I Agree With Glenn Gould
“To me, the ideal audience-to-artist relationship is a one-to-zero relationship. I’m not happy with words like “artist” and ‘public’ and the hierarchical implications. The artist should be permitted anonymity, unaware of the presumed demand of the marketplace.”
In my opinion this doesn't mean the artist and audience cannot, or should not have a mutually rewarding experience, but rather that the artist should be listening only to her/his/their internal voice and instincts, and not become preoccupied with the expectations, delight, or disappointment of the audience, or marketplace.
This paradigm allows for complete artistic freedom.
All too often art is narrowly defined, and assigned some sliding scale of merit, but that's unfortunate. Self-expression doesn't require a rating system. Every kid is an artist right up until the day they are made to believe that the opinion of others is what qualifies anyone to be one.
In my view, art is the expression, through any medium, of anyone's subjective experience of existence.
So whether you speak your mind, and pour out your heart through words, music, paint, sculpture, architecture, dance, textiles, or any other medium, it's important to remember that you are the only one whose opinion really matters when it comes to your own artistic expression.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
-CC