Is Art Subjective? On Craft, Pride, and the Work That Deserves to Be Seen
People say art is subjective. In most ways, they're right. What moves one person leaves another cold. What one person hangs above their sofa, another walks past without a second glance. That's not a flaw in art — it's the whole point.
But here's what I've been thinking about lately, and it came from an unlikely place.
The Conversation That Started This
I was listening to people talk about feeling undervalued. Not artists — tradespeople, service workers, people who show up every day and pour themselves into work that often goes unacknowledged. And what I heard underneath the frustration wasn't really about money. It was simpler than that. They just wanted to be seen.
That landed with me. Because I think what they were describing — that feeling of putting everything you have into something and having it pass unnoticed — is something every artist understands intimately.
The Bricklayer Who Touched the First Brick
When I was younger, I worked as a labourer for a bricklaying business. It was physically hard — hot in summer, bitterly cold in the early mornings, and at times genuinely gruelling. Not the kind of work anyone romanticises.
But at the end of every job, I could stand back and see what we'd built. I had touched every brick. Mixed the cement and mortar that held it together. And I knew that people would soon gather inside that structure — to meet, to laugh, to study, to celebrate. That it would stand for generations. That people would repaint it, add to it, remodel it to their own taste — but I touched the first brick.
That's not just labour. That's craft. That's art.
Pride Is the Art Form
My belief is this: if you give 100% to creating something for someone else — whether it's a painting, a building, a meal, a lesson, a repair, or a service — that effort is an art form. The medium doesn't matter. What matters is the intention behind it and the care that goes into it.
The people who take genuine pride in their work — who wouldn't hand something over unless it met their own standard — those people deserve to be recognised. Not just with money, though that matters too. With acknowledgement. With gratitude. With the simple act of being seen.
If someone gives you their best work, tell them. It costs nothing and means everything.
Feed Your Passion — It's Hungry
My other passion, alongside painting, is motorcycles. Building them, tinkering with them, riding them. It's a different kind of craft — mechanical, tactile, deeply satisfying in its own way. But the feeling at the end is the same: you made something work. You put your hands on it and it became something better.
If you have something that makes you come alive — a hobby, a skill, a craft that makes other people smile — nurture it. Share it. The world needs more people who care deeply about what they make.
So, Is Art Subjective?
Yes. What you respond to in a piece of art is entirely your own. But the effort behind it — the hours, the intention, the pride — that's never subjective. That's real. And it deserves to be valued.
Every piece I create is made with that in mind. Not just to fill a wall, but to move the person who lives with it. To be something they chose, something that means something, something that was made with care.