A villain that happens to capture artists who do not give it any views/traction, capturing them into his collection may reveal a more self-deprecating side of me that won't do well for the brand image. That's a character that feels too deep in a literary rabbit hole.
Would it reveal a darker theme? It's already been explored. The thing is with meta narratives is that bad mistakes can be mis-acknowledged. "It's supposed to be bad, because the writer wrote it that way!"
Unless a better narrative can be woven together with the meta, then it ain't going to spread. It ain't going to get rid of the reality of the dreary steps to build traction anyhow. Another idea into the wind. Being more pretentious can be too much and ignores the entertainment.
Unless that slice of life is remarkable enough, then it's better to make it a slice if cake, like Alfred Hitchcock does.