Cult of Tarot Forum

I’m really risking stepping in it with this one.

First a disclaimer: This section is called “Devil’s Advocate” for a reason.



Here is my controversial and likely unpopular opinion:

Tarot is NOT a competitive sport.

Recognising excellence in design, artistic execution, use of symbols and archetypes, development of a system, is all wonderful.

But is it really serving any useful purpose to name a “Best” this or that when talking about what is experienced so deeply personally?

Is using the template of awards shows (which is becoming more and more passe’ as the tried and true “categories” of yore are making themselves more and more obsolete every year) really meeting any needs of this community?

And at the end of the day, are we even seeing a measure of excellence in creation and contribution to the Tarot arts or is it more a competition of social media presence and influence?

I know the people who run and participate in these competitions have only the best intentions. I truly believe that.

However I also believe that some of this activity is merely feeding the beast of turning this craft we love into a feast of banality and consumerism.

There I said it.

And I take no joy in the above statement. Mostly because as I said, I know for a fact that the people involved in all these efforts wish only to spread the love of Tarot. I just find myself very turned off by it all and I bet I am not the only one so I think the subject is worth discussing for the health and growth of our community. Am I saying what others are thinking or not?

Please in your replies, let's not name names or specific efforts. I don’t wish to rain on anyone’s parade or poo on anyone’s sincere efforts. I only want to open the door to a discussion I feel we need to have.

he he, wish you named *those as it sounds someone been peeved for not been nominated perhaps?;) lol joke aside every show have its audience social media or whatever im sure it serves its purpose so if people take time & effort preparing it we should respect that even if you don’t participate?:)
same goes for Oscar Eurovision & plenty of other shows why not Tarot?:)

All awards, be they Oscars, Emmys, Grammys or Tarot, are simply Popularity Contests. They usually reward creators who don't need the boost, and punish for unpopular opinions. The Oscars and Emmys ceased being relevant DECADES ago. Tarot Awards, since they do NOT come from any established central organization representing the whole of the business, have NEVER been relevant, and usually represent the opinion of about five or six people. I could add "five or six people whose opinions I don't give a damn about," but you get the idea.

To be relevant, any awards would have to come from a LARGE established body of Industry Professionals, and to take into account EVERY deck that's published in a given year. This is simply not possible. And personally the only way it could have any professional meaning to me was if it came from an organized body of DESIGNERS -- not readers.

Historically, competition has led to some of the greatest inventions to benefit humanity (Edison vs Tesla for example). When it comes to art, however, the effects of competition become more difficult to assess:

• On the one hand, there could be situations in which competition motivates artists to refine their work even further, resulting in an even more beautiful and unique end result.

• On the other hand, competition might cause some artists to alter their work to appeal to the judges in exchange for the commercial benefits that come with such recognition, resulting in a far less beautiful and unique end result than if the art had been allowed to evolve naturally (or spiritually).

I think the determining factor in such situations is going to depend on the emotional and spiritual fortitude of the artists in question and whether they can resist the temptation to “sell out” in exchange for recognition and commercial success.

So, the question remains: Does competition do more harm than good when it comes to art?

Because it is impossible to know what might have been had the art been allowed to evolve naturally, without the influence of competition, I don't think this question can be definitively answered.

I am of the opinion that competition will do more harm than good because the desire for recognition and commercial success will cause far too many to alter their original artistic (or spiritual) vision to conform to what they perceive to be popular.

reall wrote: ↑21 Apr 2022, 15:34 he he, wish you named *those as it sounds someone been peeved for not been nominated perhaps?;)

I was "nominated" once for one of my decks (The Cult of Weimar Tarot I think it was) and to accept the honour I only needed to submit a free deck to the judges and pony up a pretty hefty "entry fee."

Whilst I was flattered to be noticed at all, I politely declined, not because I'm cheap, but because I just didn't agree with the concept of pay-to-play. At least not in the context of a "Best of" contest. Yes I understand it is a lot of work to put together a contest like that, so is this forum, so was World of Decks News when I did it. It just felt like there might have been a more creative way to fund the effort that didn't feel so icky. (BTW- Publishers often "nominate" decks on behalf of the creator with some publishers "nominating" and entering several decks into the competition.)

Referring to my original post here, I fully support creative ways to promote work and honour excellence. There are so many possibilities if you put your mind to it. Direct competition just feels contradictory to the spirit of what we do.

My personal unpopular opinion.

Wow! Never know about *entry fee i don't like it either as it reminds me to much of lottery games!://

yes, i also support promotion of any sort just wish they are better thought to include more people and make it fun to participate for audience and creators!:)