Selfish art

Frida Kahlo. Bob Dylan. Vincent van Gogh. Yoko Ono. Louise Bourgeois. Do you like their work?

Maybe yes. Maybe no. Either way, they never cared.

These are selfish artists. They never aimed to please the market. They were (and are) undeterred by public opinion.

They only pursued their own creative interests. True to the art.

But it’s not selfish, really. Seeking to fulfill what the art wants is a generous thing to do. It brings something pure to the world. It co-creates with the universe. It finds art’s truest form.

Following the taste of the masses isn’t serving the masses. Following a creative journey where it wants to take us — that serves the maker, but it serves everyone else too.