Passionless Artists, Passionless Fandom

Passion is missing from our culture. We live in a world filled with get rich quick scams, where the internet is a land mine with some sort of gimmick. So many gimmicks, in fact, it makes me ask the integrity of many "artists" today.

Before the rise of the internet, artists had difficulty getting their art known, and many did not get any recognition or compensation for it until many years later. However, did they have more difficulty than today's artists? With the saturation of internet promoting and the mass of self-promoting, is it still as difficult for artists to have their work seen and heard, as their predecessors? I don't think so. There has always been many bands, many artists, many photographers out there in the world. The difference between older generations and ours is that the latter had to get out of their homes and hustle the streets. Getting street teams of people in different neighborhoods or cities to help promote art, also meant getting out, making friends and displaying art. In other words, you had to make an effort if you wanted to share your art with others.

Well, one might say, just because I don't want to go crazy and share my art with everyone, doesn't mean that it is not my passion. You can say that, but you are wrong. Because you may like taking photographs, but it does not make you a photographer. I can sit here and write blogs all day long and it won't make me a journalist and it won't make me a good writer. It's like writing in a journal that no one will read. Passion is about love. It's about life. It's about sacrifice to achieve and fulfill your dreams no matter the consequences. It makes you put yourself out there to be vulnerable and judged harshly, only to pick yourself up and tread forward. Who has the right to judge the extent of my passion? If you don't want to share your passion with the world, then it is NOT your passion.

We have to share our love so we can connect with others like-minded. It confirms that our passions and our love for our passions are beautiful and important. No one wants to go through life feeling like they are alone. If you love music, then you may be a fan of many bands and listen to them often. However, if music is your passion, then you will do anything you can to be apart of it, which includes sharing the love.

So find something you love and grab a hold of it. Do everything you can to make it a better part of your life. It will make you grow. It will make you smile. Spread the love.

And watch Little Miss Sunshine.