Artists are not inherently enlightened. A lesson I should have learned several years ago.

The thing about artists is, they think they've found the higher calling on their lives. Artists are people who look around at all the bs that's happening in everyone else's lives, they can see the way people are piddling away their days, recognizing that the climb for the all american family and executive job will only lead to disappoint. The ironic thing is, they think they've found something better. Creating art that explores and implodes the typical ideals of happiness and contentment becomes a sort of corporate goal. But in the end, how is it any different from the material-focused lives we are deconstructing? The pursuit of art is just as dangerous as the pursuit of the corner office. We switch fancy cars and carribean vacations for best seller lists and fan letters that tell us we've touched souls. Artists are just as falliable as they people they observe falling. They can get so caught up in examining other people's lives, they miss the lives they're meant to be living.

"Life is more important than art. I'm probably one of the most pompous artist you can find, but life is more important. We tend to forget that... [Writing] the greatest book ever versus an evening spent with someone you love is not comparable."
- Zach Helm, Creative Screenwriting