hmmm. I have trouble with the last statement. "Before I care about you, you must demonstrate that you care about me." Most of the art I have acquired has nothing to do with caring, but everything to do with a personal, viseral response to the artwork.
That said, many - if not most - of our primary relationships are with people we care for because they're in our circle, not because they care for us first. Children, parents, acquaintences, extended family... even the virtual caring (like for Princess Diana's funeral - most people who cried for her had never benefitted from her "caring"). We'd have to possess hearts of steel to be interested only in those who are interested in us...

Ok, I don't mean that literally everybody is selfish and nobody cares about one another :-)

What I meant was this:

When we market our artwork, or anything, online or offline, we're asking for people to give us a moment of their attention, preferably on a regular basis. And, we're also hoping they'll go a step further and tell a friend or two about us. And, maybe they'll even give us money for our artistic output.

Most art blog posts that I've seen (and I've seen several hundred art blogs) look something like this:

I am an artist.
here is my picture.
here is how to buy it.

It's ok, it's a form of sharing and communicating, but it mostly says 'please care about my art hobby'. It's all about you, the artist. You may be a very wonderful person, but the average art blog post doesn't make too many people want to come back again and again, or share in any way.

What if we could treat every blog post as a 'gift' to our viewers? Just like those little extra actions and kind words that we reserve for the people we really care about?

Not just "here's what I painted today, here's what I'm working on next, and here's how to buy it". Instead, something like "Here's what I painted today, and here's a thought or a story that I hope will brighten your day in some way, or make you think, etc."

It's a subtle shift from 'please support my art career' to 'please let me brighten your day with my art and my thoughts'

This could also change the way we feel about marketing our work. Instead of "I really hope somebody buys this one", it could be "I really hope this post brightens at least one person's day"

I paint for stress relief.  At least, that's how I started.  I also started painting because I wondered if I could do it, did I have it in me?  My father used to sit down with pastels and make drawings, paint portraits.  Now I heard that the genetic trait could have passed down to me and I hoped that it did.  But it was far from the front of my mind to become an artist.  More than anything I wanted to become a mother.  Bear children.  I did that, too, two daughters who are absolutely preciious to me and my husband.  They're in their twenties now, all grown up.  Bringing up children is far harder than I anticipated -- what was I thinking?  Of course it's a difficult task and a forever one at that.  So when I found that it was tedious and stressful, that's when I started playing with my coping mechanism and time away from reality:  art!  It's the best thing in the world for me, very therapeutic.  The one thing I really want to bring to my art is beauty.  No politics, no harshness.  There's a lot of that around us all the time.  So, look up at the skies, the landscapes, the flowers -- "Earth laughs in flowers" is a favorite quotation of mine.  And I like to experiment and push myself, be very different from other artists.  Hopefully people pick up on that and find my works interesting, something worth hanging on the wall for a smile or even a laugh.  That's what's important to me -- the other people looking at me/my art/my attempt!

Thank you, I do not know all that. 770 Bonus for Online casino and poker games

Why do we exist?
That's the real question, isn't it?
Do we exist to produce a painting a day for the public's consumption?
Is this another ploy for mass consumerism of art? And if that is the case,what distinguises us from Thomas Kincade"Painter of Light"?
Why isn't okay to have art exist for it's own sake?
Crank out a painting a day...........for consumption! It sickens me as an artist to see art produced in this manner.
And what about juries?
Who determines if the art is "good enough" for this site?
And yes, I am a human visitor and not a spam bot!!

I paint because it makes me complete, its food and water, it's me -so much of it brimming out and it needs to flow or I"ll be emotionally constipated. Painting is touching a bruise, rubbing my thumb on a scar, humming to myself in a minor key, pealing a scab, crying in the shower, not minding my p's and q's, it replaces all memories and leaves a promise. I paint in vivid colors and forms because they provoke and burn into the memory. And I love textures because the world needs texture and the web still can't deliver that. I want others to feel the same excitement I feel from the promise of paint, to be inspired to pick up a brush and have a little fun themselves. I want them to feel creative and from creativity, expansive. A world where we are no longer dominated by smallness - that would be a truly great world, and that is what art can deliver.

I came across Art is Broken many months ago. It makes so much sense and I have been struggling with the questions since. In my studio in front of me at all times, I have posted in large letters:
Why do I paint this subject?
Why do I paint the way I do?
Why should anybody care?

I'm still trying to answer these questions. It's tough, but until I do, I think MY art will be 'broken' and not do what I want it to do. I've tried out every which way to paint, in many mediums, I feel accomplished in working and can do what I want with any materials. But the art has no meaning, it feels unconnected, and doesn't capture people in a strong way. It's like--oh it's one more pretty landscape out there. I mean boring! Then I start to question Why do I care about my art??? I can do it and just enjoy the process, but I feel the need for it to mean something more. I can't seem to find a topic or subject or purpose that continually works for me. So Why do I exist? So if anyone has any comments or suggestions as to how I can better make my art have meaning both for me, and for other people, I would love to hear it!!!!