Many artists, especially beginners, look at this ideal contract and say, "Yuck, I don't want that. I want to be a star of auction houses, I want to focus on creativity!" And then they list a dozen objections and grievances. Because they're attracted not by real professional activities but by external romanticized attributes.

And you forget or don't suspect because of your naivety, stereotypes, or the illusion of genius. You don't know that along with creativity, you need to apply skills in effective communication. The ability to persuade and influence. Sales and promotion skills. The ability to organize people and situations. You asked for it harshly, without reverence. But it clears out the garbage from your brain. What do you think?

An art dealer, whose situation is the opposite. Conversation with a Familiar Artist:

– Darling, you've been trying to sell your paintings for three years now and you're diligently doing nothing for it. And I thought, maybe I'll pay you from my own pocket? After all, you need to buy paints again and pay for a place on marketplaces.

– Galina, you can see for yourself that I don't want to create series of works and improve my skills. And I've long forgotten about good photos, target audience, and tags, so don't worry. And where do you have extra money to support me?

– Well, yes, that's also true.

– Galina, let's revisit this conversation in a couple of years…

– After 3 years, but for sure, good?

No way. There's no way to survive. The best and most correct way to participate in discussions: not to participate and not engage in the discussion. I'm talking about artistic groups now. When works are exhibited for display, that's when it starts! I sense the smiles of the artists. And I'm feeling the same. Look at what's happening. And why. Dominance is shown in the amount of text, the number of comments, and the direction of the text.

I recently saw when the author of the post suggested to a lady in such a role to switch positions. It looked like "show me your work and I'll advise you, I can do that too." The lady burst into personal insults. I think you understand why. There are also comments like "why do I see this for the third day in a row in my feed, get out of my friends, I don't want to see this!" And often those who demand to remove the post comment under every word. They are outraged that this post is shown at the top of their feed. It's a pity that nobody is outraged by their own infantilism.

What do commentators do? They fantasize and write a response to their fantasy in their heads. The author's goal of the post is clear only if they voiced it. Let me explain. When there's a question about the quality of the work, a request for criticism and tips, then it's a different story about responding to requests. During heated discussions, they usually write off-topic, voicing their fears, pains, what bothers them in real life, what they suppress deep down, and that's what they write about.

Let me give you a vivid example, when a painting with nudity is exhibited. Usually, the plot and presentation tear apart the consciousness of many viewers. Immediately there are options like "you shouldn't paint like this, look how it should be done, you shouldn't paint this topic, you should paint something else, you shouldn't show your works." Artists, those who are reading me now, you see these discussions in bundles. I feel your smiles. Moreover, pay attention, the authors of the posts are different, the paintings are different, and the commentators change, but the texts are almost identical. Be curious, read with thought, and compare. Enjoy.