If you are building a business, it matters what your customer thinks. If you are rolling out a new feature, your customers ‘like’ matters. It’s not the case if you are making your art, though. The only ‘like’ that ought to matter is yours.
The likes of Facebook and Twitter threaten to make life an endless cycle of external affirmation (or concerns about the lack of it). So, is it business or art? If your cookery blog is your art, don’t worry about the view count. Just focus on making better food and sharing that with the world. Connect with ten genuine fans. And do it till the end of time..
In time, you may be able to convert your art into a business. Your taste might actually be good enough to guarantee success in the market. Then again, it might not.
It’s just worth remembering that, even if the odds are not great, there is some chance that your art may become a business and fund your lifestyle while continuing to feel like your art. The chances of a business, built on the basis of external affirmation, feeling like your art is unlikely.
So, before you get started on your next initiative, ask yourself that question – is this business? or is it art? If it’s a business, check for potential revenue and focus on making it work with customers of your choice (or make sure you’re doing what keeps your boss happy). If it’s art, don’t bother with the ‘likes.’ Do it because it helps you express yourself and do it safe in the knowledge that it might not work, and that’s okay..
A Learning a Day 