"i just want to make people happy" follow-up
this is a follow-up to my earlier blog post about my artist statement. if you haven't read it yet, i recommend that you do, and then come back here. it's a pretty short read, so it shouldn't take long. ;)
in my statement, i did mention that "even if it's just one person, i've accomplished my goal" as the final sentence. but obviously, one would want to make as many people happy as possible, right? but i'd like to think there's a middle ground between "has many fans and admirers" and "is bigger than jesus", right?
i see this dilemma most when it comes to music; i can't relate to braggadocious songs where the singer flaunts how awesome and rich and powerful they are, they do nothing for me as an ordinary animator-for-hire. nor can i relate to when big pop stars write songs about ordinary lives; who do you think you're fooling? Taylor Swift, you in particular are the most famous person currently living, and the biggest concern you have is with mean tweets, so don't even begin to write songs about how hard your life is.
the thing is, life in the visual arts is far different from life on a music stadium, for the simple reason that we're not exactly in a grueling competition with each other; in our sector, it's our duty to have each other's backs. we're all united in our mission to make people happy, even if we don't realize it. and we're all united in that we're not working off the backs of massive evil corporations and their exploitative contracts. well, most of us, at least. that's why i feel more comfortable speaking that final sentence in my statement as a visual artist than i would as a musician.
whether i'm making 1 person happy, or 100, or 1,000, or even more, i am satisfied. somewhere out there, someone's life is better because i was in it. i wouldn't trade that for anything.
