Reading this piece on information overload and it's effect on creativity I was struck by the irony of the idea in relation to the contemporary artist. We're constantly being told that to gain an audience we must virtually live online, desperately whoring ourselves on every media platform in search of 'trade' (not daring to hope for actual money to be exchanged! No, just a 'grope', ie, attention).
Sadly (for our sanity), it's true to say that the only sizeable audience you'll get for your work is the online one. But that's a positive, right? After all, pre-PC (yes, I'm old enough to remember it) your work was barely seen by anyone unless, like me, you had a fanzine (mine wasn't filled with art though because I was 'taking a sabbatical' or, in other words, busy exercising other creative muscles in the form of writing).
The three images here are self-portraits. The self is so important these days in the context of online life. How did it get this way? I've no idea, except to say that once it became possible to share yourself with the world the temptation was irresistible to the point where, as you know, people became 'Instagram stars' just by posting pictures of themselves. This wouldn't be possible if millions of people didn't like looking at pictures of complete strangers. I don't know how things got that weird. People used to love looking pictures of stars who acted or played music. Now they dote over those who are only famous for pictures of themselves. You work it out.
On the info overload theme, the quote in the article: 'Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?' by T.S.Eliot is a good one. It's true, we absorb 'information' like sponge-brained zombies but actual 'knowledge' remains elusive. How many times have you struggled to recall information you saw online?
As for being away from online life, from experience, I know it's crucial. I only have a 'dumb' mobile phone (it's still smarter than me) so checking in whilst I'm out is not a common experience (only possible if logging in via a public network on the tablet). I know the temptation, should it be otherwise, would be hard to resist. I don't know how much these extended breaks 'improve' my creativity but I do know that some of my best ideas come from just sitting with a pen and pad (remember them?).
Besides that, creativity today is inextricably linked to the online world. In some cases art is online, about being online, if you get me. Meanwhile, it's my gallery. The trick is to focus on creativity rather than be distracted by a world of info that's constantly there, lurking on the periphery.
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