Lately I have been thinking about how I am basically trying to build an art machine. My heart and soul and creativity are the driving engine of the machine, like the flux capacitor if you will. That part of the machine I have been taking care of my entire life, and its a continuous process that will go forever. It is the part which continually seeks to generate more and more work, engage new mediums, practice and experiment: it is passion. It is also the part which is continually inspired by all the things of life such as people, places, events, feelings, ideas. But other parts are needed for the machine, too.
The machine needs a way to reach people so that they can interact with the work it produces and have their own experiences with it. Instagram is an available tool to do this, and I have connected to many beautiful people through this tool and through sharing my art through it. Recently, though, I have been moving away from this tool. There are many reasons, such as the oppressive algorithm, the high amount of bots and low real human engagement, the fetishism over influencers, censorship of artists I admire, the change in emphasis from visual art/pictures to short videos, as well as the environment it has created for artists where I see us as having to scrape and grind for minimal attention.”
“I eventually realized that I wanted a place which I fully owned, which was truly mine…”
I eventually realized that I wanted a place which I fully owned, which was truly mine, so I built this website for myself and started exploring new tools. I have a decent bit of experience with computers but I am not a web developer, so this was a challenge I am proud that I have tackled. Building a website allowed me to build my own store as well, along with other functionalities such as this blog. This means I do not rely on an external source to display my art which ultimately has power over me. The downsides are that it takes much more work and there is not a pre-built market attached to my website (such as say, Esty). But I enjoy that I built it and it is mine, I have much more freedom over it.
Recently, I have begun to make videos on Rumble so that people can watch art being made as entertainment and maybe even inspiration. Bob Ross inspired me so much when I first began making art, as I had very few examples of artists to turn to and learn from. Rumble is another piece of the machine which allows me to extend myself into that space through the medium of video. The videos have become art themselves for me. Maybe that part of the art machine can drive traffic to my website so that people can view or even purchase my work. They will have more of a chance to view my art from the comfort of their home. Or maybe people will simply find the videos entertaining or educational.
“Recently, I have began to make videos on Rumble so that people can watch art being made as entertainment and maybe even inspiration.”
It is exciting that I have built a functional art machine with multiple parts with different purposes. I foresee adding new modules to my art machine in order to give it even more functionality. I am interesting in exploring new tools and technologies being developed to do this. Part of the purpose of this art machine is to give my creative passion a greater reach and a more sustainability throughout time, in an organic and self-developed way. An essential feature is that it maximizes my freedom as an artist. This is a creative project for me. Thanks for being around and checking it out and reading.