I think that there’s some kind of mindset in a lot of creative communities (authors, artists, musicians) that your work needs to be groundbreaking and thought-provoking for it to matter. That in order for it to be considered worthy of its medium, it must have a greater purpose.
And if you ask me, its bullshit.
God, it puts so much stress on a creator to have to be important to someone else. I have seen so many people give up because their work isn’t making a statement, that it’s ‘fluff but no substance.’ As though there’s only room for so many people in a community of creators that only people with a point can get in.
If it made someone laugh, it’s important.
If it made someone smile, it’s important.
If someone looks back on it fondly, even for a moment, it’s important.
If you enjoyed making it, even if you never shared it, it’s important.
Sing songs about your cat, draw pictures of lizards eating popsicles, and write a series of novels about time-traveling alpaca.
The world is already full of super-important stuff. Write fluff.
I have a friend (published) who looks down on fanfiction because she doesn’t think it’s “real” writing since it can’t sell. Let me tell you, I truly pity her for never knowing the JOY that is fluff (fan)fiction.
ALL writing and art MATTERS. Nuff said.
This is so true. If matters to you, it is important.
It is also making want a story about an alpaca who travels through them with a cat and a lizard, all eating popsicles.
personally I like to think steve’s birthday isn’t actually July 4th but someone asked him when his birthday was when he was doing his little show tour thingy and he just said it as an accident and/or a panic response in a bid to seem even more patriotic and everyone believed him and now it’s like 100 years later and he’s too deep in the lie to back out now bc he knows all the avenger’s would fucking publicly roast him if he admitted july 4th wasn’t actually his birthday- like he would literally never live that down- so he lives his life in fear that some bitch ass historian is gonna find his birth certificate and expose him
avengers: happy birthday, steve!
bucky, eyes narrowing: what the fuck your birthday isn’t until-
steve, holding back tears: shut up
Bucky tries to hand him a birthday card one cold December day, and Steve tackles him out a window before anyone else can see what he’s holding
Bruce: What was that crashing noise?
Tony, fiddling with something: Barnes just got tackled by Cap, because today is his actual birthday.
Bruce: How do you know?
Tony: My dad remembered it more than mine
Bruce: but you and Barnes threw him a huge party on the 4th of July this year.
Tony: Yeah, seeing him squirm about lying to the public is the best part of our country’s birthday.
