Talk to strangers about art

Showing work to people who know you is loaded — they are judging you as much as the piece. A stranger has no context, so you can talk about what you actually make, including the things you have never shown anyone, without any of that weight.

• What you make, and what you have never shown anyone
• Digital against traditional, and what you started with
• Artists whose work genuinely stops you
• Creative block and how you get out of it
• Whether AI image tools change anything for artists

• “What do you make, if anything?”Use this
• “An artist whose work stops you dead?”Use this
• “Digital or traditional?”Use this
• “What got you started making things?”Use this
• “How do you get out of a creative block?”Use this
• “Something you made that you are actually proud of?”Use this

• Ask what they make and what they are working on right now. Artists usually enjoy talking about an unfinished piece more than a finished one.
• Ask about an artist or artwork that made them want to create. Influences open up the conversation and give you both something to look up later.
• If you do not make art yourself, say so and ask a curious question. “How do you know when something is finished?” is a question most artists find fascinating.

Do not ask artists for their full name or a portfolio link that would identify them; many prefer to stay anonymous here. Offer critique only if they ask for it. And steer clear of debates that dismiss whole mediums, like digital art or photography, as “not real art”.