CREATIVITY FOR THE LOVE OF IT, PART 2: FANWORKS by Max Jason Peterson

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

This is the second post in my series about art for art’s sake. Part One focuses on poetry. Today I’m going to talk about another form of creativity for the love of it that enriches my life: fanworks.

Fanworks are art forms dreamed up by fans for other fans to enjoy, sharing their love of the original creator’s characters and world. The fans who make them often introduce as many people as they can—friends, family, total strangers—to the original works that provide the foundation of their own. Though some people who create fanworks also have professional lives or ambitions as artists or writers, the majority are only interested in making art for their fandoms. Many are amazingly talented, designing things of great power and beauty. And the love shines through, touching other fans. There’s a great spirit of generosity and community here, which is important: for fanworks are paid only in appreciation and the joy of playing in a beloved universe.

Indeed, “joyful play” is the name of the game: this apt description for fanfiction comes from Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series of fantasy novels and cofounder of Archive of Our Own, a nonprofit and inclusive repository of fanworks that received a Hugo Award in 2019 for Best Related Work. A fanfic author herself, she’s among those interviewed for “The Boy Who Lived Forever,” an insightful article about fanfic by Lev Grossman, author of the Magicians series of fantasy novels—whose characters and world I celebrate in my own fanworks.

CREATIVITY FOR THE LOVE OF IT, PART 1: POETRY by Max Jason Peterson

Edgar Allan Poe

Today I want to begin talking about a particular passion of mine—art for art’s sake. In this series, I’ll delve into two forms of creativity that I deeply love, which provide great joy, meaning, and value for their creators and audience (and in my own life): poetry and fanworks. Though some creatives involved in these art forms may well be professional writers, I’m classifying these particular types of creations as art for art’s sake because they are typically not associated with providing a living wage by themselves. They can indeed lead to other opportunities, help the writer develop necessary skills or experience the pleasure of interacting with an audience, or help to spark creativity in other areas that do lead to income. But fanworks are not compensated monetarily, by their very nature; and poetry most frequently pays relatively small amounts or in copies. Thus, those who invest their time and talents in creating poetry and fanworks—while these can sometimes be part of the career of a professional writer, artist, or teacher—are generally making these works for the love of them. The pleasure of creating these works and sharing them with the audience is in fact the primary reward.