Amanda Finds Some Order to Her Life But Not Really

A gif representing my thoughts for the past week ft. Dan Howell

After much navel-gazing, I have been finding some themes that run through my work. Intimacy (how we form it, the lack of it, our connections to places, things, and others, escapism) seems appear in a lot of my pieces. This thought may be a starting point to go off on for future directions. However, I also noticed my artistic process often involves making the piece and then retrospectively connecting it back to larger concepts of intimacy rather than the other way around. Perhaps the general ideas of intimacy unconsciously inform my work?

There has been a lot of pressure to fully understand our work so far, and this leads me to several tangents as always. At the downtown library the other day, I saw a book in the arts section titled I Just Like to Make Things. Playing the devil's advocate, I wonder how much we really need to know about ourselves to make art. Of course it is good to be able to explain your work, but just as much so, others will impose their own meanings when viewing the work as well. Hmm. . . .

EDIT:
So like other students, I also believe the internet has played some role in the art world over the past decade. Websites and social media platforms have changed the way art is publicized to some extent. For example, instead of having to visit the latest contemporary gallery, one can search Tumblr or Google for contemporary art and see news regarding contemporary work. It leads to a sort of democratization of art, I suppose. Take, for example, the Tumblr user who is not in the art world or related academia but reblogs an art piece simply because they enjoy it. There's also the ability for emerging artists now to set up shop on sites like RedBubble or Etsy. I am thinking off the top of my head about zines, particularly.  Artists can now circumvent the traditional gallery/art dealer/ auction house relationship in the financial aspects as well.
    However, I do also believe the dominant structure of the art world has not changed all too much. While there are these new outlets of art publicity and sales, these cater more so to small and emerging artists. The whole boho-dance Wolfe mentions seems to still be a big part of the artworld today.

Success:
    Well, I won't lie and say "I don't care about money and worldly possessions at all." I AM a student with loans to pay. Thinking about my future financially, I want arrive at a point where money is not something I worry or think too much about. I would like money to be something that is just there. Not a concern or a preoccupation. Just a fact of life. Unfortunately, in the current age, arriving at the point of no financial concern typically means a high income-bracket.

    Psychologically and spiritually, I would like to achieve good health, physically and mentally, and reach some sort of peace or content in my life. (You know, the whole "reach self-actualization" thing.)
    Art-wise, I would simply like to be able to continue making art. I do not want to reach the point in my life where I must give up art making for the "practicality of the adult world."