I love art. In many forms, whether it be music, books, photography, design, or film, I love being sucked in and enthused by a great work of art. There’s few things that I find more enjoyable. Like today, I had work to do, but I decided to read a little first, so I picked up my Malcolm Gladwell book (if you haven’t read his stuff already, I can’t recommend it enough) and before I knew it, two hours had gone by and my homework remained unaccomplished.
I wish that we were all as passionate as artists sometimes. Not to say we don’t have passion, or that all artists do have passion for their work, but could you imagine if we approached everything we do with an artistic mindset, or the same passion that we have when we create? The world would certainly be a much more interesting place.
Sometimes I wonder though, do we have too much exposure to art? Is it possible that it’s too easy to find?
Take photography for example. Instagram is one of the largest social networks ever, and all it started with was, “Take a (square) picture (seriously, who picked square?), slap a filter on it, then throw some hashtags on, and let likes roll in.” Now Instagram enjoys millions of photos a day, and is an avenue for legitimate communities. There are some seriously talented photographers on there, and their work is just out there for all of us to enjoy for free at a rate of about a picture a day. I’ve now seen so many unreal pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge covered in fog, that it no longer amazes me, even though it’s a spectacular sight!!! Or the sunset picture is a classic example of overexposure. Eventually, we get it. The sun set and it lit up the clouds and it was cool to look at. The problem is that it isn’t that cool after you have seen it 500 times on your phone.
I guess it just worries me that too much of a good thing will eventually bore us. I could go on, but I’d rather not lose your interest.
Scott Poirier 