"But I want everyone to love me! If they reject my art, they reject me. I am not loved!"

"The reason for this is of course that people tend to need affirmation, so those who have the strongest desire toward this will more often than not post the kinds of images that they have learned most folks want to see."

Okay, which of those two lines got your attention best? The emotional outcry that by passed the thought process or the more long-winded (need I say boring) clinical explanation of why we behave as we do (er some of us). [More boring intellectual stuff to follow, since I tend to be the boring intellectual type and not really given to emotional outcry, so be (yawn) forewarned of what follows. :O) ]

Art, music, etc., is no different. It tends to work on the emotion and less on the intellect. Not a hard and fast, but as a general rule we respond to things around us, form likes and dislikes base on emotional connection rather than an intellectual one.

So does it really surprise anyone that sex sells? Or that naked vicki in the temple is popular? Or that folks tend to gravitate toward the quick fix, by-pass the mental process, and go straight to instant gratification?

Art, like people, exists on many levels. Whether it be
"Fluff", "Commercial", or "Art Gallery" quality that we are going for, we as artist seek to connect with our audience based upon like and dislike, and momentary state of mood. Ours and theirs. If it were not so, we would not post our art for others to see. We share our art, we want others to appreciate the effort we make. But the length to which we will go to gain that approval differs, just as does artist talent. I do not blame folks who have learned to cater to their fans, nor fans for liking the art they like, or even naked vicki in the temple (which I have never done, and may probably never do).

I will keep doing the kind of art I do because that is what I am about, and I hope that there are a few who enjoy it. It would be nice if one day I happened to do something that was totally awesome, blew everyone away, and got me noticed in the Hot 20 or landed me lots of hits and glowing praise. But, whether it happens or not, I challenge myself to do the best I can do, and I try not to take it all so serious that I lose sight of what really matters. Taking pride in what I do and being able to share that joy with others. To me, this is what makes the gallery worthwhile. So, if only one person find enjoyment in something I have done, than the effort was not in vain.

So, keep posting those naked vickies in the temple. I will keep skipping over them, and scanning the Gallery for the kind of art I like to see. Art that looks like the person who did it cared enough to take the time to put some heart and soul into what it was they did (and some naked vickies in the temple fall into this category). This is the kind of art I like, it doesn't have to be great but it does have to show signs that the artist who made it cared enough to do as good a job on it as they could.

Well, just my two-cents for whatever that is worth.