4 ms·
>it’s highly possible to make a living as an illustrator without learning how to draw in the classical sense. I've been feeling for a while that this is the ca
by twomoretime 6y ago
>it’s highly possible to make a living as an illustrator without learning how to draw in the classical sense.
I've been feeling for a while that this is the case for most democratized media - the bar has been lowered across the board, and now average Joe potentially has access to an audience with little to no vetting.
And I think this has drastic consequences for society. When our most popular media are chosen by majority they are effectively a "lowest common denominator", and when such media begins to dominate our attention (say, everyone's watching vloggers on YouTube), we as a society are less able to recognize merit, not just in arts, but in corporate and political contexts, too. Instead all judgements become determined by charisma and we spiral into idiocracy.
This isn't about snobbery. It's about refinement of technique, of work as art, which is the clear and apparent difference between these bland magazine covers and classical art. Talent is not a replacement for knowledge and practice.
- jp555 6y agopeople have been saying this for thousands of years.
- twomoretime 6y agoCompare publishing a book 100 years ago to publishing a book now. I can write literally whatever I want and self publish. Before there was more implicit vetting to all of the media we consumed. That people were talking about it being easier a thousand years ago only suggests that it has been true for a long time. You cannot deny that it is easier than ever in history to publish information or art. And if you track the progression of technology you'll see that those people a thousand years ago weren't necessarily wrong. Starting with the invention of writing, then ink, then the printing press.....and now the internet.
- jp555 6y ago“Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.” ― Cicero