Tyler Has Words is the blog of Tyler Patrick Wood, a writer/musician from Texas. You'll get free book excerpts twice a week. On the other days, you'll get words. If you would like an original take on everything by an expert on nothing, this might be a cool place to hang out.

About Too Many Togas

About Too Many Togas

Post 1162:

There’s a decent amount of quality artistic stuff out there these days. There should be more, perhaps, given the accessibility most people have to pretty much any form of media at any time. I was thinking about why some forms of expression might be a little lower in quality. This is just a think-out-loud session, and hopefully it pertains in some way to everyone’s situation.

Artists, hell anyone that wants to make something of value, almost has to be a promoter. Maybe it’s a good thing and maybe people before were pampered, but I think that’s a tough sell. Nowadays it’s more important to be great at promoting the thing than the thing. That’s why so many of the things out there aren’t really awesome things.

It’s a difficult mind split, going from creating something to creatively pitching or selling or marketing or whatever the hell it is they call it. I’ve seen fantastic artists be okay at promotion, but it’s very rare. I’ve never seen a fantastic artist be fantastic at promotion. It’s too much headspace and they aren’t just two different paths. They are in two different dimensions.

But there are genius people that manage to stay creative and real AND be awesome at selling their wares or their selves. I said genius for a reason.

It makes me think of Julius Caesar. I know, weird turn. But give me a second. They say he could dictate five letters while planning an invasion while going over troop movements in his head, all the while keeping track of the bribes and favors he owed, all the while keeping like ten women and his wife happy.

This is an exaggeration, but he probably was something of a genius. He stands out in a time of really famous, accomplished people. Again. Genius. He was able to wear different togas because his mind was a one in a generation type thing. He literally wrote his own promotional book about his own successful invasion. That’s not normal.

So don’t feel bad if you can’t do it all. I think the hard part is trying to do too many things. This helps nothing. The creation stuff suffers, as does your marketability.

Or maybe not. There are people doing things on the internet that make no sense to me. I’m aware that I’m old and my mind is not capable of grasping the newest new bits, but I’m still a human. I think. Anyway, be careful. Don’t wear too many togas.

Cheers and see you after.

About The Divorcer (Added Content)

About The Divorcer (Added Content)

About The Names We Go By (Added Content)

About The Names We Go By (Added Content)

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