"The brain, he recalls, this gelatinous flesh inside the head, is a living thing made of living matter, in the tangible, concrete world, but, ultimately, is an image too." -- I very much appreciate this idea!
The title says it all, really, but if one feels that our current age is in fact substantially different from any time in humanity's past (as I think it is) then one questions the "eternal" aspect of art's death. No worries! It's unlikely to happen in our lifetimes ...
I learned a lot from this, Joana, so thank you for that. There's a parallel in the music industry with the monopolization of concert venues by Live Nation/TicketMaster which has decimated the ability of smaller and mid-size venues to survive financially. (There's a good YT video about it: 'What TicketMaster doesn't want you to know'.) Basically, capitalism--which I'm not inherently against--in its excessess has created an increasingly insurmountable gap between artists seeking to grow and develop and a sustainable level of success (or do I mean survival?).
The need to create a seperate and sustainable ecosystem for artistic growth seems increasingly necessary--the planting of a new seed to replace the dying plant?--but it seems difficult to do so in this day and age in which money is tied up in everything. I believe it's possible, just not without risk. (Though God knows I wouldn't know where to begin!)
PS I also read your article on Linder Sterling--very good, brings up a lot of thoughts, ideas and realities that are very important to talk about and deal with honestly. I'd like to say more but will leave that for another time. Cheers, Joana!
I’m trying to build a space for myself here and on my podcast through memberships and on a pay what you can basis but the results so far are dire for the podcast and slightly more
promising for Substack. I say this to prove that I’m not sure we need a not of money. If my 1000 readers payed £1 for my text through a donation (which they call here a pledge I think? Not very rounded here yet), I’d be paid £1000… or even half would be quite ok! For me-and I’ll be a bit critical here-it’s about mindlessness. We pay £30 every week for a food delivery that we could very well cook ourselves AND tip the rider but we’re not fussed to compensate people’s work if it’s just clickable. I’m inherently and dermically againts paywalling things (also bc I’m not established enough for people to take the step to pay for what I write, probably) but it feels like it might be the only way. Another thing is that we’re so monolithical. I can’t believe that Taylor Swift deserves all that recognition?! What an empire! It’s daunting to see a generation living off one or two singers. I mean, I’m not against her work, but surely there’s more to music than that? It’s the laziness that gets to me and the lack of will to organize parallel systems… because it feels like nowadays we all want to be rich if we’re in entertainment. While nurses have a crap salary and keep on going to work often until burn out…
I can understand how you feel and can offer only little advice myself! It does seem that consistency and persistence pay off eventually, so I'm hoping that will be true in our cases. (Fingers painfully crossed! :^H) One of the difficult things I've found here on Substack is that there are so many people doing good work that are deserving of financial support such as yourself, but I have to struggle with my own limited means. (I would probably have to be Taylor Swift to financially support everyone on the platform who deserves it!)
The desire to be rich and/or famous is one of the greats traps of our current technological age; it drives people to desperation, doing desperate things for attention, likes and clicks. I am as human as anyone else in my desire to be appreciated and have my work appreciated, so I also have to keep in perspective that if I feel the work is truly of value--and not necessarily in the financial sense, nice as that would be--then it's worth doing anyway, if only so I don't drive myself crazy holding on to it in expectation of some hoped-for future reward. It just needs to be put out into the world, for my own sake at least.
The mindlessness of the current age is another problem, though we've always had it to some degree--I liken the current age of humanity to that of a child entering its incipient stages of self-awareness; we're only just now coming into a true awareness of humanity as a whole species and not just a disparate collection of peoples and cultures spread around the globe, so we exist in this precarious position of needing to reconcile our present circumstance with our shambling, mindlessly marauding existence preceding it. We like our creature comforts; I'm no exception, but it has made us lazy, you're right about that. (Cooking can be a joy, a meditation, a comfort, an art ... but even that's not accessible to everyone these days.)
Oh, I could go on, Joana, but I know you have your work and I have mine. You're doing good work and perhaps it's good to remind ourselves to just keep going from wherever we are and do the best we can. In the words of Curtis Mayfield, "Keep on keepin' on!"
Thanks so much for your words. It’s the same for me, I wish I could support more people here but I can’t. The issue is that people like us always take these comments home and those who can don’t! I don!t want my fellow substacker writers to pay for my work - unless they can -, I’d prefer my fellow art world acquaintances and friends who live well but sadly have no idea of the amount of work and commitment it is to write to do it and who are also luddites. Society finally understood that artists need money but writers, curators, etc still are an abstract entity for a lot of people unless you write a 300 page book. But you’re right. It’s a question of time. I believe it is. You also don’t want to commit to a membership if you don’t know that the person is consistent! And it’s pushing me to give it my best! I’m loving it. Curious to know your thoughts about Linder?..?.
Honestly, I quite sympathize with the Luddite point of view! I think one of the things most of us miss is how much our lives are squeezed out of us by the so-called conveniences of modern technology. But here we are, so I think it is incumbent upon each of us to draw our own lines in the sand as far as such things go. Same with the ways in which we can support others, it's important to know our own limits. (I'm figuring that out with Substack as I go.)
Consistency has been my biggest concern--also an important limit to figure out, how much one can do with the time available--though I'm thinking about ways of managing that. I've put out a post each week for the first 6 weeks since I started my 'stack, and today I was hoping to have something done that just isn't ready yet, so it needs to wait. For the sake of the work, it's the right thing to do.
As for Linder ... well, it's been a week since I read your article, but I remember my main thought. I believe you were contemplating Linder's portrayal of sexuality in her work, whether it was a way of taking ownership of it and/or a way of confronting and integrating past trauma or whether it could lead to the self-indulgence of one's sexual appetites. (If I'm slightly off the mark as to your meaning, my apologies.) In any case, this to me is a very significant question and one that I've had reason to think about over the years (less so now that I'm married, older, and have a family).
Sexuality is still a topic that human beings have generally have an unfortunately hard time discussing despite it being a fundamental part of our nature. We would do well as a species to stop being so childish about it, frankly, but ... the trauma is probably very deep-rooted in the human experience if you think about it. But to go back to Linder's work, I do believe that art (in its various forms) can be a way of containing and taking control of either one's sexuality or the trauma surrounding it. It allows the artist to define their own parameters or to actively contemplate what the parameters might be for the artist (and possibly the viewer) by conceptualizing it within a framework chosen by the artist. I can't speak to Linder's intent, of course, but I think it's a legitimate way of using art for one's own sake.
Perhaps too the art could be a form of self-indulgence but, in an ideal sense, it is also creating a framework that provides a stable space to take on difficult aspects of the human psyche such as sexual desires. It's not for everyone, of course; not everyone is ready to confront such realities. Also, everyone needs to be free to confront these realities in their own time and in a way that is healthy for them (ideally). Artists and others like Linder Sterling who have had serious trauma to deal with don't necessarily have the luxury of not dealing with it, not if they want to be able to move forward in life in a reasonably ... content way.
That was my personal take-away from the article on Linder, though there were other aspects to consider; however, I particularly relate to the question/idea above because it is very relevant in this day and age to find a way to talk about sexuality disentangled from the self-consciousness that goes along with it (while paradoxically being cognizant of the self-consciousness that goes along with it!).
Well, I hope you don't regret asking my thoughts on Linder's work, Joana. :^) (Especially as it had less to do with any of the work specifically.) In any case, I appreciate your allowing me to indulge in sharing my thoughts on the subject.
And with the Brazilian accent… *chef’s kiss* To this day I have no idea what the monument celebrates-and I looked for the picture! I read it and soon forgot it :-))
"The brain, he recalls, this gelatinous flesh inside the head, is a living thing made of living matter, in the tangible, concrete world, but, ultimately, is an image too." -- I very much appreciate this idea!
The title says it all, really, but if one feels that our current age is in fact substantially different from any time in humanity's past (as I think it is) then one questions the "eternal" aspect of art's death. No worries! It's unlikely to happen in our lifetimes ...
I learned a lot from this, Joana, so thank you for that. There's a parallel in the music industry with the monopolization of concert venues by Live Nation/TicketMaster which has decimated the ability of smaller and mid-size venues to survive financially. (There's a good YT video about it: 'What TicketMaster doesn't want you to know'.) Basically, capitalism--which I'm not inherently against--in its excessess has created an increasingly insurmountable gap between artists seeking to grow and develop and a sustainable level of success (or do I mean survival?).
The need to create a seperate and sustainable ecosystem for artistic growth seems increasingly necessary--the planting of a new seed to replace the dying plant?--but it seems difficult to do so in this day and age in which money is tied up in everything. I believe it's possible, just not without risk. (Though God knows I wouldn't know where to begin!)
PS I also read your article on Linder Sterling--very good, brings up a lot of thoughts, ideas and realities that are very important to talk about and deal with honestly. I'd like to say more but will leave that for another time. Cheers, Joana!
I’m trying to build a space for myself here and on my podcast through memberships and on a pay what you can basis but the results so far are dire for the podcast and slightly more
promising for Substack. I say this to prove that I’m not sure we need a not of money. If my 1000 readers payed £1 for my text through a donation (which they call here a pledge I think? Not very rounded here yet), I’d be paid £1000… or even half would be quite ok! For me-and I’ll be a bit critical here-it’s about mindlessness. We pay £30 every week for a food delivery that we could very well cook ourselves AND tip the rider but we’re not fussed to compensate people’s work if it’s just clickable. I’m inherently and dermically againts paywalling things (also bc I’m not established enough for people to take the step to pay for what I write, probably) but it feels like it might be the only way. Another thing is that we’re so monolithical. I can’t believe that Taylor Swift deserves all that recognition?! What an empire! It’s daunting to see a generation living off one or two singers. I mean, I’m not against her work, but surely there’s more to music than that? It’s the laziness that gets to me and the lack of will to organize parallel systems… because it feels like nowadays we all want to be rich if we’re in entertainment. While nurses have a crap salary and keep on going to work often until burn out…
I can understand how you feel and can offer only little advice myself! It does seem that consistency and persistence pay off eventually, so I'm hoping that will be true in our cases. (Fingers painfully crossed! :^H) One of the difficult things I've found here on Substack is that there are so many people doing good work that are deserving of financial support such as yourself, but I have to struggle with my own limited means. (I would probably have to be Taylor Swift to financially support everyone on the platform who deserves it!)
The desire to be rich and/or famous is one of the greats traps of our current technological age; it drives people to desperation, doing desperate things for attention, likes and clicks. I am as human as anyone else in my desire to be appreciated and have my work appreciated, so I also have to keep in perspective that if I feel the work is truly of value--and not necessarily in the financial sense, nice as that would be--then it's worth doing anyway, if only so I don't drive myself crazy holding on to it in expectation of some hoped-for future reward. It just needs to be put out into the world, for my own sake at least.
The mindlessness of the current age is another problem, though we've always had it to some degree--I liken the current age of humanity to that of a child entering its incipient stages of self-awareness; we're only just now coming into a true awareness of humanity as a whole species and not just a disparate collection of peoples and cultures spread around the globe, so we exist in this precarious position of needing to reconcile our present circumstance with our shambling, mindlessly marauding existence preceding it. We like our creature comforts; I'm no exception, but it has made us lazy, you're right about that. (Cooking can be a joy, a meditation, a comfort, an art ... but even that's not accessible to everyone these days.)
Oh, I could go on, Joana, but I know you have your work and I have mine. You're doing good work and perhaps it's good to remind ourselves to just keep going from wherever we are and do the best we can. In the words of Curtis Mayfield, "Keep on keepin' on!"
Thanks so much for your words. It’s the same for me, I wish I could support more people here but I can’t. The issue is that people like us always take these comments home and those who can don’t! I don!t want my fellow substacker writers to pay for my work - unless they can -, I’d prefer my fellow art world acquaintances and friends who live well but sadly have no idea of the amount of work and commitment it is to write to do it and who are also luddites. Society finally understood that artists need money but writers, curators, etc still are an abstract entity for a lot of people unless you write a 300 page book. But you’re right. It’s a question of time. I believe it is. You also don’t want to commit to a membership if you don’t know that the person is consistent! And it’s pushing me to give it my best! I’m loving it. Curious to know your thoughts about Linder?..?.
Honestly, I quite sympathize with the Luddite point of view! I think one of the things most of us miss is how much our lives are squeezed out of us by the so-called conveniences of modern technology. But here we are, so I think it is incumbent upon each of us to draw our own lines in the sand as far as such things go. Same with the ways in which we can support others, it's important to know our own limits. (I'm figuring that out with Substack as I go.)
Consistency has been my biggest concern--also an important limit to figure out, how much one can do with the time available--though I'm thinking about ways of managing that. I've put out a post each week for the first 6 weeks since I started my 'stack, and today I was hoping to have something done that just isn't ready yet, so it needs to wait. For the sake of the work, it's the right thing to do.
As for Linder ... well, it's been a week since I read your article, but I remember my main thought. I believe you were contemplating Linder's portrayal of sexuality in her work, whether it was a way of taking ownership of it and/or a way of confronting and integrating past trauma or whether it could lead to the self-indulgence of one's sexual appetites. (If I'm slightly off the mark as to your meaning, my apologies.) In any case, this to me is a very significant question and one that I've had reason to think about over the years (less so now that I'm married, older, and have a family).
Sexuality is still a topic that human beings have generally have an unfortunately hard time discussing despite it being a fundamental part of our nature. We would do well as a species to stop being so childish about it, frankly, but ... the trauma is probably very deep-rooted in the human experience if you think about it. But to go back to Linder's work, I do believe that art (in its various forms) can be a way of containing and taking control of either one's sexuality or the trauma surrounding it. It allows the artist to define their own parameters or to actively contemplate what the parameters might be for the artist (and possibly the viewer) by conceptualizing it within a framework chosen by the artist. I can't speak to Linder's intent, of course, but I think it's a legitimate way of using art for one's own sake.
Perhaps too the art could be a form of self-indulgence but, in an ideal sense, it is also creating a framework that provides a stable space to take on difficult aspects of the human psyche such as sexual desires. It's not for everyone, of course; not everyone is ready to confront such realities. Also, everyone needs to be free to confront these realities in their own time and in a way that is healthy for them (ideally). Artists and others like Linder Sterling who have had serious trauma to deal with don't necessarily have the luxury of not dealing with it, not if they want to be able to move forward in life in a reasonably ... content way.
That was my personal take-away from the article on Linder, though there were other aspects to consider; however, I particularly relate to the question/idea above because it is very relevant in this day and age to find a way to talk about sexuality disentangled from the self-consciousness that goes along with it (while paradoxically being cognizant of the self-consciousness that goes along with it!).
Well, I hope you don't regret asking my thoughts on Linder's work, Joana. :^) (Especially as it had less to do with any of the work specifically.) In any case, I appreciate your allowing me to indulge in sharing my thoughts on the subject.
Hahaha I love the monument to the war of the chicken😂😂
And with the Brazilian accent… *chef’s kiss* To this day I have no idea what the monument celebrates-and I looked for the picture! I read it and soon forgot it :-))
Of course you forgot, because whatever you read is a hoax, what it clearly symbolizes is the infamous war of the chicken... Duh!! 😂
🙄😆🤣🤣