How Artists Go Crazy — The Truth About the Internet and Creativity

[Dmitry-Afremov]

# How Artists Go Crazy — And Why the Internet Is Destroying Creativity

Interesting topic.

Recently I was talking to a friend of mine here in Playa. A very talented artist. My father was friends with him, and we stayed friends too.

And he asked me:

> “Dima, how have you not gone crazy?
> You deal with clients all day long.
> And how did your father survive dealing with people?”

Honestly?

That’s a very good question.

Because artists are emotional people.

And the internet has become incredibly toxic.

---

# The Internet Changed

Twenty years ago things were different.

When people wrote letters to artists, they chose their words carefully.

There was respect.

Even if somebody disliked a painting, they tried to explain it politely.

Today?

Today “f...you” is almost normal communication.

“Hey you.”
“You s...k.”
“You can’t paint.”
“This is garbage.”
“AI trash.”

This became standard behavior.

And people completely forget there’s a real human being on the other side of the screen.

---

# Artists Feel Everything Emotionally

Imagine this.

An artist spends:

* days,
* weeks,
* sometimes months

creating a painting.

They put:

* emotion,
* energy,
* soul,
* mood

into the work.

Then the painting gets posted online.

And immediately:

* “Trash.”
* “The bear’s paw looks wrong.”
* “You’re talentless.”
* “AI could do better.”

Guys.

First of all —
try painting something yourselves.

Second —
stop attacking artists.

It’s none of your damn business how somebody paints.

---

# People Forget Artists Are Human

You leave a comment and forget about it 30 seconds later.

But the artist may:

* stop sleeping,
* stop painting,
* fall into depression,
* start hating their own work.

I know people like this personally.

One artist completely quit painting.

Another almost killed himself.

All because of endless online toxicity.

---

# My Biggest Advice to Artists

Here’s my honest advice.

If an artist wants to stay mentally healthy —
they should avoid direct communication with customers.

Seriously.

As much as possible.

---

# Why My Father Stopped Talking to Clients

When I grew older, I took customer communication away from my father.

On purpose.

To protect him.

Because I saw how badly people could emotionally damage artists.

---

# The Story About Apples and Pears

This is a real story.

An important client came to us. Maybe the mayor’s wife, maybe somebody from city administration.

She said:

> “I want a painting with apples.”

My father painted it.

She looked at it and said:

> “Nice… but replace the apples with pears.”

Guys.

This isn’t Photoshop.

This is oil painting.

But we were poor back then, so he redid it.

Then she came back:

> “Actually… put the apples back.”

He repainted it again.

Then:

> “What if we make the apple blue and the pear yellow?”

At that point my father asked:

> “Is this my painting?”

She replied:

> “Of course. I’m paying for it.”

My father quietly took a knife,
cut the painting into four pieces,
and told her:

> “Get the hell out and never come back.”

---

# Today You Can’t Do That Online

Because today the customer would immediately go to Reddit and write:

> “The artist is crazy.”
> “Terrible service.”
> “He attacked me.”

And nobody would hear the other side of the story.

---

# Artists Need Protection From Toxicity

This is extremely important.

Artists should:

* create,
* paint,
* feel inspiration,
* see positivity,
* see that people enjoy their work.

They should NOT absorb endless hate.

---

# The Internet Became Too Cruel

Every single day our chat receives:

* insults,
* disgusting messages,
* random hate,
* even genital photos.

Why?

Seriously — why?

Imagine an artist painting peacefully,
and somebody sends them a picture of their dick.

What exactly is wrong with people?

---

# AI and Hate

We had a young artist in our studio.

Very talented girl.

She used AI to help visualize a composition, then manually painted the artwork with a palette knife.

She worked hard on it.
She was proud of it.

We posted the painting on Reddit.

People destroyed her.

“AI garbage.”
“Fake artist.”
“Talentless.”

After that she stopped painting.

Completely.

She no longer touches a palette knife.

That’s the power of your “opinions.”

---

# People Don’t Understand Consequences

Yes, you have the right to say whatever you want online.

But artists have feelings too.

And when you constantly:

* humiliate,
* mock,
* attack,
* destroy confidence,

you destroy the person behind the artwork.

---

# So How Does an Artist Stay Sane?

Very simple.

* Don’t read toxic comments.
* Don’t argue with idiots online.
* Don’t live on Reddit.
* Don’t respond emotionally.
* Ask family or friends to help with customers.
* Protect your mental health.

And most importantly:

Look at sales, not comments.

People vote with their wallets.

If they bought the painting —
they liked it.

Everything else is just internet noise.

---

# Artists Are People of Emotion

And when you destroy those emotions —
you destroy creativity itself.

Remember that.

---

Well.

Now people will probably destroy me in the comments too.

But write whatever you think.

How does an artist avoid going crazy today?

This is Dmitry Afremov.

[WestCoastNate]

Honestly, I think you're right about a lot of this. People throw out harsh comments online without realizing there's an actual person reading them on the other side. As a young artist myself, that's something I struggle with sometimes too. By the way, do you accept submissions from independent artists? I'd love to know if there's any way to sell my paintings through your platform.

[SmallTownEric]

This reads like every disagreement or criticism gets labeled as "toxicity." If you're running a business and selling art publicly, people are going to have opinions, and not all of them will be positive. It feels like you're putting too much blame on the audience instead of accepting that criticism is part of being visible online.

[NorthStarBen]

The colors of Afremov's paintings are magnificent!

[SundayDriver]

The text raises a real issue about online negativity affecting artists, but it presents it in a very generalized and emotionally charged way that doesn’t fully separate genuine criticism from toxic behavior. While the concerns about mental impact are valid, the argument leans heavily toward blaming “the internet” as a whole rather than exploring more balanced ways artists can adapt and filter feedback.

[SunnySideKate]

You make a good point about how emotionally difficult it can be for artists to deal with constant online criticism. Protecting your creativity and mental well-being is just as important as developing your skills and promoting your work. I'm a young artist at the beginning of my journey, and I'd like to ask whether you collaborate with emerging artists — would it be possible to sell my paintings through your studio?

[RiverStoneJack]

This is a really important perspective, especially the part about how constant online negativity can genuinely affect artists’ motivation and mental health. The advice about protecting yourself from toxic feedback and focusing on real appreciation instead of random comments actually feels very grounded and realistic. It also highlights something a lot of people forget online — there’s a real person behind every artwork, not just a username or image.

[BlueJeansMike]

Powerful message.