As you all might have noticed, I have been interviewing a lot of artists lately. The goal with Transmissions from the Void has always been to explore the humanity behind folks who are engaged with art. Creators, collectors, curators, developers, and even appreciators at a distance; I’m interested in hearing from them all. Yes I’m here for the art, but more than that, I am here for the connections.
Now when I say connections, there is a metric fuck ton of meaning associated with that word. Connections can be emotional, utilitarian, spiritual, and even just recreational. Connections can serve different purposes, from financial gain, to wholesome emotional ties. Furthermore, connections can be treated as insights into how and why we do things based on who and with what we do them with.
TftV is mostly about connecting with folks to establish some understanding of why we do what we do as humans, within the context of various art forms. Our interactions with our art, the art of others, and the formulation and realization of art are very big tells about who folks are. As social creatures we gather with like minded people, and that is generally a reflection of who we are as individuals, or at least who we want to become.
I want to dissect the layers of connectedness a little. Let’s start with connections that address our need for self-care, and personal growth. If the pandemic taught us anything as artists, it was that isolation is a fuck. Even introverts need to connect with other introverts. That miserable nihilistic fuck Immanuel Kant had a routine where he walked through his town every single day. This absolute misanthrope never left his town once to travel, and was born and died in the same town of Königsberg. And yet, he still had to get out and expose himself to the world outside his 4 walls of intentional isolation. Maybe not the greatest example, but one that exhibits the human need to just GTFO, even if it serves a basic need for obsessive routine.
The most common social bridge building for creatives tend to be very pragmatic, and provide some utility, such as communities that have a shared skill interest. In the case of artists, there are groups focused on techniques for painting, software usage, workshops around narrative building, and so on. Folks want to connect with others they can learn from, so they can advance in their respective crafts. As an example for motion design learning, check out and connect with Sebastian Pfeifer AKA Everfresh. His tutorials result in a lot of learning, and ensuing discussion online. That’s a practical community model in many ways.
A somewhat less common model, is connecting with other creatives for finding mental balance. Many artists feel misunderstood by society, which is kind of a hallmark of being an artist. In fact, they are misunderstood by the masses, which is why connecting with other artists may yield a pleasant surprise: we understand each other. Misery love company, and you can ruminate together with others that feel the same level of uncertainty, suffering, or flat out anger and frustration with things. You think you’re the only one that thinks Beeple is overrated? Get off social media and hang out at an indie art gallery, talk to some artists for 5 minutes about it and see what happens. Or you know, shoot me a message about it 😅.
Now while hanging out with others that share views may confirm that you are not crazy, it may also mean that we’re all being crazy together. And that’s fine, being a little out there is basically a necessity for anybody that’s not trying to make generic bullshit and call it art. And so another reason for needing to connect is finding emotional stability, because we tend to block our feelings when society tells us we are crazy for having them.
If you feel a certain way about something, and you want to make art about or with that feeling, it certainly helps to be able to process those feelings with the help of others. I’m not saying go find a therapist, but hey, I’m also saying if you think you need one, go find one. What I am saying for sure though, is that a lot of the connections we make that stand the test of time, tend to be ones that allow us to explore and fulfill our emotional states. Find another artist you can cry and laugh with, and you have found somebody you can be vulnerable with. And if that vulnerability is not taken advantage of in selfish ways, well you have formed something called trust. It’s rare AF. Talk about scarcity.
Trust is an insanely powerful modifier for any artist. You need trust to accept critiques, we are already so harsh on ourselves sometimes that it hurts to hear negative feedback from others. You need trust to share previews of your works in progress sometimes, as impostor syndrome is a plague for many creatives, preventing them from engaging with external input. And honestly, you need trust to remember that while the acknowledgement of strangers may feel good, the genuine appreciation of those close to you will validate you forever.
Now I get it, there is a time for growing together, and a time for growing alone. Not all paths need to be populated with cheery friendships, and creative kin along the way. In fact, some of the art I enjoy the most are products of isolation, fear, frustration, and anger. They do all share one thing though; they serve to overcome these negative facets of humanity, and help one become more whole. Ironically, I find that that process only matters if there is somebody to share your better self with, whether it’s intimate, or just with other creatives you can be yourself around.
Also ironically, I am aware that sometimes the intention behind some of this art may not be to help one heal, but that is the function is serves for me, and I sincerely hope the process of creating it helped the artist find some joy or catharsis as well.
At the foundation of any bridge building, is the need to establish a path that is secure. I think this is where another layer of connection making is very important to distinguish from the personal growth subset I explored above. I’ll cut right to it: building a network that bolsters financial longevity is wildly important for artists. Seriously, fuck anybody who glorifies being a starving artist. That shit sucks, and you should be ashamed if you think there is some glory to that lifestyle. While suffering comes in many flavors, nobody should have to endure hardship that affects ones physical and mental health.
And yet we do. We live in a capitalist society where not having money means not eating, not having a roof over our heads, and not being able to take care of ourselves if we get hurt. Sure, some countries have great social services that prevent this from happening, but that is a vastly small percentage of the world’s population. So I don’t judge artists when they say, “I quit, I can’t afford to be an artist.” That’s real.
The point I’m trying to make here is that artists need to be connected within social networks (and I don’t mean social media here), that have some access to those with the financial means to support the arts. This is why the NFT and crypto art scene is so promising for many. Buying a $500 piece of art from an artist in a tiny village in South Asia might mean that they can now afford to make more art for a month or two. And guess what, using Blockchain technology, the money went straight from the buyer into the artist’s wallet, without having to pay banks international wire fees of any kind.
Of course, as with all great things, humanity tends to ruin a good thing, and suppress charitable causes in favor of hype, quick money making schemes, and morally ambiguous marketing approaches. The promise of “get rich quick” draws the masses in, the deafening noise of their approach drowning out the polite cries for help from those creatives that have zero privilege, and zero opportunity in their locales.
So again, connections matter. Community helps elevate mental, emotional, financial, and even spiritual states. We grow better together. We work better together. And before you think this is some hippie dippie bullshit, I’ll check you at the door by saying that you can go fuck yourself, if you don’t think community matters; you are not welcome in these communities. Especially if you think you can tell artists what they can, and cannot do, without them asking you first.
Our autonomy as humans is one of the most important things we can have. Somebody telling you what you can or cannot do with your body or your mind is the hardest line for me personally; these are the only things in this world we have from birth to death. Everything else is immaterial and purely transitory along the way. So when I see folks saying that artists won’t be successful if they are true to themselves, I have to ask, what the shit does success mean for you? Because if it purely means financial wealth, maybe your social network has never felt hardship beyond that of financial loss.
So the final layer of connections that I want to explore here, is the type that we make with our selves. This topic warrants another, specifically dedicated article about self worth, self doubt, and confronting the obstacles we set before ourselves. But for now, I just want to touch on the importance of keeping the tethers to our hearts and minds intact.
Often, the hardest thing to do is set boundaries, and this starts with our selves. If you don’t know where to tell yourself to stop, how can you know where/when to tell others to stop? We constantly let others let us down, when in fact we let them get that far in the first place. What do you want to achieve? What makes you happy, or content? Are you seeking joy, peace, or both? What takes these away from you. The questions seem endless, but they all open the door to the most important question: what does all of this say about who I am? We are constantly becoming, and we will undo all of that work if we stumble blindly into the whims of others. Know thyself; know thy measure.
Another cliche? Maybe. While I think we can certainly go beyond a point of functional introspection, it’s never a bad time to acknowledge the importance of having some meaning in our lives. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I believe that we all inhabit a meaningless void, that is cold and uncaring, UNTIL we choose to give it meaning and pursue our ambitions in this life. And to do that, we have to find something that draws us in, binds us, and weaves significance into our existence. I guess the trick is figuring out if that connection is resilient. Community makes testing resilience much less stressful.
And well, if it turns out the connections are not strong, well, find or build a better community to help diminish that fragility, and hone your skills, perception, and intentions with what you want to achieve. So on that note, my Discord is open again, and I’m treating it purely as a space for creatives, and those interested in supporting the arts. Furthermore, I would like to utilize it as a hub to connect different communities, both on, and off-chain.
And yes I will totally share everything I’m doing there, including upcoming projects, so stay tuned. Let’s build some long lasting connections together. Approach me about being on my podcast, or co-writing an article if you like!
I was listening to a hippy dippy podcast about embodiment the other day with some cool ideas. Among them, one resonated with me and it popped up while I was reading your article:
the individual journey/vision quest is nothing until those realizations come to live in the body of a community.