Reading all these replies in order I get the impression that this conversation is drifting away from the original point. So many people seem to be posing (so to speak) this as a fight between the Yes Posters and the No Posters. I wonder if the heart of Cujo's original question isn't contained in his comment that he's going through one of those "artistic crises" that it seems we all must endure. I won't presume to microanalyze Cujo, but I can say from my own experience that sometimes it seems the direction I'm going, the things that thrill me when I complete them, are the opposite of what everyone else is doing / liking. It's then I wonder if I'm missing the boat somewhere. For in truth 99 out of a hundred artists DO produce and exhibit work for the applause as well as for their inner satisfaction. Those few who don't feel the need for public approval generally keep their work to themselves. They wouldn't get anything from posting it for free on the Internet for millions to see. This isn't a bad thing. It's simply fact. Every artist desires (needs?) a different proportion of of each element, self-satisfaction and public acknowledgement. If one artist feels that what other artists do and admire is significant, then the kind of "crisis" Cujo seems to describe can be painful. For me it has seemed like the horrible dualistic choice portrayed in many of the above replies: do I stay true to myself and have everybody hate my work, or do I follow the trends and maybe lose myself? Tain't no joke. The above is the writer's opinion and in no way pretends to tell anyone else what Cujo is or is not thinking. That's his right, not mine...