For a lot of artists when we start out, the gravitational pull is often getting better at the craft itself. We work to write a better class of song, draw a better painting, tell a more compelling story, and take a photograph that has emotional resonance 

But as we take our work to the world and seek an audience, we suddenly come into contact with a range of systems, each of which has its own gravitational centre that attempts to drag us in and abide by its rules. 

Social media, press, the gig industry; to name a few. 

These are powerful and often seductive systems, so it’s worth being conscious that the less clear we are about what we hope to achieve, and what our principles are as we venture forward, the more likely we are to be pulled into the wrong orbit and play a game we never signed up for. Or worse; we aren’t aware of the system, and end up stuck in an orbit that doesn’t nourish our character, craft, or interests.

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The Thoughts of Others

“Artists specialise in inventing worlds for themselves, and thus the activity is especially relevant to people who’ve had their world taken away from them.” – Brian Eno