Karl Marx probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you’re in the middle of sketching, sculpting or editing your next video. But whether you’re making zines in your bedroom or showing at a major gallery, there’s a lot in Marx’s work that can help you make sense of the world you’re working in-and maybe even reshape it.

Here’s how a 19th-century economist, philosopher and revolutionary thinker can offer insight and fuel for 21st-century creative practice.

Marx’s most famous critique is of capitalism-a system where the means of production (factories, tools, money) are owned by a small number of people, and most people have to sell their labour to survive.

As an artist, you might not feel like a factory worker. But if you’ve ever felt the pressure to turn your creativity into content, to feed the algorithm or make work that’s “marketable”, you’re probably more familiar with capitalism than you’d like to be.

Marx pointed out that under capitalism, work is often alienating. That means people are separated from the things they make, and from their own sense of purpose. Artists can feel this too-especially when you’re stuck doing commissions you don’t care about just to pay rent, or watching your original ideas get watered down to please clients or trends.

Marx’s idea of alienation can help us name the frustration that comes from having to compromise your creativity. When you’re making things you don’t believe in, or churning out work just to survive, it’s easy to lose touch with why you started making art in the first place.

Understanding this isn’t a personal failure-it’s a systemic issue-can be empowering. It reminds you that your struggle is part of a bigger picture, and that you’re not alone.

Capitalism encourages competition. There’s never enough funding, not enough followers, not enough space on the wall. But Marx believed in the power of collective action-workers supporting each other, organising, and building new systems together.

Artists can take a cue from this by building solidarity. Share resources. Pay each other fairly. Credit collaborators. Start collectives. The myth of the “lone genius” is just that-a myth. Creativity is often a group effort, and communities that support each other are stronger for it.

One of Marx’s biggest questions was: where does value come from? In capitalism, value is often tied to profit. But artists know that value isn’t always about money. Some of the most important work challenges power, builds community or simply brings joy. That might not show up in your bank balance, but it still matters.

Marx invites us to think differently about value. What do you want your work to do in the world? Who is it for? What kind of future does it point to?

Marx didn’t just critique capitalism-he imagined something beyond it. A world where people could live and work freely, where creativity wasn’t a commodity, and where everyone had what they needed to thrive.

That might sound utopian, but artists have always played a part in imagining new worlds. Whether you’re making radical street art, experimental installations or socially engaged projects, you’re already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

By learning from Marx’s ideas, artists can deepen their understanding of the world they live in-and start shaping the one they want to see.