. You are responsible for the environment which you foster around yourself and your practice. Don’t meet another artists’ negativity with more negativity. Defeat this cycle and learn to show support to the people who refuse to do so for you. It will get to them because they won’t understand how you stay so emotionally sustained with your work after their efforts to beat you down. If a fellow artist shows you this kind of negativity, realize what drives it. It is driven from insecurity in their own sense of self-worth as an artist and maker. They see something successful in you and envy it. They think taking a piece of this away from you will give it to them. But that is not the case. It is a mutually-draining effort. Unfortunately, a majority of artists you encounter along your path will approach you with this mentality eventually. Recognize it and refuse to engage.  

This also means you must place high importance and appreciation for the ones you find who show you unconditional support and love in your artistic practice. These artists are the golden ones. They will not come along frequently, so make sure you hold onto their friendship. You may also at some point become riddled with an urge to show negativity or competition to these artists, driven out of personal insecurity. Instead, realize that your imposing of competition will not benefit either of you. Do not hide your insecurities from these golden artists. An artist who supports you as an artist will help you out of a funk if you can trust them enough to lean on them during times of frustration or insecurity. In turn, you must also be sure to show them this same kind of love and support. Help each other through both the hard and successful times. Foster each other’s energies as artists to create a positive journey for your inevitably difficult trek through an artistic life. Help sustain them and their practice, always urging them to make the work which brings them joy. Pay attention to them and recognize what emotionally sustains them. Remind them of these things when they are feeling frustrated. We cannot get through an artistic lifestyle without fostering these kinds of positive relationships within the cohort we create.  

In the same way, remember to always pursue the art which brings you joy. Don’t find yourself lost in making work to please others. Create work that makes you happy. This does not mean to never get frustrated with your work. Your frustrations can lead to something great. Feeling frustrated in unknown artistic endeavors is normal, but if you can push through to find the joy in the process then it is a success. That being said, sustaining yourself alone during these periods of new work is impossible. This is where your healthy environment is crucial. The artists that you’ve found who support you will help you through this and be joyful with you in the end. They will rejoice when you rejoice and want to help you through frustrations. They will want you to be happy and that is why you need them.