Do The Eyes Have It?

We are all getting very used to high levels of capability and output in visual and information design in ttrpgs. Graphic design suites, even those that are free, enable large groups of people to produce things, books, pictures, cards, and other game ephemera that are, by all reports, gorgeous. Doing it really well is still hard, but doing it medium well seems easier.

Most of those tools are inaccessible to me, as are the products. There is a huge focus on art and art assets in game production, a similarly large value placed on graphic design, information design, and the user experience from a visual perspective. There is nothing wrong with this!

What I am bumping up against is the perhaps false idol of producing objects that fall into the high value categories in this space. I can produce good writing, interesting ideas, new takes, etc. Is that enough, I ask myself? Don't I need all the art, the design, the visual appeal? I'm not sure.

Hand in hand with this is the creative urge to produce pieces myself. Working with a designer or artist on corners of projects is fun, and I deeply appreciate the folks I work with, however, there is a part of my brain that questions why I would want to include elements or processes I cannot fully partake of myself. 

My solution at this point anyway is to try to produce what objects I can with what abilities I have. That pushes me into interesting territory, as the solutions I arrive at may not translate into a popular modes. I am playing to see what happens.