Thanks for your thoughts Liz. You say bucking the trends can feel isolating for you - I understand. That's my fear if I come off social media altogether, that I'll feel outside of the crowd and remote from what's going on in contemporary culture. But did your parents or you feel isolated for not having TV? I'm actually ok with running against the tide, it's not isolating for me, but then I have lots of fellow artist friends who are also insta rebels and "punching through this veneer" as Maria says above.
May 1, 2023·edited May 1, 2023Liked by Jacqueline Calladine
Hello! and yes I am here! I agree - I am still unreeling and love how you have expressed some of the things we have talked about. I am going to excavate my Instagram when I get the willpower up - this week some time. I feel quite tearful reading your post - it hits a nerve; the nerve being that which is starting to feel the pain of our neurology being connected and affected by an algorithm. So my neurological system is being hacked by bigTech's idea of how I should function day to day. I want my neurology to be affected by trees, plants, a good diet, true friendship, yoga, my own chosen rituals, art (mine and others), an idea of something greater than I (which is not man made), cats, my garden, camping, exercise (gentle), people I meet in person, drawing, painting, lunch with friends and my family. Not a head of a tech corporation.
I will continue to use instagram as a diary/record and as a connection in a limited (very)time frame. I will not see it as a means to market, be a slave to reel-making or a view of any kind of real life. I will not compare myself to others nor judge others. This is my pledge!
The idea of my neurology and DNA function being altered by Tech is not one I wish to agree to. Here is to women who UNREEL and go SLOW! x
The neurological aspect is interesting and it's touched on in Jenny Odell's book. She points out that the apps are deliberately designed to keep us attached and so we shouldn't be surprised or ashamed when that happens. It takes super powers to not be reeled in. So we need to exercise those super powers! I love your pledge, that's a great way to keep the instagram monster serving you, not the other way round.
The whole Wes Anderson is really making the rounds hey? So odd. I'm appalled that the studio had a stipulation such as that! Are you kidding me? Do curators ask to see your IG followers? It's really another form of capitalism. How many followers = how many people through the doors = $$
Popularity is not what we need. We need material that is punching through this veneer and not following the rules. We need people who are changing the narratives, not lifting them up! Who wants art that just appeases the masses? No one!
Oh yes, curators and gallerists want to see your follower size now! It's instant success for them if they can get an extra 10,000 eyes on their spaces. I'm totally with you on punching through the veneer - that's the job of an artist for sure.
I did my first reel this week(! and now I've done two total) lol and it was so odd doing it because I was able to create it pretty quickly, which is at the very end of the spectrum of what I'm actually creating (slowest photos possible [solargraphs]. Admittedly, they are fun to create, but that's about it. I'm not sure it adds any value to my practice except that maybe people that aren't familiar with solargraphy can see a bit of the process. Which I feel is what social media is for (for me) - sharing info, ideas and what I'm creating.
I'm terrible at keeping up with trends and it's exhausting. I don't know how artists do it - creating their original artwork then creating all the social media that goes along with it (?!)
It's good that you are clear on the function of instagram for you. I use it as a visual diary of my practice but I recognize that doesn't make interesting reels for others to watch lol. The bar is so high now: Folks are making beautifully choreographed film shorts and I'm still trying to balance my phone on a pile of books to get a close up shot of work.
I don't see it as part of the artist's role to adopt commonly accepted trends or templates or anything that puts them in a box. We should be the ones who question all of that and offer different ways of showing up in this world imho, but i recognize that if we need to make money through our art then that's a difficult path.
It is exhausting, you're right. Although social media levelled the playing field, it means we as individual creators are now in direct competition with mega businesses who have teams of people creating content. We can't win but insta sucks us into the "must keep trying" frame of mind - it's hard to resist.
I honestly think we all just need to stick together and create our own alternative spaces where art can be given room to breathe. Whether that's online or in person, or a hybrid, I believe artist-led spaces are the future (and the now).
Thanks for your thoughts Liz. You say bucking the trends can feel isolating for you - I understand. That's my fear if I come off social media altogether, that I'll feel outside of the crowd and remote from what's going on in contemporary culture. But did your parents or you feel isolated for not having TV? I'm actually ok with running against the tide, it's not isolating for me, but then I have lots of fellow artist friends who are also insta rebels and "punching through this veneer" as Maria says above.
Hello! and yes I am here! I agree - I am still unreeling and love how you have expressed some of the things we have talked about. I am going to excavate my Instagram when I get the willpower up - this week some time. I feel quite tearful reading your post - it hits a nerve; the nerve being that which is starting to feel the pain of our neurology being connected and affected by an algorithm. So my neurological system is being hacked by bigTech's idea of how I should function day to day. I want my neurology to be affected by trees, plants, a good diet, true friendship, yoga, my own chosen rituals, art (mine and others), an idea of something greater than I (which is not man made), cats, my garden, camping, exercise (gentle), people I meet in person, drawing, painting, lunch with friends and my family. Not a head of a tech corporation.
I will continue to use instagram as a diary/record and as a connection in a limited (very)time frame. I will not see it as a means to market, be a slave to reel-making or a view of any kind of real life. I will not compare myself to others nor judge others. This is my pledge!
The idea of my neurology and DNA function being altered by Tech is not one I wish to agree to. Here is to women who UNREEL and go SLOW! x
The neurological aspect is interesting and it's touched on in Jenny Odell's book. She points out that the apps are deliberately designed to keep us attached and so we shouldn't be surprised or ashamed when that happens. It takes super powers to not be reeled in. So we need to exercise those super powers! I love your pledge, that's a great way to keep the instagram monster serving you, not the other way round.
The whole Wes Anderson is really making the rounds hey? So odd. I'm appalled that the studio had a stipulation such as that! Are you kidding me? Do curators ask to see your IG followers? It's really another form of capitalism. How many followers = how many people through the doors = $$
Popularity is not what we need. We need material that is punching through this veneer and not following the rules. We need people who are changing the narratives, not lifting them up! Who wants art that just appeases the masses? No one!
Oh yes, curators and gallerists want to see your follower size now! It's instant success for them if they can get an extra 10,000 eyes on their spaces. I'm totally with you on punching through the veneer - that's the job of an artist for sure.
I did my first reel this week(! and now I've done two total) lol and it was so odd doing it because I was able to create it pretty quickly, which is at the very end of the spectrum of what I'm actually creating (slowest photos possible [solargraphs]. Admittedly, they are fun to create, but that's about it. I'm not sure it adds any value to my practice except that maybe people that aren't familiar with solargraphy can see a bit of the process. Which I feel is what social media is for (for me) - sharing info, ideas and what I'm creating.
I'm terrible at keeping up with trends and it's exhausting. I don't know how artists do it - creating their original artwork then creating all the social media that goes along with it (?!)
It's good that you are clear on the function of instagram for you. I use it as a visual diary of my practice but I recognize that doesn't make interesting reels for others to watch lol. The bar is so high now: Folks are making beautifully choreographed film shorts and I'm still trying to balance my phone on a pile of books to get a close up shot of work.
I don't see it as part of the artist's role to adopt commonly accepted trends or templates or anything that puts them in a box. We should be the ones who question all of that and offer different ways of showing up in this world imho, but i recognize that if we need to make money through our art then that's a difficult path.
It is exhausting, you're right. Although social media levelled the playing field, it means we as individual creators are now in direct competition with mega businesses who have teams of people creating content. We can't win but insta sucks us into the "must keep trying" frame of mind - it's hard to resist.
I honestly think we all just need to stick together and create our own alternative spaces where art can be given room to breathe. Whether that's online or in person, or a hybrid, I believe artist-led spaces are the future (and the now).