We're at a point where we have to be earning and producing value *constantly* in order to survive, and that's not just for creatives. Most of us pay hours of our lives in exchange for basic needs like food, water, and shelter. We are facing a time where we can't afford to be creative.

Small-scale support (while appreciated) is not sufficient for people to survive on. The smaller our audience, the harder it is to justify spending time on creative projects. So, people get second jobs, or take on more demanding/higher-paying jobs, and they abandon creativity altogether.

Now let's look at the reality for most of us creatives: we spend several hours on creative projects we're passionate about for the same 5-50 people out there that enjoy what we make. Arguably, this *would* be the best scenario because it feels more intimate that way, but then comes capitalism.

Until it isn't. We caged our creativity, draining its authenticity. It becomes harder to manage with new social media platforms, more forms of content, and suddenly creativity becomes a job. We've turned creativity into a business, which is a success under capitalism, but a tragedy for humans.

Let's pretend, for a second, that we figure it out, and we're drowning in likes, views, and sales! What's next? Part of the formula is consistency, which means we now have to have something to post every day, 2, 3, 4 times a day. We spend several hours a day on creative projects now, how cool!

Content creation. Sharing art in a vast, public sphere, gaining the support and patronage of hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of people from all over the world. We post with the hope that our reach will go far, which means we now have to be algorithm experts on top of being creative.

As we submerge deeper into late-stage capitalism, and as the world becomes more interconnected, it becomes harder and harder to justify dedicating time to creative projects. Sometimes, there just isn't time to, even if you want to. A few made a solution to that problem, causing an entirely new one.

It is impossible to dream of being a creative for the sake of creativity. What I mean by that is that unless your creativity is subjectively valuable, there is no reason to explore it. Which is interesting considering we're (mostly) still introduced to creative outlets as children.

I love The Twilight Zone!