Artists are motivated chiefly by esteem, which critics historically supplied and poptimism withheld.

Evidence

Throughout history, the human race has been blessed with dedicated creative enclaves—bohemianism, the avant-garde, the counterculture, Native Tongues, nineties alternative—that pursued creative invention without the promise of immediate financial rewards. … First and foremost, artists crave esteem, and this once gave critics a central role in promoting creativity. Then the poptimists decided to withhold respect from anyone who didn’t harbor grand commercial ambitions. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 851

Categorization

• QUESTION: Is ‘artists crave esteem more than money’ empirically grounded, or an assertion Marx needs to defend? Testable via studies of creator motivation.