Don’t Let Social Media Get in the Way of Making Art You Love
Social Media is a blessing and a curse.
It offers connection and validation, but like many free things on the internet, it comes with a hidden cost. Certain types of posts and art are more welcome, and others are actively discouraged by the platforms themselves, and this shapes how we express ourselves and what kinds of art we make.
For instance, we’ve all noticed that an upbeat “Here I am at a cute cafe in Paris” post will get more attention than a post about heartbreak, loss, or mental illness.
Then there are other types of posts, which are outright forbidden as a rule on the platform. For example, any photography that depicts an un-censored female nipple will be deleted and its poster threatened with a ban… Nevermind that an equally shirtless man faces no such scrutiny. What does this say about female bodies and how they are accepted in our culture?
Finally, the last kind of post is that which is private, and just for you. I think most photography these days is made with the intention of being shared, and it is easy to forget that one can make artwork that is for one’s self alone, or to be shared with only the closest of friends. Social media trains us to want validation by sharing as much as possible, so we are trained to make that which can be shared. This leaves aside artwork that is the antithesis to that, such as work intended as a personal memento or an expression of sensuality.
Making art isn’t just about making things that other people will approve of (or Like), nor is it about following the rules of a corporation who only sees you as an advertising target, and it certainly doesn’t even need to be seen by anyone. Art is more powerful when it comes from the heart, and more vibrant when it is made on your terms. And there is power in keeping it secret, and sacred.
Here’s what I mean by that.
John Berger, the art critic, talks about this in the first episode of his series “Ways of Seeing” (Link HERE. I highly recommend watching it, and the other 3 parts). He describes how most of the famous medieval European religious art was, prior to photographic reproductions, limited to only being able to be seen in one place, often on only a few days of the year. If you wanted to see a particular depiction of a saint, you’d have to go to the specific church that held it, and wait for that particular saint’s feast day for it to be openly visible to the public. Now, you can look at an image of that same religious icon in moments on your phone. Does the experience of seeing it on your phone come anywhere close to the experience of traveling many miles far from home, to a darkened cathedral, and gazing upon a golden image surrounded by candles and incense? Clearly they are completely different, and each is different from going to see the painting in a museum.
One theme I have been thinking about lately is this idea of things that are kept secret versus being revealed. I try to be as open as possible with my work and ideas, both as a professional obligation to illustrate my work and thought process, as well as using it as an opportunity to journal for myself. On the other hand, there is joy in making work that shall remain unseen. There are quite a lot of photographs that I’m thrilled with that will remain secret, either because they are deeply personal for me or because they are for a client who requests the utmost privacy. It is the thrill as knowing a secret, or of keeping the magician’s trick.
Sure, you could see some of these images, but you would need to already be in my client’s inner circle of confidants, and it would have to be her idea to show you herself.
But if you are, and if she decides to share with you the deeply personal artwork she made, then is that so different from the saint in the cathedral? It is special because it is hidden.
You, the viewer, are special for having been allowed in.
That’s my idea on why you shouldn’t let social media get in the way of making art. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon.