When I started out on Steemit, I came in with both barrels blazing, as they say—mostly about art and how I believe we need a culture that is willing to do the hard work of re-learning taste and excellence.

Steemit has given me great hope that this is possible.

However, in the weeks since I first wrote my early articles, I have changed my approach internally a bit. I don’t want to cut corners or lose my edge—because an edge is needed! And we need to speak our minds honestly here (that is one of the reasons I quickly fell in love with Steemit, by the way--the freedom to really speak and have it intelligently evaluated). We don't grow as artists and as a culture without actual challenge.. even challenge that sometimes upsets us (I am allergic to the anemic, “offended” cultural water we are swimming in currently, as a side note. Yuck.).

But.. I also have no desire to deter artists in “infant” stages who are just getting their feet wet! I have no desire to discourage those who could be the future T.S. Eliot. I don’t want the artistic types, who are still figuring out their craft, to feel as if they aren’t welcome in the artistic community here, or that it’s an elitist club where everyone has it figured out.

But in the same spirit, I want that blossoming Eliot to actually become him.

In the end, love isn’t patting T.S. Eliot on the head and leaving him in nursery rhymes. It’s helping him become the best writer he can possibly be.

What I mean is that, without a robust conversation about art and its needed quality—including calling dross what it is sometimes, even if it’s not politically correct—there are many great artists who will never become the great artists they are supposed to be.

So, I am evaluating the best approach. I don’t want to alienate readers, but I do want to challenge them to really learn what it is to produce GOOD work.

We need to talk about cutting out the cliches, and turning down the sentimentality. We need to talk about literary devices and artistic pacing. We need to discuss nuance, and the attention needed to produce truly good quality work. We need to say NO to tired, repetitive rhymes and badly executed and even lazy art forms that carry no real weight or benefit for us.

Hallmark cards aren’t art, even if they are masquerading as someone’s craft... or even a Steemit post. They might have their place, but please tell me we want to bequeath better than the Hallmark equivalent to the next generation?!

The truth is, I will always feel utterly indebted to a great English teacher I had who told me when something I wrote was bad. He wasn’t unkind about it, but he was clear.

And I got better (and still strive to all the time). And I am so grateful to him. Where would I be without that?

This is why I believe that every budding artist deserves the dignity of being challenged, and while I don’t know exactly yet what this will look like on here, I really want that to develop in my time here.

Joni Mitchell has a similar gratefulness to a high school English teacher who mercilessly critiqued her work for its agonizing cliches. I’m sure there are many more with similar stories, in every artistic field.

Maybe one day a great writer, singer or painter may feel indebted and grateful to the Steemit community for challenging them to be better early in their artistic journey, thus helping them arrive where they were meant to go.

Isn't that amazing?

And wouldn't it be tragic is someone missed that becoming?

Steemit as a new place for the curation of excellence and culture. That’s my dream.

Xx, Kay

If this is a conversation that interests you, don't forget to follow @kayclarity to get involved.