Ask HN: Are you a professional artist or creative? What's different?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26577274

3 3 5 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

What here on HN is different when compared to your professional life? What here is funny to you? What could you teach us?

xkeysc0re• 5 years ago

"Why do people think artists are special? It's just another job.” — Andy Warhol

tivyrind• 5 years ago

I'm married to a professional artist and am myself a creative person -- in that I have an art form I practice most days. Here are some differences, I've noticed. (All generalizations. Every individual is different and there are exceptions.)

Artists never talk about FIRE. Money is a way to keep making art. Artists openly examine and discuss history, privilege, and social injustice, frequently making art that attempts to be respectful of those things. These are common discussion points in artist lectures and they are never mocked or invalidated. Most visual artists don't like to share techniques. It's a closed source mindset in that regard.

chevill• 5 years ago

Most visual artists don't like to share techniques. It's a closed source mindset in that regard.

This hasn't been my experience at all. First of all the surest way to become a great artist is to surround yourself in an environment with other people that aspire to the same thing. An environment that's collaborative where people give feedback, encouragement, and constructive criticism to one another. Where people share techniques. Second, there's really not much in the way of secret techniques. People have been drawing/painting/sculpting/etc for many centuries. Its no secret how to get good at it.

Ask HN: Are you a professional artist or creative? What's different?

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