Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/31640
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I want to make my art, to express with no limits. However, I also need to profit with it. If I sell my art purely, the readers _might_ not understand, like or be interested in it, and thus resulting in low sales, although I would like very much what I've done. If I want more sales, I would have to water it down with what the public likes/expects, thus my "art" wouldn't be "pure" (original), but a mainstreamy production. Thus, if I need to put only what the public likes and avoid putting what the public might dislike, I would simply be indirectly working _for_ the readers, always having to please _them_, or else...

But by "to make my art" I do not in any way mean "to ignore quality standards", it's exactly the opposite; it actually refers to content: it's too nichey, and everyone knows that nichey = low sales, compared to the mainstream.

So I feel divided: one side of me _really_ wants to be free to make my nichey art, while the other side _needs_ the profits (to be used in another project) that this nichey art is not much likely to give and thus needing to change it.

How do I get out of this?

Original score: 3