Cheapness in digital art and life

This is a post that has been a long time considered, however it would be a mistake to assume that the longevity of it's consideration will lend it well crafted form or structure. Instead it is likely that in an effort to convey everything I wish to I shall end up writing constantly until a large block of text sounds "about right", at which point I will check for typos and let it fly wherever it pleases.

Hello.

I hope you have had an excellent saturday or if you are reading this on a day other than saturday, an excellent one of those.

This is a post about the importance of genuine effort, specifically relating to and using evidence from the field of digital art (mainly covering photo manipulation work), that I hope can also be applied to life itself.

(I just wrote a sentence that was utter shit and deleted it. Wahey!)

Digital art and what is wrong with it.

I love digital art. Now saying that is a bit funny because what qualifies a piece of work as "digital"? Does it require the presence of elements brought into existence solely in the digital realm? Does a scanned pencil sketch count? What about a painting that has been "adjusted" in photoshop and then booted out the door?

Really "digital art", like so many definitions in our world, will be understood differently by everybody considering it.

So to help I can say that digital art, to me, is a vision incorporating of a wide range of artistic media that is realised using a computer.

As an aside (skip this if you want a coherent-ish experience and don't if you are interested in me talking shit)

You will notice my definition contains definitions and you will note that it couldn't not. How do you define a "wide range of artistic media"? What is a "computer" to you?

We are expressing ourselves using sentences formed from words formed from letters formed from thoughts. A word is a collection of letters and this is the smallest unit of expression in that form of communication. Therefore the moment in which a thought is brought into the world in the spoken or written form is one in which it has already been blurred. In another form, such as an oil painting, feelings or ideas have been brought into the world as colours blended together. Colours that like words can be interpreted differently even if they are seen the same. And there is no guarantee of even that.

When we communicate it is like throwing photographs into the air hoping for them to be seen and thought about before they hit the ground. Some people can't take photos and some people can't throw, some people can't see very well or at all and some people like looking at photos they just don't like them being thrown at their faces.

Aside over (thank eff hey?)

Right.

So I have become disillusioned with digital art and those creating work within the field. However I have realised that I do not need to be disillusioned, because all can be well in the end.

The disillusionment came from seeing so many great pieces of work, fantastic images, brought into life in a way I was not expecting. A way of working which has become so widespread and accepted that it almost defines the entire field.

That is, the over reliance on stock imagery and downloaded photoshop brushes.

Stock imagery is that found online, typically that contained on databases which can be used free or for a fee within certain parameters.  Downloaded photoshop brushes are those customised by a third party usually beyond the scope of a simple shape from which to craft images.

Let me be clear that I do not think everybody using these techniques is being cheap. That would be hugely short sighted of me. You might download an average kind of image, or fairly simple brush, and work wonders with it.

However;

If a piece of work you have created is successful largely because one of it's key elements is a high resolution, superbly lit, brilliantly composed photograph by a photographer you have never met of a truly beautiful model you have never met, who has spent a long time having their clothing and makeup dialled just so then;

You are being cheap.

If you have added wings to a photograph of somebody, lets say a photo you have taken, and the wings are downloaded brushes so the majority of your interaction with them has been to click and perhaps edit a little, then guess what?

You are being cheap.

Now I'm saying "cheap" rather than "cheating" because I think saying cheap allows varying degrees of "cheapness" to be established.

You may say "well could you build the computer you work with from scratch"?

I couldn't.

But I think it is important when you are working to have integrity.

The above examples are done with such regularity and the final work uploaded as a creation rather than a remix.

If you want to progress you must ensure that you work to produce an image because the person who spends the time learning to create a wing, or learning how to take that perfect shot of somebody will have learned much more than the person who simply downloads and edits either.

At the end of the day you can do whatever the hell you want to do, but if you have fun creating images using all stuff you've grabbed online, tell people when you put the work out there. The magic will be explained to people and they will maybe be less awe struck and more understanding of how the thing was created, and they can have a more informed opinion of it and see how they could create something themselves, rather than just stare in wonder at "magic" that isn't really all that magical.

I hope this applies to life. Shortcuts may get you places but learning and trying will always get you further, even if you reach your destination later.

Have a nice whatever day it is for you now!

Will