Anonymous asked:

i feel like people constantly forget there is a person behind the art they view and that popular ones, like PK, deal with thousands upon thousands of interactions through their art... they cannot always be kind to you. i see this happen to my best friend so often, she says ONE Thing out of line, even if it's not that bad, or someone disagrees with her, and has tons of people condemning her for it. it's not a fun situation to be in

veekun occupies this interesting middle ground where it’s decently put together (eh), but also largely a hobby project that partly appeals to a younger audience.

i mention this because on more than one occasion, i’ve had people ask me: what did you use to make veekun?  what tutorial did you follow?

these are very surprising and interesting questions.  they don’t even ask if; they ask what.

i think that before you really see/know a creative person or interact with a creative community, it’s hard to grasp that amazing things are created by people.  art is made by people.  tumblr was made by people.  this font was made by people.  the pyramids were built by people.  just people.

but if you’ve never seen this in action, it’s hard to believe.  not that we consciously believe they appeared from thin air, of course, but we have this vague idea that greatness is created by Other People.  important people, talented people, people who are somehow fundamentally different from us.

i know i felt like this, at least.  it’s similar to the experience of assuming your parents are infallible, then growing up and suddenly realizing that they’re just people like everyone else.

so when someone sees that i made something they think is amazing, and they come talk to me and find out i’m just some person, they naturally assume that there must have been divine inspiration involved.  i must have used someone else’s software, or followed someone else’s instructions.  and they are amazed when that’s not the case.

i think a similar thing happens with artists, sometimes.  if you never get used to the idea of creators as just people, then it can be jarring to follow a bunch of them for a while, and suddenly see them act like just people.  people with feelings and attitudes and problems like anyone else.  an artist?  rude?  how can this be?  artists aren’t supposed to be like this; they’re Special.  that’s why they’re talented and popular.

i wonder if the reverse is related, too: “if a regular person can be talented and popular, why am i not?  this can’t be right.”

so yeah i think it’s at least partly due to this weird semi-deification of people who do neat stuff.  we get this fuzzy idea of what they “should” be like, and feel betrayed when they aren’t like that.

i don’t know what there is to be done about this, mind you  :)  i just think it’s interesting

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