What stood out the most about Jerry Saltz’s 33 Rules for Being an Artist was his ability to portray a timeline of how an artist should start out as well as the long term goal of an artist. In his 3rd lesson, he explains how as an artist, it is okay to imitate or copy someone else’s work. Starting out, you may look to others for inspiration and eventually develop your own aesthetic, your own preference, your artstyle. This particular lesson reminded me of my friend who I respect a lot as a great artist. He started out drawing by tracing pokemon and eventually found his own aesthetic making digital art. Another lesson that stood out to me was lesson 24 which talks about how the idea of building connections whether it’s within an artist community, or just a local group. In this current day and age, building relationships and connections with others within a common interest is important in getting your work out there, especially if you’re just starting out. Jerry Saltz’s line of “to protect yourself, form small gangs” really struck me in that he says to protect one another within this small “gang” no matter what. Forming a relationship within a group of people where one does not judge harshly and provides support is important especially when everyone these days are so judgmental. Finally, Jerry Saltz talks about how “artists do not own the meaning of their work.” which I found to be particularly true. Surely art is interpreted in many different ways just as everyone has their own opinion on things. Art is subjective and basically everything can be considered as a form of art according to Jerry Saltz. I feel this is particularly important today where technology is advancing every so quickly and art is being produced constantly, and while some people may not consider digital art as conventional art such as those exhibited in museums, many others would agree that art has no definitive criteria.