Your elders are at you with words of disdain about today's world whilst reminiscing of the times when life to them seemed more respectable. They smile about the absence of sophisticated and overly-convenient technology. They hurry to separate themselves from the 'out-of-control' millennials. They're quick to suggest that everything is getting worse. You then reply with 'OK Boomer', but never do you stop to contemplate the open thoughts of such experienced relatives and associates. This is where I step in. As a man in his early twenties at the time of sharing this piece, I introduce you properly to the clear possibility that what you have heard is for the most part correct. No? Then would you be able to explain why a Gen Y fellow like myself, bears an uncommon distaste for a lot of today's art and entertainment? Why is it that am I not listening to modern music stations? Why is it that I am not watching many modern movies? Why is it that I don't regularly party? Why is it that I don't favour video games as much as I did during my pre-teen years?
Consider me somewhat of an outlier. Life and it's latest mainstream gifts don't quite impress me as much. In fact, I edge closer towards detestation. Regardless of where and when, I'm occasionally left seeing certain aspects of the world nowadays in a less beautiful way. One of them is indeed Art. Each time I expose myself to the works of old whilst examining the stuff of today, I find myself feeling more upset and more angry with the direction masses are taking us all. I can't help but think that creativity is dying and that political correctness along with the many other societal pressures are restricting the flow of marvellous ideas. Art as a whole, currently appears more plastic and unimaginative. Almost everything is made to focus on profits and political messages, while the best of new content is immediately stored in the attic. Instead of demonstrating in our creations how far our minds can go, we as a collective are more worried about how close to reality we reach.
It was just recently, my eyes had widened to an unpleasant yet seemingly truthful detail. Throughout much of the years coming up to (and including) what's been seen of 2020 so far, humankind has itself tangled in its own web. A systematic way of living that gets dodgier by the day. The greatest gift being the source of knowledge and understanding, is now more than ever abused by its past mistakes and weaponised by the most dangerous of bearers. The quality of our inventiveness, unjustly pressured and sacrificed by our mistreatment of time and money. The room for minds to breathe and expand on the beauty of abstract concepts, continues shrinking towards a size unsuitable for use. Yet another pin into the future balloon, telling us that the time ahead is not always going to be the sunshine and rainbows we were once left to believe as young and impressionable children (Unforeseeable). Just when one thinks we humans are the smartest living species on planet Earth, we keep attempting to find ways in ensuring our idiocy meets with our intellect.
The cruelty to creativity has had a noticeable impact on the general population. Rarely do many in this day and age put much thought into what's given to them. They never truly connect with their individuality, instead choosing to stick with the leaderless flock. It's all about blind appreciation and interests built on shallow reasons. It's deciding whether to follow the trends of today, become one the trends of today, or perhaps both. Enjoying the finer details has been treated as something so complex, it has left these people not ever wanting to discover things for themselves. Music only has to be "catchy" to be loved. Same thing goes with movies being "cool" or "epic". Depth in analysis is nearly non-existent to them, which only opens the door for plastic, cookie-cutter material to receive praise older generations would (and should) regularly question. The laziness has even extended beyond the realms of Art. In a world where I find trust hard to come by (The Truth About Trust), there appears to be an awful lot of people believing everything they hear. This is especially with the news and current affairs. Take the sensationalism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it's brainwashing people into clearing the supermarket shelves of toilet paper, cleaning products and staple foods.
From where I stand, Art and Pop Culture are just becoming terms which describe imagination. The qualities that had made these so incredibly special, are now more often than not archived in favour of commercial and/or political gains. Take for instance Hollywood and the film industries. The roaring box office successes of the cinemas nowadays like Avengers: Endgame (whilst tapping into the historical relevance of Marvel Comics), look to me as being more about how extravagant they can become as a viewing experience. Elsewhere, studios are forking out millions to spend on projects for the sole purpose of competing with each other like it is some sort of popularity contest. From the overabundance of franchise sequels to the endless remakes of classic masterpieces, filmmakers and producers fight their way into their respective careers only to end up chasing for coin and nothing else. Think of the product placements in almost everything today. What about the fact that there exists a movie all about emojis? Who could forget the female Ghostbusters team? Oh and get this, they are making yet another Batman film.
It was just recently, my eyes had widened to an unpleasant yet seemingly truthful detail. Throughout much of the years coming up to (and including) what's been seen of 2020 so far, humankind has itself tangled in its own web. A systematic way of living that gets dodgier by the day. The greatest gift being the source of knowledge and understanding, is now more than ever abused by its past mistakes and weaponised by the most dangerous of bearers. The quality of our inventiveness, unjustly pressured and sacrificed by our mistreatment of time and money. The room for minds to breathe and expand on the beauty of abstract concepts, continues shrinking towards a size unsuitable for use. Yet another pin into the future balloon, telling us that the time ahead is not always going to be the sunshine and rainbows we were once left to believe as young and impressionable children (Unforeseeable). Just when one thinks we humans are the smartest living species on planet Earth, we keep attempting to find ways in ensuring our idiocy meets with our intellect.
The cruelty to creativity has had a noticeable impact on the general population. Rarely do many in this day and age put much thought into what's given to them. They never truly connect with their individuality, instead choosing to stick with the leaderless flock. It's all about blind appreciation and interests built on shallow reasons. It's deciding whether to follow the trends of today, become one the trends of today, or perhaps both. Enjoying the finer details has been treated as something so complex, it has left these people not ever wanting to discover things for themselves. Music only has to be "catchy" to be loved. Same thing goes with movies being "cool" or "epic". Depth in analysis is nearly non-existent to them, which only opens the door for plastic, cookie-cutter material to receive praise older generations would (and should) regularly question. The laziness has even extended beyond the realms of Art. In a world where I find trust hard to come by (The Truth About Trust), there appears to be an awful lot of people believing everything they hear. This is especially with the news and current affairs. Take the sensationalism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it's brainwashing people into clearing the supermarket shelves of toilet paper, cleaning products and staple foods.
From where I stand, Art and Pop Culture are just becoming terms which describe imagination. The qualities that had made these so incredibly special, are now more often than not archived in favour of commercial and/or political gains. Take for instance Hollywood and the film industries. The roaring box office successes of the cinemas nowadays like Avengers: Endgame (whilst tapping into the historical relevance of Marvel Comics), look to me as being more about how extravagant they can become as a viewing experience. Elsewhere, studios are forking out millions to spend on projects for the sole purpose of competing with each other like it is some sort of popularity contest. From the overabundance of franchise sequels to the endless remakes of classic masterpieces, filmmakers and producers fight their way into their respective careers only to end up chasing for coin and nothing else. Think of the product placements in almost everything today. What about the fact that there exists a movie all about emojis? Who could forget the female Ghostbusters team? Oh and get this, they are making yet another Batman film.
Spreading like wildfire, Art's descent also extends to the world of music. As many of you may know, I am a HUGE lover of music. It's evident on my Instagram, and I've too written a piece about my love for it here (Don't Stop The Music). I just enjoy where my favourite songs take me, especially in times of sorrow or struggle. And because my joy in it involves nothing but listening, I do believe I can understand the true fabric that is life's never-ending sea of beautiful melodies. Music to me is a bit of everything. The rhythm, the pattern, the energy, the message, etc. It's kind of why my taste in songs expands to include several decades and several different genres. However, I currently find myself not turning on the radio much. The reasons are quite clear to me here, and they are further solidified whenever I update myself with charts and samples online. It is a known fact that good music is becoming harder to find. Most songs played regularly on music stations today, tend to sound similar to one another. And the sad truth is that this is the intention from music producers and record labels. It is becoming harder money-wise to promote unique singers and songwriters. So many people are left just wanting to take cheap shortcuts, gaining a profit through plastic tunes that they believe have the potential to go viral. Musicians are more about their image instead of their work, all to ensure they sell well enough. Not to mention we listeners as a collective are left with shorter attention spans, leaving much of this century's music to be better forgotten when it's finished charting. It's also kind of why modern pop music doesn't resonate as well as the stuff of the 60's, 70's and 80's.
And television you might ask? Well don't be surprised here. A lot of what is shown on TV now is heavily manufactured. Is Reality TV really reality, or is it just another oxymoron? Think about it. Is it possible to act perfectly normal when there is a large camera in front of your face? It shouldn't be hard to understand that all reality television is scripted and pre-recorded to make time for processing. Producers are adding the suspenseful music. They are making the necessary cuts. They are doing whatever they can to get strong reactions from the audience. Some contestants of reality shows have even come out saying how they've been forced into portraying themselves as someone they weren't. The average home viewer is basically being lied to and they are refusing to see it. On the other side there is the content that we know is scripted. The content that we know takes longer to make. How is this affected? All you have to do is look around and listen. You will very likely come across a complaint from a fair few regarding how politicised certain material can be, and most of the time they aren't wrong. Instead of an imaginative tale, we're often receiving another source of news and politics we may wish to escape from.
What is the relevance of all this to us? How does this affect us when we're all going about our own lives and continuing to do what we love? I for one, just think it is important to take time in looking at where we as people have come from. We need to respect the origins of everything we love and appreciate in the art world. I genuinely believe this is what helps keep the joy and necessary effort in creativity alive. If we ignore it, we're leaving it to wither away and die. It is a another step towards inappropriately treating time as an enemy. To lose patience can then lead to the loss of motivation. Not wanting to think long and hard about the work we produce for others. Not attending to every small detail. Not wishing to express originality, but instead taking the work of others and twisting it enough to make it seem like it's completely ours. I don't wish in anyway to sound factual here, as Art will forever remain subjective. But to question the significance of what I'm discussing here, could possibly to some degree indicate that you don't quite spend the time you have to truly embrace what makes art and entertainment so special and so incredibly inviting.
As a matter of fact, all of this has played a small role in helping shape me as a person. I devote a small bit of myself to the cosplay community. I find cosplayers to be one of Art's saving graces. They not only showcase their talent in craft, but also reflect their passion through bringing their favourite works of fiction to life. They don't ever care about how old the material they touch on is. They don't (or at least shouldn't) ever discriminate each other for the way they display their efforts and interests. The community despite my distance from it, looks incredibly friendly. It's actually a place where I hope to find and make a few real friends, since I come from not having any. Cosplay is purely positive, respecting the historical creations of older and more experienced artists. Whether it be films, television, comic books and other literature, or even standard artwork. It is not necessarily a career choice for the majority, but cosplay can help further advance each and every person's journey. And that journey turns it into a story worth sharing to the world.
Another part I devote myself to is photography. Unlike most Art studies which ironically force ideas and lessons onto you, photography allows you the room to truly express yourself. It's just learning about the basics of a proper camera and capturing life in motion. You get to choose everything for yourself and form your own identity from it. You allow yourself the opportunity to create visually and aesthetically pleasing work. It is another brilliant way in bringing abstract into reality and can too discover new comfort for the photographer. Now and then on my Instagram, I do all I can to attempt creating something powerful and worthwhile with nothing but an old phone, a 2×2 square metre space and a few small resources. I aim to tell stories and forward inspiring messages in ways I am capable of to make me feel better for what I cannot achieve at the moment. Photography and basic editing has been so welcoming to me. And while my work may not ever look incredible, I do tell myself that my vision extends beyond just the picture.
Our survival will depend a fair bit on how the world runs in these times, but that doesn't necessarily make it okay. In many ways, we are abusing our own minds. We are abusing the power that can come from them. We shouldn't be hindering our movements or limiting our options. Think of the infinite and ever-expanding range of possible ideas we can give birth to. Focus on whatever senses you currently have and appreciate what they do for you. Be inspired and inspire others. Make yourself some room and some time to both discover the beauty within all that you love and create something that can be seen in the same way. Most of Art right now needs saving. If it's to evolve, it needs to without us taking anything away from it. For myself, I'll be looking ahead with the hope that our ability to captivate different people in true fashion won't take anymore of a wrong turn. I'll be hoping that plenty of us will still see the true nature of Art, and keep it shining bright. Perhaps even return it to its former glory.
It may come across as a source of jokes and sound for the most part stereotypical, how older people talk about their years growing up being better than ours. But these opinions can actually be quite reasonable. There looks to be a growing ignorance for nature and history. There is little heart and little time dedicated into thinking outside the box. We're coaxing one another into constantly updating ourselves with the hopes of always coming off as something new and fresh. We're forcing each other into acting alike for cheap recognition (I will admit this has sort of affected me, and I'm not a fan of it). And there isn't a time now when somebody isn't easily offended by certain work, leaving doors to slam shut on multiple concepts. Both imagination and freedom of self-expression are devolving in front of our very eyes. Nowadays, we as a society are practically accepting cheap take away at a five star hotel without any hesitation whatsoever. Whether I am alone on this or not, I refuse to ignore depth and meaning in my work. I refuse to ever give up encouraging myself and others into keeping their brains active. I will continue searching for the beautiful in our achievements. I will play my role in saving Art.
It may come across as a source of jokes and sound for the most part stereotypical, how older people talk about their years growing up being better than ours. But these opinions can actually be quite reasonable. There looks to be a growing ignorance for nature and history. There is little heart and little time dedicated into thinking outside the box. We're coaxing one another into constantly updating ourselves with the hopes of always coming off as something new and fresh. We're forcing each other into acting alike for cheap recognition (I will admit this has sort of affected me, and I'm not a fan of it). And there isn't a time now when somebody isn't easily offended by certain work, leaving doors to slam shut on multiple concepts. Both imagination and freedom of self-expression are devolving in front of our very eyes. Nowadays, we as a society are practically accepting cheap take away at a five star hotel without any hesitation whatsoever. Whether I am alone on this or not, I refuse to ignore depth and meaning in my work. I refuse to ever give up encouraging myself and others into keeping their brains active. I will continue searching for the beautiful in our achievements. I will play my role in saving Art.
Travis "TJ" James
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