There has been a lot of talk recently about artists being paid for their work. Many are using platforms like Substack and Patreon to create income streams for themselves. Here's the thing, though: this is still all still rooted in capitalism. Consumers will only consider paying for content if they like that content. As an artist, your potential reach is limited by how palatable and consistent your product is. You guessed it: this leads to sameness. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had the freedom to create what we needed to create without the pressure of sales? I salute everyone working that day job and creating on the side, everyone publishing free blog posts just for the love of it, everyone who tries new things and shares them without guarantee of payment and success.
When I discover someone who is doing something I have never seen before, I jump with joy. People like Maira Kalman, Ella Frances Sanders (her newsletter is the best I have read), and this guy who writes a daily story on his typewriter. There are people making giant artworks and embarking on ridiculous life experiments for no reason other than they think it will be fun or interesting. And that is the way to live, my friends! My antidote to sameness is limiting what I consume online. Short videos (reels and the like) have been creeping in, so I now avoid them at all costs. I try to only go on Instagram when I have to post something for my business. I stick to YouTube videos by channels I am subscribed to. And of course, I love everyone's blogs about their everyday lives. What other artists should I be paying attention to?
In other news, I picked up my final pottery pieces, which are the most functional I have made such far. I dream of a day I can have my own pottery setup at home, but I know I don't have the time or space for that in my life right now. I love that I can see improvement from the several months I took classes. I will have to pause my practice for now, however, as flower season has started.
Tulips were fast and furious, then over in 3 weeks. Every year I say I'm not going to grow them anymore, and then I few weeks later I put in my order for next year.
I picked up this typewriter at a local thrift store for only $10! I didn't need a typewriter, but who could say no to this beauty from the 1970s? After I installed a new ribbon, it works like a charm.
I finally finished spinning this fiber that was on my wheel since 2020. It's a 3-ply that worked out to about a heavy fingering, so if you are a spinner, you know those are verrrrrry thin singles and why it took me so long to spin this 4 ounces. I'm not enthused by spinning these days (if this is not the perfect illustrative example) but I'm keeping my wheels (plural) because you never know what will inspire.
I also finished up this giant shawl I've been knitting all winter. The pattern is Lake Constance and the yarns are a mismash of various things I had in my stash; I do know that the gradient is Stroll from Knitpicks. The shawl turned out way bigger than I usually knit shawls, but I didn't even finish the pattern! I knew I had to stop early before it took over. I am going to pause on knitting shawls for the time being and work on more wearable knits to incorporate into my dream handmade wardrobe.
I hope you all are having some warmer temperatures where you are. Coming out of the dark and dreary winter is the best feeling!
I agree SO MUCH with your thoughts about sameness and art!
ReplyDelete(The above comment is from Matt G.) I’ll now write a post about how horrible the internet has become for simple things like signing in to a blog to leave a comment :)
ReplyDeleteI can't even read your blog on my work computer - guess the firewall blocks all that subversive content :)
DeleteSo interesting! I feel almost the exact opposite of you. I feel like there's so much more variety in art and artists than ever before. I listen to indie country and the artists I listen to rarely make the radio, but they're able to eke a living out doing shows and streaming. I don't know. I just think it all depends on your perspective.
ReplyDeleteThere's a not so tiny part of me that really misses the monoculture when we all watched the same television shows and listened to the same Top 40 countdown, but that's not how it is today and that's good, right?
There is definitely variety but I do think it's more difficult to find these lesser-known but great artists because of the algorithms that prioritize popularity over anything else. If you have tips on how to find new artists I'd love to learn!
DeleteHonestly, I follow subreddits for the types of music I like on reddit and get most of my musical recommendations there. I also get a lot of great recommendations from Spotify. I don't actively seek out new music, to be honest, but somehow it finds me.
DeleteYour giant shawl is beautiful, Sarah - even if it took a long time to make. I love the colours you used. Tulips look so pretty and again gorgeous colour combinations. Great find with the typewriter and even better that it only needed a new ribbon. Have a good rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by!
DeleteI'm 68 and often feel overwhelmed with the world. Honestly, I have no interest in consuming the 24/7 CONSTANT FLOW of info. I protect my sense of peace and centerdness because they are essential to my well-being. Show me something inspiring, unusual, creative, and you've got my attention. Parroting, "influencing", "following"...no thanks. Show me things created by the human hand, cultivated from the soil, things revealed from the heart...ah...that's where the magic is.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful words - I agree with every one!
DeleteSarah, this: "But how many more talented authors are not being published because they don't have social media reach, or are writing in styles other than the most popular? Aren't we all missing out?" - I think about this all the time. I am trying my own creative work right now and I'm very aware that it might go nowhere because, let's face it, I'm a very small fishy in this very giant pond of writers. I have learned a lot about the publishing business in the last few months and it is so true, it is a machine! The books that are pumped out and become popular are popular because of marketing mostly, which just makes me appreciate the less-popular, but well done books more.
ReplyDeleteYour work is beautiful, as always, I am in thrall of your art and your gardens.
Last year at a book festival I heard a well-known author talk about how several of the books she wrote first were not picked up by publishers because they didn't fit easily into a genre, so they wouldn't be able to market them. What a shame! Those books that don't slot in neatly are exactly the ones we need to be reading. Oh, and if you write a book, I will definitely read it.
DeleteOh and I'm going to go look up those substacks.
ReplyDeleteI think, for me, it's less about sameness (though there is plenty of that if one sticks to mainstream sources) and more about finding a few interesting sources and sticking with them for a bit. It takes more work because the algorithms don't help you but it so worth it. I also think we, consumers, need to spend as much time creating as we do consuming-which leads to richer, fuller lives. It was a rule when my daughter was growing up that she had to spend as much time making things as she did watching things and I think it has served her well (and something I still try to do myself).
ReplyDeleteYes! A wonderful comment :) Avoiding the algorithm is difficult but well worth the work, as you say. Sometimes it's hard to figure out even where to start finding new, creative and unique sources, but that's why I love blogs and hearing everyone's recommendations. We could all do with more making and less consuming, definitely.
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