The Artist Is Not Afraid

I saw this post on being a good artist versus being a good human being by brown_betty contrasted by liviapenn in the comments of an entry by Elizabeth Bear in which she explained what her job is and is not as an artist.

And it brought up, for me, some of the issues that I have not only with other people's philosophies of writing and social responsibility, but my own issues in that concern.

( Being a good artist and being a good human, and what I personally feel that MY job as an artist is. Cut because I blather. )