Today, I received an interesting question from Cameron that is perfect for the subject we are covering in the podcast today. The conversation went like this:

Cameronmh — Today at 10:59 AM
Question: I was watching a podcast, and the artist was bashing their old paintings they’ve done and took them out of their archive and previous works.. have you ever seen backlash from people who have bought their art. Is it right to do that? what’s a good solution to art that you might not appreciate anymore that people have already bought? Is it self confidence issue and embarrassed of old work issue? Maybe a topic on how to embrace the journey you’ve had so far to grow and look upon old works positively.

Rafi — Today at 11:54 AM
That is such a good question. I know I’ve addressed this a few times but never as its own subject. The fact is that we will continually improve our skills, but to bash the heart of what you create is a slippery slope. At that point, you are tying your worth to your ability. However, you were a different person back then with a different skill set who was still pouring what you had available to you into your art. It set’s an unreliable measure of what it means to be successful. Sure, we may grow out of a painting we have done, but we appreciate what it took to get there and the willingness to express it. Bashing anything, whether it is your own or someone else’s work, is only something a bully would do. And bullies are people who carry many insecurities within them and reflect blame on the thing they are bashing. Art ages like wine, and older art is a snapshot of a journey.

Art is often considered a luxury item, something to be admired and enjoyed but not necessarily as an investment. However, art is something that increases in value over time.

One reason for this is that art is a finite resource. There are only a certain number of pieces by any given artist, and once they are gone, they are gone forever. This scarcity makes art a valuable commodity, as there will always be demand for it.

In my opinion, anyone who talks smack about their art might as well take money and set it on fire.