True Value Goes Beyond Being Cool

Popularity may be fleeting but our output should be good enough to remain relevant at least for a minority

a couple of fans stand in ovation in front of an artist in the middle of an endless desert, futuristic neon digital art — by DALL·E

Some of the things I love the most were never cool. There never was a majority of people who liked them. They were never mainstream. In contrast, other things I am equally passionate about were popular. Within these, few have stayed cool to this day, while most others have either faded or found their pocket of super fans.

Ephemeral

Whether it is musicians, actors, authors or sportspeople, their popularity will likely be fleeting. The masses need a constant barrage of inputs and elements to love and hate. I was always disturbed by how easy it was for fans to accuse their favourite artists of selling out whenever fame knocked on their door. Of course, this is a childish attitude since it is exceedingly rare that a creative can consciously sell out to achieve popularity. Nevertheless, the satisfaction of having been an early supporter of someone who has finally made it to the big stage always seems to be clouded by a form of resentment: ‘you don’t deserve to like them as much as I do’, we appear to imply. Naturally, this is a display of immaturity since it is nobody’s fault they didn’t stumble upon the artist earlier.