Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mouseferatu" data-source="post: 4700315" data-attributes="member: 1288">True, but nobody is so good that they cannot improve (especially when they're first getting started). And it is the feedback from others--not just friends, but outsiders like editors, other writers, and even an audience--that leads, in part, to that improvement.And much of that feedback comes because of, and is given weight by, financial incentives. Not all of it, of course, but a fair amount. There's little incentive for an author or artist to pay attention to criticism from strangers without them. (This is true of nearly all areas, not just art, but it's art we're talking about here.)Innate talent is good, but it's not enough. And as I said before, innate talent isn't necessarily tied to the willingness to work for free. If artists don't get paid for their work, even those who would be willing to work for free may not be able to. If artists don't get paid for their work, eventually art will all but disappear from the culture. It won't happen immediately or quickly, but the number of people who are both able and willing to work without compensation simply aren't sufficient to sustain a vibrant artistic or literary culture. And frankly, they shouldn't be expected to.</blockquote>