Be the artist!

I was reading a blog this week that made me a little disheartened. Then it made me angry! The blogger, who will remain nameless, was giving advice on how to come up with a plan to write a book that will be profitable. She recommended following all the steps that you would do when setting up a small business such as looking at competition, setting up focus groups, and analyzing the market. Now that is fine if all you want to do is write a formula book, and while I agree that you need to be smart about the business side of things I am also forced to ask, "What about the artist!"

I would love to make a million from my book sales but I would much rather put out a project that I believe in and that is a part of myself and really try to say something with my work rather than rehashing another persons work just because they were successful with it. Look at Hollywood. They keep remaking the same movies over and over. Then they rely one the film making all it's money back on it's opening weekend, after weeks of hype. Because, in my opinion, they know that after the film opens and word gets out most of these films will tank at the box office, and all because they were made with a formula and by committee.

Don't get me wrong I am all for making money and making a living at want you want to do, but when making money is the only focus art is lost. Art comes from the heart and a passion to create something that will touch and affect others and when you try to make something that everyone will like, no one really loves it. So to the unnamed blogger you can keep your focus groups and I will keep putting out work that I believe in.