Content is obnoxious. Art is the product
Teaching how to see
The writer is a foreign correspondent in her own land, filing dispatches about the sacred and the profane—and revealing, often subtly, the porous border between the two. The mark of a great journalist is the capacity to see what should be evident to everyone but which somehow isn’t
Walker Percy describing the writer’s craft, eays is to teach others how to see. Our vision is clearer, our senses heightened, our lives charmed and enchanted.
Content is obnoxious
In a fantastic piece, Tod Brison author on Medium writes
On my worst days, I despise that my treasured medium has been taken around the corner and pimped out to entrepreneurs to whom “writing” is merely a synonym for “content.”
Content gets traffic, traffic gets sales, and a sale gets money. My mind accepts this concept even while my soul violently rejects it.
Make no mistake, we are living in a world where you can spend hours perfecting a post, pushing your idea through three solid drafts, and still get no action. In the meantime, someone else can come along with a similar piece that is connected to the right channels, has the right headline, projects the perfect stock photograph, games the system, and rockets to the top of the Internet.
It’s obnoxious.
Search engines content versus art for people
In this sea of vomit manufactured for search engines, you should still bother writing creatively for one important reason:
The world needs more art. It does not need more content.
Art — is used to touch another person’s heart
Content — is used to touch another person’s wallet
Art — for the soul
Content — for the mind (sometimes)
Art — a list with original thought, ideas, humor, and/or introspection
Content — a list with hyperlinks
Art — stands the test of time
Content — is gone in moments (but don’t worry, more will come along soon)
Art — the product
Content — the marketing*
Art — reaches out to one specific person (even and especially if that person is imaginary)
Content — boils down the subject matter so it can be shareable by everyone. (“I want to be seen as productive! Better share 10 Ways to Supercharge Your Work Life”)
Art — is not understood by everyone
Content — is easily understood by the lowest common denominator, thus increasing its likelihood to achieve maximum traffic (remember, traffic = money)
Art — quality matters
Content — quantity matters
Art — is for human beings
Content — is for Google
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