If you are a writer, at some point in your life you have thought: “Ugh, why am I even writing this, no one will read it anyway…”. For the past year, every time I have sat down to write a new article for this site, this thought has popped into my brain. It has overwhelmed me. I am not proud to admit that it has even stopped me from writing.
Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910). Moonlight, Wood Island Light, 1894. Oil on canvas.
As I get older, the transactional nature of creativity overwhelms me, and I am petrified of being short-changed. Writers, artists, and creators of very, very beautiful things are almost always told that their creation has no real value. Their value is derived from the interpretation of the viewer or how well they market their product. In a sense, devaluing art to essentially a domain of being without any monetary value, a worthless commodity, useless unless appropriately marketed. In this transactional world where I am constantly reminded by others of Duchamp’s urinal Fountain and Piet Mondrian’s Tableau I, as examples of this overwhelming idea that anything can be called art, I wonder where I fit in. Someone who values art, wants to become an art writer, wants to talk about the beautiful, the grotesque and everything In between. I wonder that as a writer, why am I writing…
Because firstly, anybody can write, right?
And the art I talk about, well, no one understands contemporary and modern art, artists have just completely lost the plot,
And most importantly, who will ever find my blog, find my content interesting enough to engage with (other than my family), and when will it actually be worth something…?
Will I just forever write into an oblivion?
I should’ve chosen a different title for this article because I think I might have ruined my plot. Yes, I am now embracing this oblivion. If no one really reads my work, the beauty is, I can be my truest self. I can be honest, I can be harsh and I can be so, so confused. I can document my journey and hopefully one day, this blog will capture my growth into a loved and respected art writer for a very famous magazine or an editorial assistant for a publishing company within a museum or gallery. Yes, I have very specific goals and as a Gen Z, it is my duty to believe in the power of manifestation, put my dreams goals and emotions out there and then go take a nap.
So here goes nothing, I am embracing this oblivion! Are you with me?
I will be uploading a new blog post every two weeks and I will definitely post about it on my Instagram so follow me on @rheamathur23. The comment section is also not just to make this page seem like a proper website so feel free to talk back at me oblivion.
