Lovely work, as always! I’m finally getting back to reading newsletters after a couple months of a break.
When it comes to art being killed by tech - I agree, though I feel like the issue only applies to mass-consumer. I’ve recently joined art classes and I’ve to say, it’s been amazing learning something new in a non-digital environment. Meeting like-minded people has taught me so much, especially things that I wouldn’t learn, had I been only taught by what the algorithm thinks is worthwhile.
Creating physical art has also been wonderful for my development in general - my taste has developed, my eyes sharpened and my appreciation for human skill has increased. Now I go to museum and wonder - how did the artist achieve his vision, what was the technique, what brush did s/he use? Those things wouldn’t come to me had I stayed on YouTube and only watched tutorials or people describing art and techniques - it’s an earned skill, a tool in my toolbox like my teacher says. Also something that only comes through practice.
I think the pendulum will swing back at some point and the appreciation for physical, deeper art will be back in the future (nothing against digital art, I love it, but I feel like AI has somewhat killed my interest in it). Perhaps it will never have mass appeal, but that’s good - maybe some things should be gate-kept. If enough people care about it, then it’s meaningful enough for me - maybe it will avoid terrible takes on social media if good art stays niche. The discourse around some of my favorite TV shows would be probably better, if less, but better educated people have seen it.
this is GREAT Dawid thank you and you are very right about this, as it's very much the "mainstream" and "industrialized" art versus true creation, creative pursuit outside of capitalism, etc. i think the bug-in-my-ear with this is that it reminds of things like the arts getting cut in school, which leads to a greater devaluing of thought which leads to...where we are now! a la: it's a painful pace to keep that turns things like thought and expression into commodities which, if you spend enough time on TikTok and Substack, you find that that is exactly true. it's a very "we need to intellectually touch grass" sort of thing (to me, at least).
but this is a great reminder to do EXACTLY what you're saying, which i fear many people do not do. the pendulum is definitely going to swing back — and such original art forms may become things that are cared about by certain more discerning types while others lock into non-stop streaming. taste! by another name! we'll see but this message made me hopeful so thank you for that!!!! and can't wait to hear more about art classes and thanks for coming back after your break <3
The Starbucks snot rocket omgggggg, have not had a reason to laugh this hard in a long while, thank you!!
it's..........absolutely wild haha
Lovely work, as always! I’m finally getting back to reading newsletters after a couple months of a break.
When it comes to art being killed by tech - I agree, though I feel like the issue only applies to mass-consumer. I’ve recently joined art classes and I’ve to say, it’s been amazing learning something new in a non-digital environment. Meeting like-minded people has taught me so much, especially things that I wouldn’t learn, had I been only taught by what the algorithm thinks is worthwhile.
Creating physical art has also been wonderful for my development in general - my taste has developed, my eyes sharpened and my appreciation for human skill has increased. Now I go to museum and wonder - how did the artist achieve his vision, what was the technique, what brush did s/he use? Those things wouldn’t come to me had I stayed on YouTube and only watched tutorials or people describing art and techniques - it’s an earned skill, a tool in my toolbox like my teacher says. Also something that only comes through practice.
I think the pendulum will swing back at some point and the appreciation for physical, deeper art will be back in the future (nothing against digital art, I love it, but I feel like AI has somewhat killed my interest in it). Perhaps it will never have mass appeal, but that’s good - maybe some things should be gate-kept. If enough people care about it, then it’s meaningful enough for me - maybe it will avoid terrible takes on social media if good art stays niche. The discourse around some of my favorite TV shows would be probably better, if less, but better educated people have seen it.
this is GREAT Dawid thank you and you are very right about this, as it's very much the "mainstream" and "industrialized" art versus true creation, creative pursuit outside of capitalism, etc. i think the bug-in-my-ear with this is that it reminds of things like the arts getting cut in school, which leads to a greater devaluing of thought which leads to...where we are now! a la: it's a painful pace to keep that turns things like thought and expression into commodities which, if you spend enough time on TikTok and Substack, you find that that is exactly true. it's a very "we need to intellectually touch grass" sort of thing (to me, at least).
but this is a great reminder to do EXACTLY what you're saying, which i fear many people do not do. the pendulum is definitely going to swing back — and such original art forms may become things that are cared about by certain more discerning types while others lock into non-stop streaming. taste! by another name! we'll see but this message made me hopeful so thank you for that!!!! and can't wait to hear more about art classes and thanks for coming back after your break <3