If art is magic, isn’t the consumption of art magic as well?

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 56 - A new definition of the creator economy.

Oct 20, 2023

“Money is the opposite of magic. Art is magic. The worlds of art and money are constantly intermingling. To survive this mixture the magic in art has to be applied in new ways. Magic must always triumph.” -Keith Haring

Hi Friends,

May I be honest with you? I completed a draft, was ready to publish, and then decided to rewrite this entire post. Only the quotes survived. All that put me behind schedule when I was ahead of schedule.

Here is the result.

In this newsletter:

The creator economy (a unique definition).
The value of a unique creation.
The creator/consumer relationship.
Magic works both ways.

This is where I try my best to explain a creator economy.

If you Google ‘creator economy,’ it will say that the creator economy is creating any form of online content. Since this is my newsletter, I’m using creator economy to mean something more literal. Henceforth, I will refer to it as my creator economy.

I have never taken a class in economics, but I do know that products are needed, and consumers are needed. So, in my newsletter world, my creator economy is when creators create something, and a consumer consumes it in some way. (I know that would get a really poor score in even a high school level economics class.)

Creators of art encompass a wide group of people. Writers, musicians, artists, dancers, designers, there is a wide variety of creators to consider in my creator economy.

For my creator economy, there needs to be consumers who appreciate the art. There is a wide variety of consumers. The spectrum ranges from those who pay for art or the art experience to those who observe with their senses, paying nothing.

What is a creation worth?

Now that you know I am not an economist, why am I even writing about it?

A few events put me thinking about the value of creations. First, in my art classes, I make art, most of which I would gladly give away. Then, I read about Keith Haring (quoted above). And last, I went to a Zine Fest this weekend at the Richmond public library.

What’s a Zine, you ask? It’s a small magazine with an average of 8 pages. They range in size from a half sheet of paper to an eighth of a sheet. Most are printed in limited quantities, and many are handmade.

Skill levels at the fest ranged from stick figure drawings to accomplished cartoonists and graphic designers. They were all unique. I met artists, cartoonists, poets, and writers. This was only one Zine Fest! Think of the other outlets showing creative works.

Artistic creations surround us.

The relationship between the creator and the consumer.

The Zine Fest, with its range of zines, had many consumers browsing (who knew?). The prices I saw at the Zine Fest ranged from free to twenty dollars. Some creators were willing to trade zines.

Since I started writing, I’ve learned if you want to share your work, you need to find your audience (or consumers). Many creators start with the price of free or a trade. They want to grow an audience, become known, and eventually earn compensation.

Some creators want to earn a living with their creations. Others create for no other reason than the personal experience or to share.

Every creator feels the need to create.

If art is magic, isn’t the consumption of art magic as well?

Creators need consumers as much as consumers need creators.

Without an audience, there would be no purpose for a creation. This is why free art is as valuable as the art we buy. There is value in the time we spend appreciating it. We read, observe, listen, and experience.

Every consumer feels the need to consume.

Consuming art in some way is something we can all do.

“I have spent all my life amongst wise people, and I found nothing better than silence in this world. If a word costs one coin, the silence costs two. Silence suits clever people, and it suits wise people even more.” - The Talmud

It takes silence to consume most creations.

Magic circles back to the creator.

The magic created by creators comes back to them with every read, observation, like, and comment.

In my creator economy, when you pause to contemplate a word written or a picture painted, you are sending magic back to the creator.

In my creator economy, magic always triumphs.

I create to share my thoughts with you. You give me your time in return. I hope you find magic in what I create.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

Pictured above are two zines. My daughter-in-law and her friend created the zine on the left. My granddaughter created the zine on the right (it had a very limited printing, so it is priceless. And I own one).
If you want to know more about Keith Haring, here’s a 2-minute trailer for a PBS documentary about him.

It’s good that many art museums are free or ask for a donation of your choice.
I found it easy to relate to Matt Hogan’s post about his reasons for writing.
I’m a big fan of author Roald Dahl. He wrote short stories for adults as well as children. In this 12-minute interview from 1982, he talks about writing and how he would like to be remembered. He succeeded.
Sometimes, we appreciate creations more when we understand their source. Roald Dahl wrote two autobiographies, Boy, about his childhood, and Going Solo, about his time as a young pilot. These are written for a young audience, but even my husband recently enjoyed them.
I’m grateful for the new experience of attending the Zine Fest. As you might be able to tell, I found it inspiring.

Thank you for being an audience for my creation! If you read past my creator economy definition and got this far, just think how much magic you sent my way! I appreciate the time you spend reading each week and hope you find a little magic.

You can be both creator and consumer. Each person sits somewhere on the creator/consumer spectrum. I hope you are inspired to create something this week,

💚

Susan

If you feel the need to teach me something about economics, reply to this email or leave a comment. I am always trying to gain knowledge.

Take Pen to Paper