Yesterday, I saw the movie, Julie and Julia, wherein a blog makes an otherwise “lost” woman notorious and found. When I got home, a comment made by Julie’s husband replayed in my mind. It was regarding the “self-centered-ness of having a blog”— of having everything revolve around Me, me, Me.
Now, Julie got into the blogging as an outlet and had not anticipated the attention and offers she would get once it received press. However, I wonder: do we all have to do something like this, utilizing the influences of new media, webcams, etc. to promote ourselves because this is the way it is now? To have that sort of Web Arrogance?
AMC is having an Online Video Contest for a walk-on role on “Mad Men”. To me, this concept is infuriating; yet, I am considering entering, because, why not? If I can, why shouldn’t I?
You see, every day the gods (or demons) of self-creation hound me: Create an Act (Mermaid, what’s your schtick- why should they watch You? Blog Better. Hey, would your already-existing column gain more attention if you Twittered? Webcam. Pay for a website that tells people everything. Design is everything. People won’t look if it isn’t catchy. Maybe get into Burlesque—it’s back– and, invite, invite, invite. This is a do-it-yourself world. Remember the candid mobile pics you took at the Port Authority the other day? That would make a hilarious art exhibit. Somewhere. Anyone can be a photographer now. What do you have to say, anyway, Mermaid? What can you do in a minute? Scratch that, can you wow me in 30 seconds? “So, you think you can…” (fill in the blank).
And then, I wonder to myself: is this Art, or is this being an Attention Whore? Art, like Love, is Patient. Yes, in all of these options that exist thanks to the Internet, maybe you will find moments of talent and art, but I somehow feel the whole route is skewed. Now, we live in a world of Posts and Comments.
Last year, I dated this guitarist. It was quite rocky. One night, when I was out of town, performing in a live theater play, and we hadn’t been talking, only sporadically emailing, he sent me a YouTube link via email, the subject line reading: “Let me know what you think… ; - )”
I hoped the serenade was dedicated to Mermaid, or was maybe even an apology for being an emotional pussy. I should have known better than to think so highly. Instead, it was a webcam-made video with the caption “Just home one cold winter night making funny faces and playing the guitar,” and it was sent to many people. So he was sitting alone at home and trying to showcase himself. I was annoyed, but I was envious because he had the kind of “arrogance” I am talking about.
I always thought that, as an artist, you don’t have to tell everybody what you are doing all the time when it comes to creativity. We are allowed to keep things private. So I wonder if we are all just seduced by the Online Option. At the same time, though, we need to make an effort to get out there. Sadly, it seems Online has replaced actually leaving your home.
I was sent the link to a Blog of a woman who wrote about how she had a dream about colored cookies, so she got up and baked them for breakfast and took photos of the pastel arrangement, frosting and all, on the baking sheet and put them up on her art-deco-esque blog. My mom did that with me in 1988, but we didn’t put it on a blog.
Another guy I knew had a Blog about collecting ties. Sometimes I walk around wondering if these little things people are now show-casing, used to be things creative people just did for themselves and maybe showed their friends.
I just wonder if all this instant-me-time actually takes longer overall in getting you where you want to go because it is like sending it into the big void of the Internet.
But nevertheless, that doesn’t prevent me from doing a little experiment…
For a while, I have been resisting this Online Exposure Movement, but, I have some down time right now, so, the other day, I created a YouTube page, dusted off a sorta crappy webcam I found in my house and plugged in a $12 microphone I purchased at K-Mart. After few days and numerous attempts to synch up the mic with the cam and volume of my PC, I felt technologically empowered. I was rolling, and I recorded myself doing a few monologues and uploaded a scene from The Apartment that I did for a film friend last year.
Carl Mueller:
August 27th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
As one who has been around for a number of years (as in the pre-TV years), I have experienced first-hand an extraordinary leap in technology and global communication. On balance,I can’t say enough about the pros of the virtues of global access to our diverse population. In regard to the nature of internet impact, I have a love/hate perspective. I love having the internet access to a video or blog, but, like you, I hate (hate is maybe too strong) the thought that this venue may eventually totally replace the “slow-cooked” option. I grew-up in a slow-cooked world and now look back on aspects of that experience with great fondness. My personal take is that internet books (for example) will never replace the tangible reality that I hold in my hands as I read lying in bed at night. Likewise, the internet video I watch and listen to as you do a monologue can never be the you I could experience in-person as you do your thing! However, the video is a start and without it (and FB)I may never have even known you exist! Rock-on girl!
Mark Donnelly:
September 15th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Meredith,
You raise some very thought provoking points about the use of new technology to promote oneself versus the more traditional methods.
As a writer, I have not sent out any submissions of work to on-line magazines. I still like the idea of being in a print publication. That may be because there was no Internet, no on-line publications when I started out in the 1970s and ’80s.
I do feel that the new technology is very handy when it comes to posting one’s artwork. I also see the value for an actor to be able to post videos of his or her work. In both cases, you have an electronic portfolio to show a potential agent, producer, gallery.