There's a lot of fear going around about streaming, and market conditions, and what happens next for all of us attempting to make a living from commercial art.

Tonight, it reminded me of a story.

Alexandre Dumas is among the most legendary authors of the 19th century. From The Count of Monte Cristo to The Man in the Iron Mask, his work has had an untold effect on Western storytelling.

One of the most notable traits of his work is the constant dialogue.

Thing about Alexandre Dumas - he was paid by the line.

The now-classic dialogue of The Three Musketeers was financially incentivized (because each spoken segment occupied a new line), and as soon as that financial incentive changed, you can see Dumas' style changed with it.

It's easy to take for granted the financial environments that define art in hindsight.

In their day, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci did work upon work upon work about religious subjects. The Catholic church paid well.

In 2019, they'd probably do furry commissions.

Comic books in the United States have evolved based on how culture views and consumes them. In Italy and France, where the medium is viewed and consumed differently, entire other creative trends emerge.

It's all connected.

Commercial art adapts to its commercial environment.

As distribution and funding models change in video games, we will (and have) seen shifts in design, art, production... because we're *commercial* artists.

Creators defining, and defined *by*, our environments.
Business and Art don't have to be separated.
They enable each other.

As we get more fundamental shifts in games--subscriptions, algorithm changes, new platforms, streaming--I'm not fearful.
There are opportunities today that weren't here 5 years ago, and 5 years from now the same will be true.

Commercial artists, and art, adapts.

We always have.

My new strategy for dealing with fear, is to remember those Renaissance painters, doing their equivalent of furry commissions.

If I change what I make or how I make it, to survive, that's okay.
That's still art.

And years from now, no one will be able to tell the difference.

In a while, I'll be able to say how this acceptance of the interplay between business and art has affected the creation of Dog Airport Game, and to be honest?

I'm already looking forward to it. https://www.patreon.com/StrangeScaffold