People like to create things

Pickup a fucking crayon and draw your friends

This was discovered in the US shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown thanks to The Great Resignation when furloughed workers took to hobbies during lockdown and some of them found ones lucrative enough they decided to quit their (often toxic) jobs.

In fact, there's been a strong effort by both principal political parties and the ownership class to memory-hole what happened 2020-2022 in which ordinary people were given enough material support to define for themselves their societal role, rather than having it defined for them by major commercial interests (who want them as cheap labor).

This is also how an unconditional socialized or community-centered system would work. (We might even call them socialism or communism if those were not the worst of all slurs in the United States). People can couch-potato and binge-watch TV for about two weeks before cabin fever sets in and they either start fixing and building. Those of us (like me) who can couch potato for longer than that suffer from mental illness (and in my case, have been diagnosed since my early twenties). I stayed in bed for nine months, often without the capacity to literally lift a finger thanks to my avolition. No one wants to be that lazy.

No, the current system is a grift, a scam to force people to engage in menial labor for super-cheap while they suffer abuse by their superiors, hence the RTO mandates, and how crunching development teams in AAA game development is still a thing.

Yes, I'm bitter, but Trump's autocratic movement may be the last gasp of neoliberalism, and either we're going to see steps towards a new New Deal or we're going to see our Tech-Bro oligarch masters try to fascism all of the US and the reprisal will be even more revolutionary (and more violent).

An important parallel to this, especially for those of us who grew up in the US, is to remember that your hobbies and the things you build can be for your own enrichment. They do not need to be efficient or profitable. The effect of the process on your psyche is far more important than the new inanimate object you possess at the end. But that's not how our capitalist worker bee culture taught me to see it.

This is kind of how I treat hobbies. I don’t start learning Spanish to be able to speak Spanish for instance, like obviously you might get there. So for me it’s all about the journey and if I get bored and move on to something else that isn’t failure that’s chasing your curiosities and being open to try new things.
Also ADHD helps.
- Everytime my German teacher says something like "one day if you're gonna be in Germany and say it as so and so....", I always wonder: "should I tell her I don't really care about pronunciation or stuff like that and am only learning this so I can better understand the memes that show up in my timeline?"
  It's been a little over a year and the secret is still up.
- Haha, absolutely with the ADHD. I'm tempted to put a sign on all the shit I constructed this summer that says "the house that adderall built" or something like that, lol.
  It also helps to have multiple projects going, as long as you keep it to a manageable number. Nothing like making progress on hobby project B to procrastinate on hobby project A because you aren't feeling that one today.
The way I've heard this put is that our potential (skills, will, interest, gumption, etc) has been financialized.
It's to the point where you'll just even be day dreaming about some fun idea, and a little subroutine in your head will kick off titled but how do I monetize this?
This is ofc in large part due to the fact that you need to earn a lot of money to survive comfortably, but even that is an artificial condition that we could collectively change if we wanted.
I'm convinced that this process of self and imposed financialization ultimately costs us more joy, wellbeing, peace, and even productivity, than if we simply identified and addressed needs democratically.
- a little subroutine in your head will kick off titled but how do I monetize this?
  Yep, that is exactly it.
  I have finally been winning the battle against that subroutine, and I still stomp that shit into the ground any time it makes a peep.
  I've given away some cool stuff to some excited people this summer!
  A parallel to this issue that still irks the shit out of me is the "huh... smart!" reaction when somebody takes the most greedy path possible. It gets to the point where generosity is a character flaw because it makes you a sucker and not a winner.

Okay? What about all those billionaires destroying the world? Guess they must be the exceptions...

Well a small percentage of humans are psychopaths.
- Small? Seems like at least 30%

I don't know if it's art or just creation. Like, if I had infinite money I'd spend time on leatherworking and making little machines/programs. Both a form of creation.

Have I shown you my assorted lengths of wire?
Same.
Like.....exactly the same. Weird.
Yup. I'd probably dabble in blacksmithing, gardening, or coding apps.

also i can't help but say "look. there's much worse things for the fucking yuppy kids to do than make art. they could go into real estate, or military advancements. every lucky baby ducky making art about how fucked the world is is a tiny victory. they should do more to make room for the rest of us, but they literally have so much privilege they don't know how. don't make hating them your top priority in this global system of violence"

We were all really jazzed about that healthcare CEO getting killed, and then when they arrested Luigi my coworker was like, "He was quite privileged, you know," like we aren't allowed to like the guy anymore.
- Why would we like him less? Being privileged and throwing that away means he had more to lose and allegedly did it anyway.
- Yes, this. Had someone get on me about this once and said it was hypocritical and conveniently selective. The reality though is that that behavior is antithetical to organizing. It imposes pointless rules that potentially push people away from the collective that we need. People don’t get a choice of the environment they are born into.
don't make hating them your top priority
So much this. I grew up fairly less affluent than most. I was once accused of being secretly rich because “no one would dress that poor on purpose”. And I’ve had a few less than stellar altercations with kids from rich families. Suffice it to say, I resented the fuck out of people with money/privilege; I still do. It’s a toxic mindset, and it drags you down and through the mud with no benefit. That old adage of “comparison is the thief of joy” really is true. Don’t let anyone steal your joy; especially yourself.
they literally have so much privilege they don’t know how
I'll point you to Sam Reich, the quintessential liberal rich kid, who has been working overtime to platform dozens of shit kicker comedians and artists via Dropout.tv
I wouldn't say they don't know how. I'd say they try and most fail but a few don't. And we're all richer for the effort.
- His dad’s one of the only mainstream democrats with consistently good takes (excluding previous support of Israel, but he’s at least stopped supporting them now), though. Not to take anything away from Sam Reich, but Robert Reich is literally a thought leader (worked in several presidential administrations including as secretary of labor under Clinton and was a professor for decades) in how to redistribute wealth. Sam could still have just been a shitty rich kid, and I’m glad he wasn’t (dropout is incredible), but he did have a much less awful example than most rich kids do.
- The rich can afford to fail... multiple times.
- I don't understand where the altruism lies in dropout.tv
  Isn't it just another arts business startup?
Yeah. From another angle, can't blame the kids. It's what most of us would do. If you have a child that you love, you want the world for them. Doesn't matter your own conditions as long as you give them the best. You don't want unbiased equality, you want them to be the priority. You make compromises and you make sacrifices because you must, for their sake. But you want to give them more and if you have the means, you will give them more, even if it makes you hypocritical.

I have long thought that a UBI would generate a new renaissance.

In the early 90's, myself and every single computing geek I knew thought the Internet would usher in a Renaissance of intellect.
It was humbling to be so sure and so wrong. While I hope the same as you do, I am not so sure of anything anymore.
- You weren't wrong across the board though. I know it's hard to focus on the positives these days, and we are constantly bombarded with depressing and inane content, but we can't lose sight of them.
  It's hard to overstate how much the internet has made scientific research and collaboration easier for instance. The sheer amount of research being done has exploded, and it's far from being all slop. Publishers try their best to paywall the articles but they're still available nonetheless.
  And what about all the art that is shared online by people who would never, in a million years, have been able to show their creations to the world before the internet. Not to mention the people who don't share it but can make it because of freely available information.
  I know it's not as idyllic as you probably foresaw it (yeah, understatement of the century, I know), but it did happen, even though unfortunately it also led to a gigantic pile of shit. Both can be true simultaneously.
- In the early ’90s*
It would improve society in so many ways. The only people it wouldn't benefit are the ruling class, and by harming the ruling class to benefit society, you benefit society. There are literally no downsides to it.
I so want a UBI. Time to help my community, make open source contributions in ways I deem meaningful and beneficial to society rather than driven by corporate profit, make art, and have as much time as I want with my family? Sign me up.
But we wouldn't want to prove that people don't need the fear of homelessness and starvation to be productive now would we?
- Don't wait for your country. How much do you want it? Are you willing to find all the other people who want it? Once enough people want it you can move into one place and pool parts of your income to create it.
3 minutes of Brian Eno talking on this very topic and undermining the concept of the genius.
https://youtu.be/xDZ4L2JjlZY

The correct terminology is people want to be able to express themselves and explore the world without being judged. Finding a purpose in what they want to do in and with their life. After all, no one was chosen to be born.

I defy the system by making art anyway.

Never let them take it from you.

I try to sneak making music into the little time I have on weekends no matter how tired I am. Sometimes the feeling of just not doing it is strong, but I push through with it.

the money also gets them famous

I think what this alludes to is the reality that the time and resources to self-actualize are still largely the domain of the owner class.

And many to most still seem to just chase a bigger hoard rather than do that.

yeah, i've got a buddy who illustrates. about 350 a page for friends [edit: last i bought something a decade ago]. he can whip them out decent quality pretty fast, but it took him years of training to get to that skill.

If Republicans actually gave a shit about small businesses, they would pass Medicare for All yesterday. Healthcare being tied to employment (with orgs that offer health insurance as part of compensation) is one of the biggest barriers to entrepreneurship in the United States.

I think you need only look to countries with free healthcare to see that isn't the case.
Lack of healthcare is one of the biggest reasons I’ve never gone freelance for my programming work.
- I'm a one person LLC. Health insurance is my biggest expense outside of my house payment. If you extrapolate over the last three years, those are the only two things that I've put more money in than retirement.
Seriously. Think of how many people would do something amazing if they could risk a gap in their employment without losing healthcare.
I disagree with the specific argument, but agree with the principle.
I think this is more palatable to Republicans:
require businesses to offer the cash value of any benefits a business offers if the employee refuses it
remove any tax benefits employers get for offering benefits, as well as any group discounts
make emergency care free - ambulances, ER, airlifts, etc
pass a negative income tax in lieu of welfare programs and Social Security - get cash up to the poverty line for no income, and the benefits drop up to some multiple of the poverty line (NIT, similar impact as UBI)
expand medicare for those traditional insurance won't cover for a reasonable amount (basically caps medical costs, while keeping the market competitive)
Basically, this preserves the private medical care system, strips any leverage companies have over you, and ensures everyone can afford it. Since unemployed people get cash, they can choose to try starting a business instead of being a wage slave if they can't get a good job. The benefits would be low enough it would encourage people to work, but high enough that you're not screwed if you can't find work.
The goal should be for everyone to afford medical care regardless of means, not to have the government in control of medical care. I think this option is more palatable to those who want less government, and it also shouldn't impact taxes too much.
- require businesses to offer the cash value of any benefits a business offers if the employee refuses it
  If you did this so many people would opt out of healthcare until their early 40s and just go to the emergency room for care more than they already do. The insurance pools would be lopsided and it would get even more expensive. And soo many less people would be doing any preventative care until things fall apart and they decide their insurance is worth it. Your also breaking the negotiation aspect of "insurance" by demanding them not be allowed to pool, meaning your insurance would cover less and less.
  I am sure Republicans would love this plan, don't let RFK see it.

It seems to me like being able to choose to be an artist when rent is due IS what being Privileged means. Yeah, a lot more people probably would choose to express themselves over being a wage slave.

I'm not even sure what this post is trying to convey. Is there a definition of Privilege that doesn't include having opportunities that a lot of other people don't have?

We'll never have that privlige so long as the ruling class remains.

My inability to draw definitely isn't related to my mortgage.

Everybody has an inability to draw until they learn how.
Not all art is drawing. Music is a big one. If you don't know how to play music you have electronic music.
If you still want something more plastic, there are forms of graphic art that do not rely on manual drawing abilities. You can do 3d renders for instance. But also several stiles that do not requiere much ability. You can even code a piece of art through a generative algorithm in something like p5.
There's also photography, and video.
Writing, from poetry to full novels.
Art is limitless.
Same, I've tried and failed way too much. I almost failed a high school drawing class that was pass/fail because I bombed my final (teacher thought I was slacking off... I'm just really slow). I tried one of those do it yourself drawing courses and gave up after a few months after making little progress. I've tried and it's not for me.
I am decent at software dev though. If I have spare time, I'll work on personal projects, but after a full time job and young kids, there just isn't much left over. I'm in the middle of a P2P reddit alternative and a strategy game, but neither will be finished anytime soon.
I think those projects are artistic expression as well, because I'm building it not to get paid, but to add something beautiful to the world. I'm sure you have something like that as well.

it's weird, i don't think i've had this urge. i have an urge but i don't know what it is.

I've never considered myself an artistic person, but many years ago I was laid off and had a few months of time to fill, and in a surprise to myself, I started making pixel art animations and absolutely loved it. It fulfilled some sort of latent creative need that I didn't realize was there until I had the time.
I think many of us would be surprised at what parts of our personalities come out when not suppressed by the daily grind.
- i spent the last six months doing nothing at work because there was nothing for me to do, and i've just been doing "code doodles". snippets that don't do anything. i don't think it's because i wanted to make them, i just wanted to look like i was doing something. my proof is that now that i've been laid off (because there was nothing for me to do), i don't find myself wanting to do anything in particular, but wanting to do something. every single thing feels forced, but when i try to get my brain to actually tell me what it is i do want i just get nothing.

this is part of the reason why the blunt anti-AI movement pisses me off. It lets those of us who didn't get to dedicate a bunch of time to mastering visual arts to get an OK representation of an idea made. Not all of us have commission money.

The greater impact, how it's used etc are valid points of argument. But it's nice to see some interesting ideas rendered well, and it's nice to be able to put in stupid ideas and see them made. And not all of it is draining oceans and making people homeless.

Art is creation and process not result. AI generated images are results that aren't created. Using time or money as justification for using this abhorrent "tool" is just you trying to put an emotional twist on the judgments from actual artists.
- Strongly disagree. What makes art art is the ability to make the viewer experience emotion. Sometimes understanding the process is key to that experience and sometimes it isn’t. Heck some people consider the natural world an art piece all on its own.
- As a professional artist, time and money are always a concern of my employer. The process is fundamentally unimportant to them; it's the result that matters. We need a different word for the personal meaning of artistic process in service of the muse rather than money. As a chaote, I'd just call it magic, but that word has a lot of baggage.
- Art is creation and process not result.
  Not anymore : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedian_(artwork)
  Also, photography in general. You're not making the landscape or person the portrait is of.
  AI generated images are results that aren’t created.
  Neither are particle effects from pixar films, but it doesn't stop people saying they are/were masterpieces (before the disney acquisition). People also like rougelike games.
Indeed, AI art empowers non-artists to explore areas they otherwise wouldn’t. Not everyone has the money or social connections to hire an artist every time they want to try something out.
- I think that everybody has access to a pencil and paper. And if you don't, then you have much bigger problems.
Yeah, it's probably best to focus on the positives. The AI box has been opened, and there's no closing it back up, even if we wanted to.
- I asked AI if it was Pandora’s Box and it said no.
  Side note that I find hilarious: predictive text on my phone keeps suggesting “Pandora’s Door” for whatever reason
- I know how to close it, but it won't be pretty (or easy)
  Edit: it involves fried potatoes, ranch dressing & bolt cutters

Only thing I've been creating lately is chaos...

Whoever said this obviously doesn't have a financial backer to develop acrylic paint in easy to eat tubes (specifically in yellow)

"Rich people have it too easy" is such a crabs-in-a-bucket mentality.

In what way is "everyone should be able to explore their artistic side" a "crabs-in-a-bucket mentality"?
- I don't think that's what the person you're responding to is saying. I'm fact, I think you might actually be in agreement with each other.
- No idea. I didn't suggest that.

This is a world-building element of Heinlein’s posthumous novel, For Us the Living, where UBI allows people to do art or other low-pay trades. The UBI system in the novel enables people who don’t want to work, are tired of work, or who aren’t good at working, to live and pursue what does make them happy since their livelihood doesn’t rely on working a job. Of course, Heinlein has some libertarian nonsense to harp on in the book, but it’s wild just how long we’ve known that there is enough to take care of us all and that working to live is a detriment individually and collectively.

The vast, vast majority of artists do it as a job to survive and not for fun though.

It can certainly be a hobby that is done for fun with no time constraints, where you can just make whatever you please, but it can also be stressful, soul-sucking necessity once money gets involved.

Can confirm. I've gone full-time gigging musician. Don't get me wrong, I chose this path after exhausting all other options because it's the only career I can stomach, but when you make your hobby your job, your hobby becomes your job.
I've managed to pay rent and bills, but I still got credit card debt from the beginning when I was really scraping by. Every month feels like I'm unemployed until I get saved by a big gig, but it is quite terrifying still.

"Is this rich kid privilege? Or is it really just [privilege described in a different way]?"

I used to be the kind of optimist that would largely agree with this post. But in the past decade I've seen the truth. Most people are profoundly uncurious and uncreative, even when encouraged to be.

Nope. ¹

1. I've met artists.