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Nobody Will Care As Much As We Do
And it’s a good thing
I have written extensively about the need for anyone wanting to create something unique to believe that we are important enough. Some will call us self-absorbed, and many will consider us unbearably pretentious. Yet, it is impossible to create anything worth anybody’s time without the confidence and self-esteem required to isolate ourselves for hours in a corner, writing, recording, sculpting or drawing away.
Those fortunate enough to count on people caring for our art will soon have to realise that nobody can care more than we do. Even those surrounded by the most fanatical of followers know that the essence of their art belongs to the artist. Nobody understands the significance of a piece more than its author: fans might read, watch and listen to the work far more often than the artist ever did, but only the latter experienced the act of creation.
When we begin the journey, encouragement is likely to be scarce. Not only that, but those around us might consciously or inadvertently attempt to pull us back from our obsession. When we talk about it with the passion only a parent can have for a child, even those who care and support us cannot truly grasp the importance the moment has for us. We might think they don’t care enough and do not understand us. We might feel frustrated, maybe even rejected.