Journal

Umuntuu

2024-12-03 11:19:47

The feeling of Power and Inspiration

I will never tire of the feeling of power and inspiration surging through me when I embrace my camera, knowing that the next moments in time will be entirely mine to capture and immortalize exactly as I please.

Exposing true connection, freedom, and pure honest love—love for what I get to do every day, every minute, and every second of my life.

It's scary because the world sometimes plays tricks on you, making you almost believe that self-love and self-belief in your own art must come from others' validation or acceptance of your art, your truth, your happiness, and your pain.

This affects me sometimes, but I truly believe that to be an artist is to be human, and to be human is to feel, whether good or bad, and from those feelings should come reflection and creation.

We all have a story to tell, and a story that another can connect with.

I have connected with so many of you, and that has opened a brand new side to my art and purpose.

Umuntuu

2024-12-03 11:36:09

The Influence of social media.

The influence of social media has created such a perspective for artists that they need to produce high-quality work in large quantities in order to stand out every day.

This sets a very high standard that forces artists to create non-inspiring works. It creates a problem of lack of depth, emotionality, individuality and sincerity in creating one's work. If visual art isn't appealing enough at first glance, audience likes won't be received, and our digital work will die. Such a creature breaks the connection between the artist and his work and the viewer feels it too. As a result, growth in creativity is measured by numbers: without likes, shares, and subscriptions, it is as if the artist doesn't exist.

True art exists only in sincere expression, but visual art obtained by an audience through social networks convinces people that the trend is art. This is how deep creativity is lost, and only following trends remains.

And who are the critics here?

In such an environment, only other artists are really viewed. When a post is published, its fate is decided by a small group of users within the first 10 minutes. New artists cannot grow without the support of experienced artists. In the end, the artist must either play this game or die. Influence belongs to major accounts seeking trends to maintain attention on social media, while the voices of new artists go unnoticed.

Visual art is now broken down into sub-cultures that are dictated by the broad community. Artists on social media are forced to exist in a bubble. If their aesthetics do not correspond to what the majority produces and what is dictated by these groups, involvement is lost. It's like the lunch tables in high school—each group exists in its own personal bubble. An artist can express themselves either through imitation of their aesthetics or through influential people from these groups.

This creates a toxic environment for the artist's thinking and development.