When the World Says Your Art Doesn’t Matter — Say This Instead

Hello everyone, it’s me again.

No — today I’m not here to tell you about our literary newsletters, our adrenaline-rush writing contests, or our inspiring podcast episodes at Wingless Dreamer.

Although I take great pride in those things, today is not about sign-ups, contests, or sales.

It’s about something far more personal. Something every writer, painter, musician, and maker has felt deep in their bones:

Helplessness.

That peculiar ache that blooms in your chest when someone reduces your craft to a hobby — a mere “time pass” activity. When they shrug and say, “Anyone can write a poem,” or “It’s just lines on a canvas — anyone can draw that.”

Those words don’t just roll off your back. They lodge themselves somewhere inside, sharp and cold.

I remember the first time it happened to me. I had poured weeks into a piece — late nights with coffee gone cold beside my laptop, revising every sentence until the words felt like silk between my fingers. I showed it to someone I respected, hoping they’d see what I saw. They skimmed it, chuckled, and said, “Cute. But when are you going to do something serious with your life?”

It was like being punched in the lungs. I smiled politely, but inside, I was folding in on myself.

And the worst part? This story isn’t unique. Every creative I know has a version of it.

Sometimes, it’s subtle — a raised eyebrow when you say you’re a poet. Sometimes, it’s blunt — “That’s not a real career.” And sometimes, it’s dressed up as advice — “You should get a backup plan, you know… just in case.”

When the World Dismisses the Value of Art

You want to say it — “It’s not easy to write a poem. You have to orchestrate words, respect rhythm, balance imagery, and give birth to something entirely new.”

But halfway through, you see their eyes glaze over. Their verdict was sealed before you began.

Here’s the thing: let the naysayers scoff. Because often, their contempt is just denial in disguise. No amount of love, justification, or logical explanation will change their minds — because their minds are rooted in fear.

Fear that maybe you’re brave enough to follow the path they abandoned. Fear that you might just be right.

And deep down, they know that this is exactly how legends are made.

The Hierarchy They Won’t Admit Exists

Society has long carried an unspoken hierarchy of professions — and art, somehow, is always placed at the bottom.

A luxury.

An indulgence.

A waste of tuition fees.

But here’s the truth they won’t say aloud: it’s their own insecurities speaking. Their discomfort with anything they can’t measure, invoice, or patent. It’s the voice of a world built on industrial gears and corporate spreadsheets — one that has taught us to equate worth with economic output.

And yet… without art, what would be left?

A mechanical life. Function without feeling. Progress without poetry.

Even history proves it: the Renaissance wasn’t remembered for its banking systems — it was remembered for Michelangelo’s ceiling, Shakespeare’s plays, and Da Vinci’s sketches. The world reveres those who dared to make beauty, even if their contemporaries didn’t understand them.

I don’t even blame them entirely. Survival today is expensive. Bills don’t care whether you’ve written a verse or painted a masterpiece. But there’s a difference between making a living and truly living.

Somewhere along the way, the scales tipped too far toward productivity, and imagination was declared “impractical.”

Why We Need Another Artistic Renaissance

So, enough. Enough belittling ourselves for daring to dream.

We need another Renaissance — not just of marble palaces and oil paintings, but of souls. A rebirth of unapologetic imagination.

Let’s be unrealistic — not to escape reality, but to amplify it.

Why not paint clouds pink?

Why not let unicorns gallop down Fifth Avenue?

Why not fill war zones with falling rose petals?

Why not imagine Chinese dragons curling through glass skyscraper skylines?

Why not let rain fall in music notes, so streets hum like orchestras?

Why not plant gardens on rooftops until cities bloom from above?

Because when the human spirit imagines without borders, it does something extraordinary: it heals.

And healing — not profit margins — is what the world is starving for.

The Safe Space We Protect at Wingless Dreamer

At Wingless Dreamer, we protect that space.

Here, you can speak without interruption, create without ridicule, and share without fear.

We run contests not for competition, but for connection.

We start conversations not to lecture, but to listen.

We believe love — expressed through art — is not naive, but revolutionary.

So next time someone belittles your path, remember this:

Their dismissal doesn’t define your worth. Your art does.

5 Ways to Calmly Respond When the World Says Your Art Doesn’t Matter

1. Smile and Redirect 

Acknowledge their comment lightly, then shift the conversation to something you genuinely enjoy discussing.

Example:

Them: “You can’t make a living from painting.”

You: “Maybe. But have you seen how golden the light was this morning? I couldn’t wait to paint it.”

2. Share a Story, Not a Defense

Instead of arguing, tell them about a moment when your art moved someone’s heart.

Example:

“Last year, someone wrote to me saying my poem helped them get through a breakup. No paycheck has ever felt that meaningful.”

3. Ask a Gentle Question

“When was the last time a song, book, or painting truly moved you?”

Let them recall their own experiences with art. Sometimes, that memory softens them more than your argument ever could.

4. Ground Yourself in Your Purpose

Before replying, silently remind yourself why you create.

You don’t create to win their approval — you create because something inside you refuses to stay silent.

5. Choose Grace Over Bitterness

Sometimes, silence is the most powerful answer.

Your energy is too precious to waste on those who refuse to see.

Your Permission Slip to Create

Because in the end, the only permission you need to create… is your own.

If your art feels small in the eyes of the world, remember: the world’s vision is often blurred by greed and fear. But you — you see the sharp edges of beauty, the colors no one else notices, the quiet details that make life worth living.

Keep going.

Keep imagining.

Keep making.

The Renaissance the world is waiting for might just begin at your desk.

Let the world say art doesn't matter. We will show them why they are wrong.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ruchi Acharya - Founder, Wingless Dreamer

Ruchi Acharya—poet, dreamer, and literary firecracker from Mumbai—is here to remind the world that human emotions aren’t for sale. As the founder of Wingless Dreamer, a global hub for writers and artists, Ruchi’s mission is to ensure every creative soul gets the spotlight they deserve.

On her path to becoming a world-class writer, she’s wielding her words like magic wands, advocating for love, feelings, and all the messy beauty of being human in this overly commercialized world.

Her mantra?

“All worries are less with wine.”

Cheers to that!

Website: ruchiacharya.com