Dear unknown reader,
Nowadays it's so easy to get sucked into the idea that we need more "followers" , "shares" and "likes" on different social media platforms. It's easy to get obsessed with the idea that everything is one big popularity contest. If I could get enough followers would people buy my product? If I get enough followers will I be famous? I start thinking about what other people want to see instead of what I should be doing. I lose focus on what's really important.
I understand that there are things that are generally more well liked by many people. If I try to play the game of posting pictures of cute animals or pretty flowers or drawings of celebrities I will get more likes and followers. But if all I do is pander to the lowest common denominator I've lost the point. If I do what I already know is liked there will be no creativity, no real beauty. It will be an empty facade. A cute animal is not a bad thing but if I'm only posting it because I know it will get more likes then I've missed the point.
Recently, I've noticed that if I post a painting related to Yosemite it gets more likes just because Yosemite is a majestic and popular place. But if all I make are paintings of Yosemite I will have missed the beauty of the places that don't have important sounding names. Also, I've been trying to force myself to paint in a certain way because I think it will be noticed more. But if my motive is just to be noticed I'm doing it wrong.
My real motive should be to honor God. I know that God has allowed me to have and develop skill as an artist. To make art to honor God rather than to obtain the "likes" of people should be my ultimate goal. If people like it good. If not that is up to them. There is a lot of poorly done "Christian art" out there. I would like to make paintings that strive to be highly skilled and also honoring to God. Whether that is a landscape, an abstract or a historical painting so long as it is to honor God that should be my real goal.
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