According To…… Wait A Minute?

There is so much negativity in the publishing industry. Every day I read another article that basically tells writers to expect nothing of their work, to resign themselves to their day jobs and keep their cute little hobby as just that.

I’m sorry. I call bullshit.

The world has grown exponentially since the dawn of art. I get that. There are hundreds of thousands of us trying to do the same thing, and competition is rampant. Why is this a bad thing? We are not enemies, but allies. We should support and respect one another as artists, not waste time telling everyone they will never make it. In doing that, we’re robbing future generations. We’re confiscating their ability to pursue art before they’re even around to produce it. We’re frowning on an industry that perpetuates hope and happiness. We’re telling our children that they cannot dream, because no one will buy it.

Let me ask you something, as an artist. Were you ever trying to sell your dream, or was the intention simply to share it, to realize it? Can a dream come from the folds of a wallet? Can it be made real by the faces of dead presidents on paper notes? Do your dreams dwindle with your savings account?

Maybe the problem is perception. Maybe we’ve forgotten why we dream.

These articles, these negative opinions plaguing the internet, are beyond detrimental to the confidence necessary to create. They inspire nothing more than fear of failure, and self-doubt. We’re all afraid to fail, but isn’t that what drives us to be better? Isn’t competition a catalyst for self-evaluation and self-improvement? Isn’t art designed to scream in the face of what we’re told we can’t do?

So why then, are so many people adamantly attempting to negate the positive aspect of self-expression?

Why is art subjective to profit? The answer: It isn’t. It’s community. It’s advancement. It’s beauty. It’s freedom. It’s love. It’s what we leave behind for the world to remember us by.

Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t let anyone tell you that what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Do not allow someone else’s fear to hold you back. Let them stay behind. Keep your head up and keep moving.  

Don’t believe everything you read, but don’t stop writing what you believe.

People will love you or hate you. They may not even ever know your name. None of that matters.

You are not alone.

The world is waiting to hear from you, no matter what those naysayers might want you to believe.

To quote another’s art ,

“Never Give Up. Never Surrender.”