I was just having this conversation with a friend. The way things are set up right now, so many of us are spending more time trying to get people to see our art than we are actually making it. It’s wild. The world makes it harder to just be an artist without turning yourself into a “content creator”.
Exactly! I think there needs to be a real discussion about what it means to be an artist vs what it means to be a content creator. Not for the purposes of elitism, but so that we can set healthy and reasonable expectations. A lot of folks try to push me into becoming a youtube content creator. It's hard to explain to them what that means for the kind of work that gets made.
As a writer this is especially frustrating, because writing takes time. Not everyone can spit out books in a month. I’ve tried speeding up my novel writing process and learned quickly that was a no go for me.
I used to call this the difference between a “movie” and a “film,” where a movie was just a way to pass the time—popcorn, soda, a rather mindless experience where you could let it literally “wash over you” and forget about it minutes after it was finished. However, a “film” challenged the audience to think… think about things they perhaps didn’t think about in their day-to-day lives. It brought up feelings and emotions and allowed people to release those emotions that they had been afraid to express or had been socially repressed. In other words… a film was art. When I would give this talk, I always stressed that the films I was creating were, in fact, films and not movies. Now the so-called “content” has become so stunted, like you describe (with TikTok, Shorts, etc.) that I’m not sure the audience of today would recognize art anymore. Maybe? If they gave it time.
It makes me sad to realize I'm part of this system. Most of my media consumption happens through social media and YouTube, and if a video is too long, I might not watch it. On the contrary, here on Substack, I like to take my time, so I wonder if motivation for art consumption plays a role. Also, I think that, due to all the dopamine hits we experience, it might make us more sensitive and emotional when those cathartic moments happen, as the brain is no longer used to them. I don't know, just wondering. Loved your reflection on this topic!
I was just having this conversation with a friend. The way things are set up right now, so many of us are spending more time trying to get people to see our art than we are actually making it. It’s wild. The world makes it harder to just be an artist without turning yourself into a “content creator”.
Exactly! I think there needs to be a real discussion about what it means to be an artist vs what it means to be a content creator. Not for the purposes of elitism, but so that we can set healthy and reasonable expectations. A lot of folks try to push me into becoming a youtube content creator. It's hard to explain to them what that means for the kind of work that gets made.
As a writer this is especially frustrating, because writing takes time. Not everyone can spit out books in a month. I’ve tried speeding up my novel writing process and learned quickly that was a no go for me.
Yes! The literacy crisis is real.
It’s even more frustrating when you realize it’s crippling folks ability to even read altogether.
I used to call this the difference between a “movie” and a “film,” where a movie was just a way to pass the time—popcorn, soda, a rather mindless experience where you could let it literally “wash over you” and forget about it minutes after it was finished. However, a “film” challenged the audience to think… think about things they perhaps didn’t think about in their day-to-day lives. It brought up feelings and emotions and allowed people to release those emotions that they had been afraid to express or had been socially repressed. In other words… a film was art. When I would give this talk, I always stressed that the films I was creating were, in fact, films and not movies. Now the so-called “content” has become so stunted, like you describe (with TikTok, Shorts, etc.) that I’m not sure the audience of today would recognize art anymore. Maybe? If they gave it time.
It makes me sad to realize I'm part of this system. Most of my media consumption happens through social media and YouTube, and if a video is too long, I might not watch it. On the contrary, here on Substack, I like to take my time, so I wonder if motivation for art consumption plays a role. Also, I think that, due to all the dopamine hits we experience, it might make us more sensitive and emotional when those cathartic moments happen, as the brain is no longer used to them. I don't know, just wondering. Loved your reflection on this topic!