A video from someone called Val. It’s a think piece, a video essay if you will, it’s a bit meandering but full of stuff I immediately subscribe to. It’s about 23min long, and to me, imagery is beautiful but distracting from what they are talking about, so for a while I listened to it, but then I also pulled transcription (15min read) so one can read it and pull quotes from it.
We call it networking, but we’re really doing is battering our authenticity for access. And the problem is that art was never supposed to function in that system. Art doesn’t operate on a return on investment. It operates on revelations I feel. And it’s it’s not really about what can someone do for you. It’s more about what can they awaken in you. So the business world runs on this exchange. You know, the art world at its purest runs on empathy. You know, and they might be parallel, but but they were never meant to intersect this violently. And the truth is that most artists aren’t built for business. And it’s not because they’re naive or idealistic, but because their wiring is a little bit different. An artist instinct is to feel first, not to calculate. And when you start treating human interaction like this strategy, that raw animal curiosity that fuels art begins to die. So because when you network, you approach a person as a means. When you connect, you approach them as a mirror. So that difference completely changes everything. When you’re connecting, you’re saying, you know, I see you. I feel something in what you do that reflects in me. But when you’re networking, you’re saying, I see what you can do for me. And I think the tragedy is that modern culture rewards the second one more. It rewards the illusion of connection over the real thing.
Hope this isn’t too derailing, but I first started to watch this video because I got it in my algorithm during a YouTubeing session. But I tuned out at some point. Then later I found the transcript on your webpage and was struck by how much harder it hit in text format with no video or other disctrations.
Pretty interesting for someone who both writes blog posts and makes videos.
Somewhat connected I guess as “the system” is telling us to make videos, videos, videos, videos right now.
Yeah, I won’t do videos, because a) it’s not my bag, b) the video distracts from the message and/or music. I suppose I’m in the minority as I was 33 when MTV was first aired and I’m also more aurally inclined as opposed to visually inclined. The music is first and foremost.
Well… i think the video is well meaning, but in reality what they are saying (writing/reading) has a substance that for me works so much more when reading it, or maybe listening to audio. But the film cuts make it much more demanding, since they are very beautiful but from various contexts and with their own rhythm. But yea, those algos on those walled gardens: they keep changing what is content that ‘creates’ engagement. Another clear case how this benefits somebody else, and not the artsts.
… and as I learned recently, Goggle are now experimenting with having YouTub algorithms edit videos after they’re uploaded, presumably to increase their potential as engagement bait;
Music videos made a certain amount of sense when free-to-air TV was the dominant medium, even more so when MTV was a major tastemaker. They continue to make a certain amount of sense due to the dominance of EweTube. But less so because you’ve got the option of just posting videos of the music with a static image, or the record turning on the turntable.
Thanks @prinlu for sharing and for the transcription, I love this. It’s great to hear someone put some words to this “community” thing I’ve been dancing around. Do what you love and the rest follows. I can’t claim to have had the courage to try it though. There’s a lot of trust (and likely financial insecurity) in that. I think for me it’s also hard to determine if I’m being genuine with myself about what I create, or if it’s something that feeds my ego because it sounds cool or has an aesthetic I like.
@prinlu Any chance of breaking this transcription into smaller paragraphs? I ended up listening to the video (without watching it), as my brain couldn’t parse the wall of text.
