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Creative Fame is a Crossroads

Michelle Lauren
4 min readJul 31, 2019

When the artist separates from their work.

By Ona Bovollen via Pexels

It is a common phrase to hear artists pouring their heart and soul into their work. Be it a story, painting or musical composition, a piece is the result of laborious efforts. Likewise, a finished product becomes a compilation of both creative vision and a reflective statement on the larger world.

Unlike other professions however, the reputation of an artist tends to be on unstable grounds. A lingering stigma sees creative endeavours as synonymous to fickleness and financial instability. The fine line between “hobby” and “profession” is disputable. It is categorized as the work of “dreamers” or “idealists” or people with “their heads in the clouds”.

Even those who achieve a modicum of recognition are challenged by subjectivity, as it is impossible for a work to achieve unanimous approval. In art, there is no record to break or true milestone to achieve. There is merely the hope that enough people are able to interpret and appreciate the intended message.

That being said, the open-ended nature of artistic credibility offers a unique approach. A point of separation between the creator and their project. More often than not, the public chooses to see one but not the other. Fixation on the finished work means the inventive mind behind it is overlooked.

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Michelle Lauren
Michelle Lauren

Written by Michelle Lauren

Poet, digital artist, and editor of The Sonder Script. Looking for the ways words catch like silver in the rain. Writer for Lit Up, Start It Up & The Shortform.

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