Separating art from the artist
April 28, 2025
I've been thinking a lot lately about what my principles are pertaining to art, I guess. I've been thinking about what my thoughts on the nature of art are and what that means for my work moving forward.
People nowadays talk a lot about separating art from the artist. That's super contextual, obviously, and it can't always be done, but I hope that if I ever "make it", I guess, I'll be the kind of artist that can be "separated". I hope that even if someone loathes me as a person, they can still enjoy something I've made. I think that, in a sense, when you create something, it takes on a life of its own. I think publishing a book is kinda like having a kid. You made it, but you can't necessarily control where it goes from there. If someone wants to draw a character from your comic pregnant, that might be kind of weird, but you can't really do anything about it. There's something kind of beautiful about that, even though it sometimes sucks.
I've never been a "people person", and I never liked the idea of being famous. It'd be cool if some people saw my art, but I don't really want to make the next Pokémon or Star Wars. I'm just some guy, and I'm not even a particularly good or nice guy. You know how everyone knows Snoopy, but most people couldn't tell you a damn thing about Charles Schulz? That's the kind of relationship I want to have with my art. I want to be able to show what I made, then crawl back to my cave and go back to working or playing video games or whatever it is I do in my spare time. Obviously, my art contains aspects of my identity and beliefs, but I don't want it to be tied to me.
I hope I never disappoint anybody so much that they feel like I bring down everything I've ever made by extension. If I ever do something so vile that all of my work becomes worthless, then I hope someone just shoots me.
