As creative humans, how do you fight and ride the line between creating meaningful content, and not wanting to contribute to the endless amount of garbage content there is everywhere? It’s everywhere, all around us. Sometimes, it’s hard creating something I may not deem quite worthy, and decide not to perhaps because why would I want to contribute to the utter amount of useless, wasteful content out there? Why contribute to the problem? Does that make sense?
On the other hand, it’s valid to say well yes, I too have and deserve a voice, of course that’s my own ego speaking out, with an ever increasing amount of avenues in which to share content. As an artist, a self proclaimed on at that, how do I fill my soul and feel fulfilled in life if I’m not creating and sharing? I don’t. So I’m constantly fighting this urge to quit everything because I don’t feel good enough to be sharing, and sharing in spite of everything to gain one second of content. I’m constantly having to fight both urges, it’s debilitating at times. Maybe that’s my addled brain not being able to focus on much at all for more than mere seconds, but it’s a tough thing to decide against if I’m thinking about it.
I can’t stress enough how much garbage is out there. People with cameras, microphones and a voice all think they’re version of Picasso, or Carlin, or Hitchcock, Townshend or Dylan, or whoever you consider to be the most revered writers and artists of our time. The price of admission was high, the expectations higher, and the bandwidth so thin you were lucky to ever get published, recorded, given air time or a gallery showing. Now the price of admission is zero, the expectations non-existent, and the bandwidth so large it might as well not be there at all. It’s content overload. Nobody reveres in awe at an amazing photograph anymore, furthermore, it’s seen on their phone. No one listens to an entire song before being able to scroll and scrub through an album to decide if they even consider one song good. Even more mundane and mediocre music is respected simply because the “artist” is a master marketing savant. Anyone can get a book published now, myself included, and other art? Nobody knows what that even is anymore. Hell, not many consider music art anymore.
It’s discouraging to people like me who somehow want to move the needle, but don’t know how. In this sea of shit, how is one to be respected for their craft that no longer gains much respect? It’s all become a game of advertisement and shock value. Who can make the papers and news more. Who can make the bigger splash before their album of ten songs, one hit included is “released.” Instead of being recognized for talent, your entire image is analyzed and if it doesn’t fit the current criteria, you’re nothing. I’ve seen great films and listened to wonderful music by struggling artists who are never recognized because in order to get to the next level, you can’t rely on your talent alone. Because your talent is second, or even third in the check-boxes that need to be ticked off in order for you to get in the club.
Do I want to be in the club anymore? Is that what I want? Do I want something that doesn’t exist anymore? I don’t really know. I’d like to be recognized and respected for the things I do I suppose, at it’s essence. I hold myself to incredible and unrealistic standards, and all artists should. Except they don’t all, or they have the help of formulaic co-producers who know more about the mainstream interests and how to market as well as social media marketing and PR teams who do the heavy lifting.
My point here is it’s no longer about the art, it’s become more about the perception of the person or people and their image and persona than the art itself. It’s an incredible injustice and perhaps the beginning of a swift, or long and painful decline of the western world as we know it. The beginning of the Colosseum era as it were. Does this make any sense? Do I sound like a crazy person? Am I already screaming into the void? I think so, but what the hell.
Moral of the story is, don’t make trash.