On Becoming the Dancer

The 11th of July, 2025

Sometimes when I’m working on some little thing, I wonder to myself, “what’s the point of even doing this? No one is going to look at it.” This is false in my case because I have a small circle of online friends who do look at the things I create (which is extremely validating!) but I think it’s important to note that the real joy of creating lies within the self. External validation confirming that something you made is cool is nice of course, but that’s another thing! The greatest pleasure of creating comes from within.

There is a great deal of dissonance here; in this modern era we’ve been conditioned again and again to seek validation from others via our online platforms. On Reddit it’s upvotes that determine the value of a creation, on Twitter it’s hearts, and the list goes on. Obviously, we enjoy getting the upvotes or the hearts or whatever, and that’s no accident; the sites are designed specifically so that being upvoted is pleasurable for the user. It’s a little weird to judge creations like this all on the same scale, but that’s what’s becoming normalized and even engrained into the culture of this era we live in. This kind of democratic social space is interesting because maybe this could combat misinformation (hint: it doesn’t), but systems like this only place cultural value on the upvotes even more.

What’s the point of making something if it’s never shared?
Why dream an un-upvoted dream?

You caught me! I’m a chronic oversharer. I do enjoy publishing every aspect of my life online for all to see, but something like writing poetry only for yourself can be introspective and therapeutic. Just getting some feelings out and onto the proverbial paper can do great things for your mind, but even if you are doing some higher form of art poorly, it can still be enriching. Basically, you should create for fun even if it’s bad and you don’t share it! It’s good for you! Of course, I’m not saying “never share anything you make,” but sometimes it’s nice to make something only for yourself. There’s some part of the human brain that enjoys creating, and the part that enjoys sharing is a separate thing, and I think it’s important to remember that. In recent discourse, it seems like people are more interested in the sharing aspect and not the creating aspect. This is alarming in that it devalues the art of creation, but also because it simply results in lower quality stuff people put out! Perhaps this is a bit of my pedanticism, but it seems like language around this kind of thing has also changed in turn; in an alarming neo-fascist anti-intellectual way, you’ll notice people call art “content” or “media” now. We see this in other places, but I really think the term “consuming” is a most troubling example. It’s not “art”; it’s “media” that is there to be consumed. To be eaten.

Maybe I’m thinking too much about how the views around art and creation have changed?
Why do I care so much?

This is something I’ve been saying since around 2015, but I think art is a pretty good thing to live for. It’s like the highest form of known thought. Being able to create and express and invoke is something only the human mind is capable of. Someone’s art can give you an intimate window into their soul. It can change the way you see the world around you, it can make you love, it can fill you with hate. To create is solely the domain of the thinker, the human.

…and we’ve turned this intimate, personal thing into a competition to get more updoots than the other guy…

So my challenge to you, dear reader, is to dance even if no one is watching.
The indomitable spirit of the dancer is within you.
Maybe the dancer is dormant.
It has been told only to dance when people are watching, after all.
but they can’t stop your feet;
Dance for yourself.

You need the exercise.