Do You Have Van Gogh Syndrome?

Are you disillusioned by only a few followers, views, and reads?

I am proud of myself. I joined Vocal Media in September, and this is my 30th story, and I now have 14 followers.

Chicken feed to some, but for me at least, it is a start. It represents ten stories a month.

The downside is that I have yet to earn $1.00 in total earnings.

My intent with Vocal Media was to use this as a platform for poetry. I had not delved into poetry much and saw it as a new frontier in writing. Vocal seemed the perfect place for this.

Sixteen of my 30 stories on Vocal are poems. Lately, I have been putting some of my better stories from my website and other platforms I write for onto Vocal.

I keep telling myself I do it for reasons other than money, but we would all like to hit the jackpot once or twice. I would even be happy with a booby prize.

I read stories about how much someone makes each month or how they hit a thousand followers. It can get very depressing.

My advice is, don't do it.

They will depress you, and when you are starting out, you do not need to hear about how well someone else is doing. The exceptions are those who offer genuine advice on how to improve writing. These stories are not focused on poetry, from my experience.

I read their stories, and I am not saying they are not good, but I do not see a huge difference. Some of their success is due to how they market themselves.

Good products sell themselves. During my working career, I did everything except sales. I joked with people that I was too honest!

I was ready to change my approach. I wanted to market my stories better. Then, it struck me: maybe I have 'Van Gough syndrome.'

Vincent Willem Van Gogh

Most people are familiar with Vincent Willem Van Gogh. He was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter. He is one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art.

In just over a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks. This included around 860 oil paintings, most of which were done in the last two years of his life.

However, he sold only one painting during his lifetime, the Red Vineyard. It went for 400 francs at a Brussels exhibition in 1890, four months before his suicide.

Van Gogh didn't start painting until he was twenty-seven. He died at thirty-seven. So, it's not surprising that he sold few paintings.

He produced his most famous paintings in 1888, two years before his death, after he went to Arles, France. These included Starry Night, Sunflowers, Self-Portrait, The Potato Eaters, and Wheatfield with Crows.

His art became well-known worldwide just after his death. He became one of the most famous artists of all time.

His most expensive painting, Orchard with Cypresses, sold for a record $117 million in 2022.

Van Gogh Syndrome

Maybe I will be like Van Gogh and my works will not become famous until I am dead. Maybe they will never be famous.

The point is that, although that would be nice, I don't care. It is not my number one priority to make money. I don't think that Van Gough did either.

He painted to express himself and because he enjoyed it.

So my question to you is, "Do you have Van Gogh syndrome?"

Isn't the real purpose of writing to express yourself?

If not, your well-marketed products will earn you money. But will they satisfy your deep urge?

For me, I either need to move to France or ensure that my stories are in my will.

Till next time, thanks for reading my story.

Calvin