drchucktingle:

pure artistic merit

it is so funny to me that of all the things i have ever posted about art, the most controversial take WITHOUT QUESTION is when i say that the best thing you can do if you want a career as an artist is to be KIND to your peers. folks get SO upset by that one, which i think is unfortunately telling

literally there will be a sea of posts saying things like ‘imagine chuck tingle DESTROYING your career because you are mean,’ things like that, which is just VERY BIZARRE interpretation but i DO think it is curious. what is it about kindness that brings such a visceral reaction from some creators?

the first thing i should point out is that it is not just me that gets these reactions. other folks have posted similar things and gotten TORN APART for it. so this seems to be a sort of universal subliminal anger towards the idea that kindness should have any value in the world or creatives

and i think THAT is the key. its not just kindness, it is the idea that ANYTHING other than the art on the page would have sway over your place as an artist. this, of course, is very funny because artistic ‘success’ has never been based on pure artistic merit, just like every other type of ‘success’

everyone KNOWS that people hire friends for jobs. everyone KNOWS that people pick their buds for big opportunities. folks GO TO CONVENTIONS FOR THIS REASON. yet when you just kind of say it out loud in the realm of writing or music or acting or painting, the reaction is HEATED from certain buckaroos

you dont even have to say that you AGREE with this practice or not, just saying that it EXISTS is enough to spark rage. i get fury for posting simple fact that: ‘i have known assholes coming up in many art fields and every single one of them has faceplanted because of it.’ SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY?

well, one issue is fairness. is it FAIR to want to work with people who are kind and treat others with dignity? is it FAIR to disinvite a raging asshole from your party? i dont know. but i am certainly not surprised by it. humans like to be around other humans who are kind to them. animals too.

to me, what is says is some folks think their jealousy or pettiness or unkindness towards their creative peers, is INNATE. they read ‘youll have a hard time finding success if youre a prick’ as ‘youll have a hard time finding success.’ and the point of me writing all this is to say: YOU CAN CHOOSE

we are all making choices every day, we are given opportunities to support our peers or to tear them down. unfortunately, i think some folks find themselves falling into a pattern of aggression regarding the success of others. yes, it becomes ingrained, but it is NOT innate. theres a huge difference

YOU are capable of utterly unique breathtaking art. every single person reading this is a miracle of existence, and you have infinite masterpieces of creation just spilling off of you all the time. there is no reason to compare yourself to the infinite masterpieces of anyone else. theres enough room

and if you find yourself in a rut, a place where just the MENTION of the value of kindness rattles you to the core, just remember, in art THERE IS ENOUGH SPACE for everyone. YOU. ME. THEM. US. theres enough love to go around. theres enough kindness. it is not finite. nobody has to fight over it