All of the sudden I am very burned out on social media. This came up for me because I've been working in some new mediums, and of course I feel the need to whip out my phone and document my process and some images. And then I think ought to share them, but I really don't feel like it.
I know exactly why I don't feel like it. Putting it out there is inviting people's thoughts and opinions about what I'm making, and I'm not interested right now. I just want to focus on getting better at what I'm trying to do and I don't want encouragement from strangers or passing comments on Instagram.
My friend Sara Paloma has said many times over the years that she thinks it's very important for young artists to protect what they are making from the public while they are still in that steep learning curve of figuring out what they are trying to make. Too many opinions, too many voices is distracting and even confusing. They can create value where perhaps there is none or undermine an idea before its had time ripen.
Right now we live in a culture of "A year of making" or "daily drawing" where artists post every single day the thing they are working on, and I do think there is a lot of value in not only sharing work and ideas, but creating a visible example of commitment to your craft. Being an artist is about doing, making, creating, and social media is in many ways a natural outlet for creative expression.
But there's the flip side to that. The outlet can become an end in itself, the seeking of approval, positive feedback and "likes" from strangers as a way to feel a sense of accomplishment. I would be a liar if I said I don't feel a bit buoyed when I post an image that gets a lot of attention, and conversely a sense of disappointment when I get little attention from another image. And I have to recognize and question those feelings, because in the end it is little more than distraction. The more I've been thinking about it, the more I have been questioning the whole enterprise and my own participation.
As much as there may be value in sharing work--even work that is not very good--there must be value in not sharing it, in holding it close, in forcing people to be seekers rather than passive observers. I can't help but wonder: what would Georgia O'Keefe do?
I know exactly why I don't feel like it. Putting it out there is inviting people's thoughts and opinions about what I'm making, and I'm not interested right now. I just want to focus on getting better at what I'm trying to do and I don't want encouragement from strangers or passing comments on Instagram.
My friend Sara Paloma has said many times over the years that she thinks it's very important for young artists to protect what they are making from the public while they are still in that steep learning curve of figuring out what they are trying to make. Too many opinions, too many voices is distracting and even confusing. They can create value where perhaps there is none or undermine an idea before its had time ripen.
Right now we live in a culture of "A year of making" or "daily drawing" where artists post every single day the thing they are working on, and I do think there is a lot of value in not only sharing work and ideas, but creating a visible example of commitment to your craft. Being an artist is about doing, making, creating, and social media is in many ways a natural outlet for creative expression.
But there's the flip side to that. The outlet can become an end in itself, the seeking of approval, positive feedback and "likes" from strangers as a way to feel a sense of accomplishment. I would be a liar if I said I don't feel a bit buoyed when I post an image that gets a lot of attention, and conversely a sense of disappointment when I get little attention from another image. And I have to recognize and question those feelings, because in the end it is little more than distraction. The more I've been thinking about it, the more I have been questioning the whole enterprise and my own participation.
As much as there may be value in sharing work--even work that is not very good--there must be value in not sharing it, in holding it close, in forcing people to be seekers rather than passive observers. I can't help but wonder: what would Georgia O'Keefe do?
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| "It was all so far away - there was quiet and an untouched feel to the country and I could work as I pleased." |
Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Everything you wrote. Deactivated my Facebook account yesterday on a whim, and decided I need to see what else I can do with my time for 30 days. I'm not quite ready to cut the tether that is Instagram, but I'm finding less reasons to post. Or that I start to post a photo and then lose interest in actually posting it. I've gotten back to asking myself questions like, "What did you do before you had a phone to refer to every 5 seconds?"and "Who gives a crap what someone you went to high school with and haven't actually seen in the flesh in 15 years thinks of you, your life, your photos, your food...?" And most recently, "Why aren't you writing in that fabulous new notebook with the creamy pages? Oh, because you're looking at your damn phone. As they say in Mexico, Ya basta! Enough already. Thanks for posting. And creating. And thinking thoughts about this great big mess of a world...
ReplyDeleteHear, hear! Keep sharing your thoughts - you always make me see something new.
ReplyDeleteHeart strings, lady. You pull 'em.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned by the absent minded flicking through the likes of instagram. Your idea, ( blood sweat and tears) is often given a millisecond consideration by the viewer. It is a nightmare for the Art educator who can ignorantly marvel at a fab idea only to discover it is a direct copy and not a very good one. No expanding, no exploring, no risk taking. And then the bland "like" button which is the most pathetic feed back. On a scale of 1-10 I think "like" is a 5, no offence but some encouragement. There have been some images I wanted to say, "That's awful" but not wanting to seem a troll I scroll on by and just try and forget the woeful image with a hanful of "likes". This concept of self publishing has freedom of speech at a price. Which is, everything is up for grabs, if you put it out there you can't complain when someone runs with your idea. Of course it is a complete co-incidence that they came up with exactly the same concept, size style colour. And then there are the hackers who just want your banking details which is another story.
ReplyDeleteSocial media killed my love for pottery. At first it was fun to post about my work and what I was doing, but then it all went bad. I haven't touched clay in a year, have no desire to. I bought a loom and I weave, very rarely post anything about it. I think you are smart to stay away, but I have to say, I have enjoyed your thoughts on process over the years.
ReplyDeleteBTW, did you ever read Portrait of an Artist, about Georgia? Its very good.
I've read several biographies of Georgia over the years, I was completely obsessed with her in high school!
DeleteI will not stop blogging or writing about what I think. I'm more burned out by the Facebook/Instagram aspect of social media.
You are always one of my favorite thinkers AND artists, Whitney! I love this discussion as you have presented it. The 'work in progress' perspective is fraught with conflicting emotions for just about every working artist I know. Pride and shame, confidence and insecurity all wage battle for control of how we feel, and it seems rare that an artist can declare absolute or universal victory. Of course there are exceptions, but most of us seem more frequently torn apart by the conflict.....
ReplyDeleteThat is still part of the hurdle when we decide to put it out there for sale. It doesn't go away simply because there is now a price tag on it. We just don't have the option of hiding anymore. As far as I can tell, the necessary confidence to get our work seen in the marketplace is still not proof against our doubt and the barbs of outsiders..... Its just tough that something so personal (for many of us, at least) is put up for inspection publicly. If we don't care what they think, why are we trying to convince them to buy? And if we DO care, how do we avoid feeling low when it doesn't go our way? We are caught between the frying pan and the fire......
Maybe its not supposed to make sense. You just have to make peace with the contradiction of what we are doing, and smile faintly at the underlying absurdity......
:)
It is an absurd conflict that we are in, and the back and forth push me pull you aspect of it can make a sane artist go crazy!
DeleteI have been fortunate over the years to receive a steady stream of positive feedback about my work, and those who don't like it usually do not inform me. So working on something new in a different medium has put me in a funny headspace. Since I'm an artist who sells her work, the natural urge is to sell whatever new thing I'm making, but then the very idea puts me in a continual loop of asking if it's good enough to sell? Which is not the right question or focus. But it leads to these other questions of sharing, and then feeling out of the loop if I don't. Which is crazy thinking, and I wish there were a way out of this corner!
I dont think Gerogia would waste too much time with that stuff.....she was too busy with the work, and though I believe she had a very healthy ego, the bombardment of unfinished in process pieces, that is part of social media culture would bore her...I have read much of her writings, and I get the sense that finished products, ready to make a complete statement would be more her style....:)....we are told that social media is a necessary part of being an artist in these times, but honestly, I wonder at the distraction of it all....I still love blogs because they offer the opportunity to really hear someone's voice, and interact....
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that Georgia would be bored by social media. I recently read another quote by her, "I don't very much enjoy looking at paintings in general. I know too much about them. I take them apart." I thought that was so interesting, because I feel the same way about pottery! If I look at pots online for too long I actually get kind of depressed, it's too overwhelming for my brain and so much pottery is just awful in my opinion. I'm very careful to limit my visual intake of it.
DeleteSocial media is an evil necessity. On the one hand it sucks the life right out of my life and on the other hand, it enables me to have an income. I do often ask what life would be like without it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that we have to buy into evil necessities, and I think one that sucks the life right out of you would be classified as just "evil" and not a "necessity".
DeleteI'm sometimes conflicted. I've never really loved Facebook and can go weeks without checking my personal account and consequently neglecting my pottery page. Instagram mostly works for me. I tried it to promote my pottery and on line shop but was pleasantly surprised with the camaraderie that surfaced. I tend to let myself get a little isolated so it was a nice unintended consequence. I try to be aware of how it's making me feel and put it down for a few days or longer if it's making me feel down or even jealous (because that's just ridiculous) and of course unfollowing where needed is always an option. It also helps me to just leave the phone behind and carry a little pocket sketchbook. I remember you writing a while back about the importance of undistracted studio time, i.e. leaving the phone behind, and it was one of those "duh...why hadn't I done that sooner?" moments so thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteDeveloping that awareness of how it's making you feel is important. It's very easy to ignore the bad feelings that may be surfacing and just keep scrolling. I have a strict rule to not look at social media when I'm bored-- I end up wasting so much time-- but to approach it with a conscious mind and a time limit in mind.
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