LISTEN Episode 2.06 The Difference Between Artists + Influencers

This episode is about understanding the difference between an Artist and an influencer. For many years, influencers have occupied the space in popular culture and the Collective Imagination that is typically held by real Artists. Real Art transforms the creator and the audience, it comes into being through a collaboration with its locality— using everything and anything that is available— it’s a collaboration involving materials, labor, planning, creation and distribution— using all of your local resources— in your town or in your profession. And then it grows from there. In the way that Prince can thank the underground Minneapolis music scene for his origin— we all start somewhere small and local. Grass-roots style.

The best Art— meaning the Art that endures throughout history— is organic, as opposed to manufactured. Mistaking influencers for Artists is very dangerous for the health of the Culture. It’s the equivalent of mistaking corporate fast food for a farm-raised, home-cooked meal. I’m emphasizing the difference to help us understand what it is we’re missing in our souls right now, too. I want to us re-calibrate our senses and re-train ourselves to actively seek out irreplaceable, authentic passion— the radiating energetic vitality and alive-ness that is real and makes your loins swell! Our job now is to find and cultivate that passion in ourselves AND others. Whatever your dream is, now is the time to go for it. There is no “better” time. There is only now.

If not now, when? If not us, who? LISTEN HERE

Pair this episode with the recent New Yorker article— What the “Creator Economy” Promises—and What It Actually Does — By Kyle Chayka

The essay form of this episode is available in the BLOG section.