Kevin Kelly Pontificates on Art

Kevin Kelly, former editor of Wired magazine, photographer, author, and technologist, has a great post on his web site on the relationship between the artist and art. The whole piece is marvelous and a must read for any artist -- especially the one struggling to find his/her artistic identity. Here's the best part of the entry:

The lesson here is simply that courting approval, even that of peers, puts a dangerous amount of power in the hands of the audience. Worse yet, the audience is seldom in a position to grant (or withhold) approval on the one issue that really counts - namely, whether or not you're making progress in your work. They're in a good position to comment on how they're moved (or challenged or entertained) by the finished product, but have little knowledge or interest in your process. Audience comes later. The only pure communication is between you and your work.

This ties into the notion that rejection and art are deeply connected. As Albert Camus said:

Artistic creation is a demand for unity and a rejection of the world.

The point of this whole entry? Forget about what other people think. The audience is secondary to you. If you make work that you has meaning for you, you've already succeeded. And besides, chances are that the approval of others will be a lot easier to obtain once you have your own approval.