The Treason of the Artist was probably one of my best posts. The neurons were firing that day.

And it’s funny. You can sound pretty darn good talking about something you don’t agree with.

I don’t think artists commit treason.

The reason artists focus on the bad, painful stuff is because artists are either trying to help us solve problems or deal with our pain.

Artists tell the “story” of the saber toothed tiger hunt to educate, to warn, and to entertain. This is what Garg did, and it didn’t go so well for him.

Or artists imagine how things could have gone better, and they tell that story. Artists are solution engineers.

If I hear of your troubles, I can draw from that when I face a similar experience. That’s what storytelling is all about. I think.

So the artist focuses on what’s bad rather than on what’s good. If there is no problem to solve, what’s there to talk about?

That’s just bragging, isn’t it?