The internet and social media can be a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is easier than ever before to quickly digest the work of hundreds of creatives and to find inspiration, educate yourself, and network with other photographers and filmmakers. It is not all positive, though. One of the most dangerous things you can do is fall into the trap of making art for other artists, and this great video essay discusses why that is something to be avoided.
Coming to you from Chrystopher Rhodes of YCImaging, this interesting video essay discusses the topic of making art specifically for other artists. This is something that can sneak up on you: you browse Instagram or the like, see the latest trends, and not wanting to miss out on the popularity, you start tailoring your process and editing to chase that trend and impress other artists. It is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since clients can often request these trends, but on the other hand, failing to establish your own creative voice can be detrimental both from a business perspective and for your own satisfaction with your work. Check out the video above for Rhodes' full thoughts.
Yeah, it's one hell of a feedback loop.
People make some eye catching images, which a bunch of other people react to; concurrently, a lot of photographers see the images that have been reacted to, and then emulate the aesthetic, and these images are reacted to by a lot of people, and so on.
Consequently, the ecosystem demonstrates converging aesthetics; and a lot of eye catching images are produced, most of which no one remembers 5 minutes after looking at them.
Disclaimer: this is an observation, not a criticism. The dopamine hit you get, from positive reactions, is powerful juju; conversely, producing image after image, which you are proud of, but which garner scant attention, is corrosive.