Art and “the Media”

There are a few parts to this thought: 1) How I wish art was portrayed, 2) How art is often portrayed, and 3) How I idealize a partnership of media and art (how I think maybe I could make both work) Here it goes:

The Portrayal of Art

The best part of art is… heh. just kidding—there are so many good parts. It’s therapeutic, it’s an outlet for thought, it’s an expression of self, it’s a way to share without language barriers, it’s a cultural connection point, it’s an eliciting of emotions unlike any other. All of that is great. One part however, that it isn’t viewed as great often enough, is art being “accessible”. Once you start calling yourself an artist, as I have, it’s easy enough to preach on the lack of barrier into the world of art, but those who insist on saying they are “bad at drawing” are the ones who need to understand “drawing” is nowhere near the conclusion of “art”. Are sculptists fantastic at drawing? not necessarily.. I wouldn’t even say that I’m very good at drawing, in relation to the countless more practiced artists out there. Good is relative, and always an unfair term to use when referring to art. Art is personal, not subjectifiable. Art is like a childhood blanket. It looks like rags to everyone else, but to that one person… it’s everything. The power of art is that that attachment can be shared (but sure, not with everyone). Not everyone’s going to look at a white canvas and be prompted to contemplate the emptiness in their soul without love. Most people will just think it’s stupid, and the artist didn’t try. I used to be that person. Art is accessible because “art” is a way of looking at the world, and anybody can choose to alter their perception just that little bit. I just wish art was portrayed more often as this deeper connection of people with the world around them, and not as some out-of-reach “talent” given to a select few individuals.

The Idealized Relationship of Artist, Art, and Media

I’ve tried, over the years, a few methods of involving myself in video and content creation, but none of them stuck. I tried with Minecraft (of course) and with art, but I was too naive to see how the industries actually functioned. With more open eyes I can now see past the curtain a little clearer, and am considering stepping into it once again with a renewed idea.

Basically, I want to consistently make “fan art”.

But not only as a “fan”, instead as someone who is willing to look further into the media itself and explain a bit more about the subject and the medium I choose to re-envision a part of it in.
I really enjoy the matter I discussed in-depth in the post “Meaning in Materials…” in terms of using something to make the art that more closely relates to the art. For example, if I were to do a drawing of a Red Robins, I could use a standard ball point pen I had lying around… or I could use the set of four crayons I got as kid when I went to Red Robins for my birthday. Which has more meaning and makes the art worth more? (Again, keep in mind the value of art is hardly ever in the physical item—unless it’s jewelry in which case the precious gems have alternate value points—it is most typically in the meaning and layers of thought behind it.) The crayons would give a vividly different appearance than a ballpoint pen, but would also mean far more because of their emotional connection to the establishment. We are, first and foremost, emotional creatures. Art simply has an innate ability to tap into that emotion.

If I am to reenter the field of entertainment with a renewed purpose, I think that purpose should be similar to my core intention for this blog: Connecting my interests to “art” (a unique way of viewing the world).
Just thinking about the breadth of possibilities makes me overflow with excitement. (I was talking a mile a minute to my Mom about the potential of such a focus).
By not saying “Oh I’ll just stick to Minecraft” or “Oh I’ll just stick to making stuff out of cardboard” (even though there are COUNTLESS ways to go with either of those mediums) I can instead connect them, along with a multitude of my other interests, to new things as I find them. I do also quite enjoy the game “Satisfactory” and have played a little “Stardew Valley” and I admit, a bit of “Fortnite”. How then, can I connect those interests to art and explore the aspects of the games I am most interested in through mediums off of the screen that I can then relay through other peoples’ screens? In other words: How do I show what I appreciate about things I appreciate to others? That is the question I think expanding into content media could answer.

To be realistic, and not just naively optimistic, I can and will create a feasability plan (because thanks to Innovate WithIN I know how they work). I can look into the practical creation of the media, and which outlets to use. I can look into Patreon and sources of income and ask things like: how could the different streams be used as marketing? And of course most importantly, how can I provide something useful to people that will inspire them to create their own magic? How can I encourage others to follow their innermost desire to express themselves through the multitude of mediums available to them? If someone doesn’t like to draw, how can I show them the zillion other choices they have?
There is the business aspect to view practically, if I am to pursue this as an outlet for art and an opportunity for financial feasibility; but there is also the aspect of how I function as a person. What I have observed over the years (and those close to me have also observed) is overflowing passion… that quickly dissappears entirely. They can be called “phases” or “obsessions” or really anything that refers to a finite period of interest. During those times, I’m all in—super invested in that thing, whatever it may be—but then after a while I move on to something else. Such is why I have not been able to do something like content creation consistently… because my interests have changed too quickly and I have been too young to recognize that, or be aware of the brain patterns. Now that I am more aware, I can plan for those kinds of shifts in obsession, and adjust the plan to fit the changes.

So maybe this is a possibility: create, as I love to create, and connect whatever I am currently obsessed with to art, as I have been able to consistently revisit with this blog! I know I will always want to explore more with creativity, and will always be able to return to it, whatever the interest (art is too broad to ever be irrelevant) so maybe I could make this work. Maybe, just maybe…

…this is the right angle for my content creation.