Category: ART

I AM AN AMATEUR

Oh, this is heavy:

“Being an artist within an economic system that favors private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, a price system, and competitive markets belittles my practice into a hobby. I am an amateur with no artist statement, thesis show, or MFA. The money I invest in creating art is a temporary loan to myself that I feel pressured to repay quickly by attempting to exhibit wherever the crowds are.”

From ‘A soft manifesto‘ over at The Creative Independent, via Naive Weekly.

LONELY CONTENT MACHINES

I like this quote from New Creative Era:

THE CREATIVE STATUS QUO HAS MADE US LONELY CONTENT MACHINES
PRESSURED TO POST WITH UNNATURAL QUANTITY AND FREQUENCY
TO PURSUE OUR LIVELIHOODS AND EXPRESS OUR WORK
WE PLAY SOMEONE ELSE’S GAME

I’ve been thinking about that first line a bit, as I sort of felt isolated as a writer, as someone trying to offer up ideas. I feel like it’s me vs everyone, stacking up against everyone else trying to offer solutions and ideas in a busy, hyper-competitive world of music and culture.

Makes me think back to my high school days. I hung around creative musical people all the time, for years. The result was creative musical projects. These days, I’m not so creative with music anymore.

I wrote this in 2018:

We can’t do the “real life” thing if we’re scrolling through an app for hours a day. That’s not “keeping up” or “staying informed,” that’s taking time away from our creative pursuits! And emailing friends! Calling people. Have coffee with friends.

We are lonely content machines, cooped up in our rooms and studios trying to make everything ourselves.

The real life hangs and interactions came to an end in 2020 because of the pandemic, and I think it’s gonna take a minute to get back to that.

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

Found this interview via CHRIS WONG’s newsletter UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS, from the 18:15 mark:

“I don’t know what it’s going to become, but do that because one day you’re going to wake up and you’re going to be 40 years old like me, and you might be dying of cancer, and you may have spent your entire life doing something that you never truly loved.”

Instant listen, and wow… so good. Lots of blog talk, and following your passion inspiration.

ZENMOJIS

I often think of closing my Twitter account, but then something like this finds its way onto my timeline, from Anne Fine:

“I used to make a lot of emoji art through instagram stories when I was bored, but then they changed the UX of stories and it was no longer possible for me to make these.”

Anne called these “zenmojis.”

CHOPPY WATERS

I always love seeing talented friends post their art and magic.

This is from Joce Aucoin (“Choppy waters today I guess” from Twitter), whom I met like way back in 2002 or 2003 when she was doing LUJO Records and sending me albums in padded mailers when I was doing my music blog. Here we are 20 years later, still at it.

She’s been making a lot of collage work, which I just love seeing as she keeps growing it.

SHIN OH’S TINY VOXEL SHOPS

These are so wonderful.

“If we don’t support old shops, they’ll be gone forever,” Shin says. “I tried to ‘preserve’ the old shops through this series […] I hope when people see it, it will remind them to go and support their small local businesses.”

From ‘Shin Oh “preserves” traditional Malaysian spaces and places with her 3D pixel room building,’ via Kottke.

CREATIVITY NEVER STOPS

From today’s HEAVY METAL EMAIL, “FACTS ARE EASY AND BORING AND NO ONE CARES.”

Promoting your creative work should be art. It should spark curiosity, wonder, and delight.

That doesn’t mean spend 3 hours a week “engaging” on social media, or editing videos for TikTok.

Make stuff, then tell your friends.

Keep in touch with the creative, energetic, artistic people in your life.

Stop shouting it to “all” of your social media followers, especially when 80% of them won’t even see it.

Share the things you make directly with people who will appreciate it.