The Arthouse Lifestyle
A Guide to Living and Documenting a Creative Lifestyle for Independent Artists in the Arthouse Era
Modeled by Kaleb Savchuk
Kylan Stephon Hayes | Designer | Media Producer
Independent Artists, don’t burn yourself out by focusing on creating content instead of creative expression. This is a common pitfall that will result in you chasing likes and engagement like a temporary high. A temporary fix is not lasting engagement, and that’s what we’re here to discuss today.
How do you bridge that gap between the necessity of content creation and the natural flow state of creativity? How do you constantly appease an audience in this age of AI and shortening attention spans?
The short answer is this: people aren’t drawn to your content, they’re drawn to your vibe. They’re attracted to the creative lifestyle you portray.
Behind the Scenes at a VRTY™ Photoshoot
Even in 2025, the core principles that built the publication of Vogue ring true today: you aren’t selling a product, a service, or a skill, but a lifestyle. Bridging the gap between content creation and your natural artistic flow is about merely documenting your lifestyle.
What does that look like practically? How can you build a lasting audience using this principle? Here are 5 key practical takeaways to empower the future of your content creation - a future driven by natural creativity instead of the pressure of algorithm chasing.
Before we dive into our topic, we want to take a moment and explain who we are and what value we provide for independent artists like yourself.
VRTY Arthouse™: The House of Verity is an arthouse media company and creative lifestyle publication. We seek to use arthouse creativity as a means driving cultural, spiritual, and social transformation in the contemporary world. It’s our mission to build a community of independent artists who seek to use their creativity for a higher purpose than mere commercial appeal.
Our resources, platform, and products are for artists just like you. Please subscribe to our free publication to receive more educational resources like this (we promise not to spam your email - it's 2025 after all). Now back to the subject at hand.
Here are 5 practical takeaways for you to apply today:
1. Photography is a powerful foundation.
If you’re reading this, you most likely have a phone. Understand that photography is not limited to an expensive DSLR camera. Lighting and composition are what make photos pop, not just equipment (even though there are more than enough self-righteous photographers who will claim otherwise). All that is to say, take pictures whenever you can.
Take pictures of your outfit of the day. Take pictures of your workspace. Take pictures of wherever you’re traveling. Art, processes, community, even random buildings - all these photos when put together reveal your unique aesthetic over time.
It does not matter what kind of artist you are, because people ultimately are attracted to your aesthetic. As a means of aesthetic curation, it doesn’t get much simpler than the camera in your pocket. Visual storytelling is worldbuilding. In the arthouse era, it's about time we return to the 2011 style of photo-dumping anyways.
Photocinematic Lifestyle Photography
2. Treat your art like a diary.
The most powerful art often isn’t planned - it's spontaneous. It comes from those brief moments of inspiration after listening to your favorite song. Oftentimes these moments don’t last very long, but that just reveals the deeper purpose of your art. In these brief moments of inspiration, it is your duty as an independent artist to use your creativity as documentation.
Whether it's a sketchbook entry, a song lyric, a quick photo, or even a short movie clip, it's important to have art supplies handy to capitalize on these moments. These moments show your deeper aesthetic. They show your thoughts unfiltered by the constraints of planning. It's these moments that you and the people who watch you fall in love with.
What’s important to note is that these moments are not planned. You also (and obviously) may not wish to share these moments! But for the artist struggling with content creation, a powerful piece of advice is to lean on what’s natural to you. Then simply focus on presenting it in a way preferable to you.
3. Take the time to build your own aesthetic.
This can’t be overstated: your audience is drawn to your aesthetic, not just your content. Your aesthetic is your overall sense of beauty. It’s your taste. It’s everything you express and the way you go about expressing.
Just like any skill, taste takes time to build. Your aesthetic reveals itself through creative works over time. It isn’t something you can force, but it is encouragement to continue creating. Consider every movie, song, form of art, and piece of fashion you enjoy. What you will gradually come to realize is that they all speak a similar language. They all have a similar theme. This is a strong hint at your aesthetic.
Many independent artists skip to their craft without taking time to consider their aesthetic. For the sake of your longevity, we strongly encourage you to do the opposite.
Content creation is about capturing moments, not forcing content.
4. Your perception makes you unique, not just your skillset.
In the age of social media, we are more interconnected than ever. For many artists, this has presented the challenge of finding uniqueness (or to create a word, “uniquity”). Many artists struggle to discover what makes them unique. Maybe you are the same.
Here at VRTY™, we offer personal branding sessions for independent artists like you to solve this problem. It’s a one on one, 2 hour long conversation designed to help you uncover what makes you unique. We encourage you to send us an email to schedule your consultation today!
To give a general idea of one factor that makes you distinct, focus on your perception. At the end of the day, you have a perception of the world that is unique to you. Nobody else shares your exact method of seeing the world because nobody else shares your exact experience and circumstances.
In terms of content creation, this perception is what you need to lean into. Your perception is what makes you distinct, memorable, and sought after from your audience and beyond. When you use your creativity (whatever the medium) to share your perceptions, you create from a state of flow, not force. All you’re doing is creating a conversation through your art.
5. Start local and expand.
This is one of the most important facets of the creative lifestyle. You can be anything you want to - just not all at once. You can go anywhere you want (with discernment) - just not all simultaneously.
It does not matter what lifestyle you choose to showcase, what medium you choose to master, or what message you seek to convey. For the sake of longevity, you need a community cushion. You need a homebase. Otherwise, you will always be at the mercy of an algorithm that can change at any given moment.
When documenting your creative lifestyle, interact with your local community. Play the role of the extrovert from time to time. These are the people that will keep you inspired when the creative flow isn’t as easy.
These are just five key takeaways to consider from a fellow designer at The House of Verity™. Please feel free to reach out for a branding session if you’re ready to invest in your own personal aesthetic. Don’t forget to register to receive more free resources like this - they’re literally free. As always, let the art do the talking.
