The Business of Art · Acts of Love
Work: the act of dedicating mental or physical effort towards a challenge or task.
Job: work that is paid for. The payment may be with money, or as a social agreement or transaction.
Business: the practice of generating income from producing and selling products or services.
Vocation: work that may or may not be paid for, and that is undertaken with a strong sense of personal interest, suitability, and commitment.
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A job requires payment. Work does not. The value of work someone does has nothing to do with money.
A parent for example may work far harder in their care of a child, than their partner does in their job. That one earns money and the other does not has absolutely no relevance to the significance and impact of their work.
Many define their status and success by the amount of money they earn rather than the non-economic outcomes of their work. It is unfortunate the same is true for many who create art.
Many view art as a business. Many artists view art as their business. An artist has to live. They have to buy food, support a family, pay for a roof over their heads. Some things are made to be sold.
Money changes what is made.
To sell, I must make something that is needed or desirable by those who have money.
If my focus is on the advantage I gain when I make something, I make it for myself.
I create art for others I hope is valuable. I wish those things of greatest value are experienced by as many as possible.
Love is never sold. Love, by its nature, is given. Making art can be an act of love.
