Some people see artists as narcissistic bums. I seek to contend with that.

The artists I’ve known all worked hard. They worked hard on their art, and if they weren’t making a living with their art they also worked hard on whatever else they did to support themselves. Creating good art takes work, and these efforts must be respected.

As for narcissism, that is completely wrong. The artists I’ve known were more, not less, compassionate than the average person. They went to the bother to understand me instead of passing uninformed judgment. They had about them a kind of sensitivity that leads to compassion. And they used that compassion to help all sorts of people, including people from whom they had nothing to expect in return.

There are narcissists everywhere. I’ve known narcissistic doctors; narcissistic engineers; narcissistic businessmen; narcissistic military men; even narcissistic construction workers. All these people thought that they were the best people in the world. Most artists I’ve known did not think that they were the best people in the world. A number of them thought to the contrary. That was the case even when they were very good people.

Indeed I’ve seen in artists an openness that is the opposite of narcissism. I once walked into an art class and started reciting poetry, and they welcomed me. Imagine someone doing that in a meeting of doctors.

So no, artists are neither less hard-working nor more narcissistic than an average person. And more of them should be treated with respect.