everything is dying...

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Everywhere you look everyone seems to be proclaiming the End of Art, that things are not like they used to be. This time, this feeling seems to be stronger than mere nostalgia.
Thumbnail Painting is "Amy" (Oil on Canvas, 2017) by Michaël Borremans
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[@TheCinemaCartography]

This time it's something different, I hope it can have some effect. Lewis.

[@emanueldesousa77]

I am a painter, I can’t live without doing it… I’ve been drawing since I was a small child, never knew what I wanted to do in my life, even after university, but the constant has been this ache to keep painting, drawing, sculpting, so, this video resonates powerfully. I’ve been painting “professionally” for 25 years, there’s a financial/commercial aspect to it, but it’s not why I do it… I do it, because I have no choice, because the pain of not doing it will destroy me, because not doing it would obliterate my nature… my work is not about me, I am not a brand, I don’t care about what others think about me or my work… I do things, and these things come to life and hopefully speak to people’s emotions, memories and dreams. The older I get, the more I feel it’s never about us, it’s about beauty, whatever shape it takes, and to share it, no matter what. I love your channel, I’ve learned so much with your insights, suggestions and inputs. Your contribution has been golden, so much appreciated and welcomed. Thank you.

[@ironsnowflake1076]

This vid really spoke to me, and to expand on a point you made around the mid-point....about how carefully one has to curate their online persona.... can't step on any toes.....must learn to levitate to achieve that. I look at people as gardens, some of their flowers I admire & some may not spark my fancy, but that is okay & natural.....so many people seem to want to burn the garden down over the audacity of the presence of one offending bloom, it's sad and limiting. TY

[@joshuabatterley5725]

Incredible. I’ve been feeling this kind of emptiness for a long time and you really spoke to me here. Gave me a bit of a kick up the backside. I can’t wait to see where you go next.

[@gpopsk]

i wonder what is your opinion about Devine the drag queen?

[@immanuel7925]

Hey Lewis. I think you're right on many things, but I would say that much of this (as you've already alluded to) is the natural end of monetizing the arts. But furthermore, I would say that the degradation of the arts is partially due to its democratization. There is not aesthetic standard anymore -- what there is now is how people feel about art. Which is not bad by itself, but in a world where art has become attached to the idea and brand rather than the execution, art is losing aesthetic value. For example, as much as I enjoy Playboi Carti sometimes, it is very clear that there is no artistic value in this beyond the most banal and uninteresting conclusions. There is no decoding of Playboi Carti. In contrast Albums like Ok Computer and Post really do force you to think about the lyrics, their meaning and the instrumentation. I'm no musical expert, but I feel as though there was a point to be made by Ok Computer, while Whole Lotta Red lacks real substance. However, Playboi Carti fans love the "vibe"-- the aesthetic of Carti the musician suddenly becomes the music. We don't see a person and their art--we see the person and art as one. As for your predicament with money, I have to say you're lucky. Being able to actually make art for profit was never artistic. That's my take. The older a painting is, the more commercial it was for lords and kings...who probably had refined artistic taste due to their education. In other words, art was better back then simply because the audience was limited and their aesthetic taste specific. The more democratized art gets, the more it targets the layman--who has little artistic education (like myself!). This creates content-- the inevitable end of art in a world where art is a shallow escape, defined by its ability to let you ignore reality. Many of us work 9 to 5. We cannot afford to decode Bjork, so we listen to somethng like Yeezus, that only acts like it has deep artistic meaning.

[@AFilmaciones]

Do not make my mistake. My plan was "I'll make a lot of money first and then I'll make art." Now my youth is gone and I barely have time to watch this. The time for art never came... and my time on earth is vanishing.

[@linguineimpasta]

Thank you for sharing

[@TheKingWhoWins]

I can definitely understand this perspective. We've got to figure our way out through artistic endeavors.

[@DerHammerSpricht]

I'm so glad I realized this at 20 and switched from computer engineering to film editing and sound design. Fuck Silicon Valley.

[@DerHammerSpricht]

You may have more time in your old age, don't give up. Art is natural. We all make and are art, in our way.

[@kasramohajery4623]

this shouldnt stop up from making art. the same mentality that stopped you before is stopping you now. manifest your unfulfilling situation into art, coz thats art, not how skilled you are. the passion for art and to pursue it, which you clearly have. dont stop now our time are all limited.

[@ME-gs6yn]

This channel feels like a life raft amongst the waves.

[@museumofmusic9702]

You said the thing I was struggling to articulate.

[@marxxthespot]

🎯

[@jeffersonderrickson5371]

Just a little bit of life in a dessert of the ocean

[@Toxic-Masculinity]

Amid the oscillating melody of cosmic vibrations, this conduit emerges as a hallowed vessel, a fleeting domicile suspended amidst the astral undulations and the transient grains of being. Its otherworldly resonance, a melodious rhythm interwoven into the very essence of the void, murmurs enigmas of the elusive currents that entwine the constellations and consciousness alike. As the turbulent expanse of reality churns and whirls, this avenue stands as a mystifying life raft, a sanctuary of cryptic sagacity and spectral comfort, shepherding nomads through the evanescent mists of their celestial odyssey.

[@lepapercastle]

Lol, ew.

[@bijikedelai]

Thank you so much, man. I really needed this. I've been working in the creative industry for about 6-7 years now. The constant demand to stay creative and keep up with current trends is starting to take a toll on me these days. The perpetual anxiety of imposter syndrome also does not help. I really appreciate these kinds of videos. Thank you.

[@drolleriesdrolleries]

Thank you, Lewis. Your deliberate speaking to this chaos has been cathartic. You're an inspiration, and I'm grateful for your mind and your efforts. Love you, bud.

[@Rimekey]

Thats a deep talk man. Feeling you on so many levels. You can be proud of yourself. Wish you and your family all the best! Please keep up the good work!

[@prakharagnihotri1447]

The irony of our lives. The world full of fake life online is strangulating while a video essay titled 'everything is dying' actually gives you hope to live. Thank you cinema cartography. The spirit of your work helps me recenter my moral compass from time to time.

[@crazystemlady]

beauty in a sea of madness

[@peterwalsh9043]

If you idealize the past and limit your perspective to only the most renowned artworks from history, you'll inevitably develop an incomplete understanding of the world. The artworks featured in your slideshow, while remarkable, were primarily promoted by the privileged class of their era. They emerged as groundbreaking and avant-garde in their time, challenging the established norms of their era and often contrasting with the prevailing artistic traditions. Much of this art encountered strong opposition, not unlike the criticism modern art faces today. You cant just look at the past, in the same way you cant just think that whats seen on social media is all the world has to offer. There is great art being made today. Every era spawns its own artistic luminaries, alongside those who rigidly adhere to past conventions. Each generation boasts its equivalent of Beyonce and Bjork thats always been the case. We will always have visionaries and we will also have the commercial. While it's true that the contemporary world inundates us with some questionable creations, this phenomenon isn't exclusive to our time. Regrettably, due to the prevalence of technology and media, these creations find an unprecedented platform for dissemination in the present day, unlike any time before.

[@garrettzanin940]

I appreciate this more nuanced comment. It irks me when it’s expressed that contemporary art is all rubbish, as it’s nonspecific and actually incorrect. A lot of contemporary art is born of a confluence of art and opinion that an artist finds and digests. And pieces like Guernica are highly political, the social function being fundamental to the works creation. Under capitalism we are born in debt and required to pay it off to survive. So, the “make money first” mindset makes a lot of sense when you can’t pay for food. Regardless, searching for new ways to change “the game” is paramount to opening up new opportunities for people to engage in creative acts, and stimulating one’s own practice.

[@ihavenoclue666]

this is good comment, even if i agree with some takes from author of vid

[@foljs5858]

"The artworks featured in your slideshow, while remarkable, were primarily promoted by the privileged class of their era" That's the common cliche, and it's not true. Masterpieces of art were done by plain folk, dirt poor types who had to work to the bone to support their art, and they were more often than not looked down "by the privileged class of their era" (van Gogh is a famous example, but almost every figure of the early 20th century avant guard, or even for late 20th century punk and post-punk qualifies. "Every era spawns its own artistic luminaries, alongside those who rigidly adhere to past conventions. Each generation boasts its equivalent of Beyonce and Bjork thats always been the case." No, that's another cliche, a self-comforting story. There are eras that a lot happen or only low quality art, and eras where all you hear is "crickets" art wise.

[@bignashi]

​​​@@foljs5858 1st comment: We're primarily talking about cinema here. Most people's concept of "good movie" has become intrinsically linked to an expensive product. Even the greats/classics operated primarily in an industrial system helmed by the privileged class. Only since the digital and internet ages have a new influx of good TRULY independent filmmakers been able to operate. 2nd comment: This is entirely subjective. Have whatever opinion you want, just don't try to invalidate others. Of course my first comment has some subjective elements as well. It's undeniable that more micro-budget features are being made these days than in any other time in history. Their quality is subjective. It took me a while to reprogram and fully accept micro-budget underground features, but now that I have, I personally feel that they've outclassed the film industry quite easily in recent times, these last couple of years especially. Anyways, keep an open mind and before you dismiss contemporary independent cinema, give it a watch. I'm not talking about A24 and Neon. I'm talking about actual independent artists making the kinds of things you can only make as an individual or close-knit friends on actually independent budgets or sometimes nothing. Like Van Gogh. If anyone wants specific recs, message me or reply, but for now, here are my contemporaries. Ryan Trecartin Damon Packard Joel Haver Steven Whatmough David Blair Giuseppe Andrews Albert Birney

[@michaeldavid6832]

@@foljs5858 Van Gogh was also profoundly mentally ill. At least clinically depressed and possibly schizophrenic/psychotic. This affliction is an even more ever-present state of being today then it was back then. Michelangelo was a workaholic and an illegitimate child. To be sure, he showed a gift and so was encouraged. He was obviously more sensitive than the average person. He was frequently bullied by his pope and generally a victim of his circumstance -- he depended upon patrons to survive. The same as Da Vinci -- also an illegitimate child. There's a reason that the career of "artist" is so often coupled with "starving". However, most modern art is merely the privileged class promoting an elitist vision of art which is divorced from the rigor of any skill of materials, execution, or structure at all. It's little more than a mechanical operation which has no real identity. If you didn't know who created it, the piece would be without any value at all except as wallpaper. Modern art is the promoting of personalities. The production of art is a side effect of their cult of personality. They can sign dog-sh*t and it would be priceless. Now we know the truth of the art market -- it's largely a money laundering scheme. It's as divorced from the experience of the average person as the cartography of the other side of the moon.

[@minktronics]

Struggling to decide how I feel about this sentiment. On the one hand, I thoroughly agree with the analysis of the modern evolution of culture - particularly online - which is fundamentally obsessed with social placement and by nature incredibly reluctant or unable to introspect; to create or study in a more honest and pure context. On the other hand, the adherence to the "old guard" of cultural analysis and sentimentality around the manner in which culture used to be created and 'consumed' is a little off-putting. Culture and its produce doesn't exist in a vacuum, nor is it designed to be scrutinised and either upheld as 'art' or discarded. Culture is a living, breathing creature that summates the collective and individual experiences of countless individuals and groups. Whilst its course can be manipulated somewhat, as a form of language it can only evolve naturally. The value of its produce is inherent to the consumer; this can be waylaid and misguided by an exploitative ecosystem of consumption and discourse, true, but ultimately one's own lived experience and its interplay with a cultural product is the only true metric of artistic merit. Not theory, old or new, nor a nostalgic idea about past 'art' and its surrounding context that we use as a comparative guide. To adhere to these as a way of determining artistic 'truth' or 'purity' is to deprive culture of its spontaneity and its consumers the freedom to understand, bond with, and produce based on their own, highly personal experience. The reference of antiquity, nor Dante, Bosch, Chasseur and Michaelangelo "in your mind" are, whether you like it or not, unrelated to the manner in which the reality of modern culture is formed and lived within. There is also an aspect of cultural colonialism that seeps somewhat through the gaps of such adherence to a mythical 'golden era' of culture and it's art; an era who's determinism of value and merit was held in the hands of a white, mainly male, bourgeoise. To form the (unfortunate) non-sequitur between the 'true' or 'pure' and the 'superficial' or 'vacuous' ("THEY" flock in droves and proclaim it as a triumph) Bjork / Beethoven versus Beyonce... deeply reflects on the institutional othering of marginalised communities that haven't been 'educated' on the 'truth' of art and the culture that creates it. But who determines which art is the measuring post of, as you put it, the "transcendental beauty of humanity"? Who determines the methodology and intuit by which we gauge an understanding this vague concept that you portray as a singular truth? Who decides and maintains that this is understanding resultant of an "intrinsic knowledge of antiquity"? It's obvious; institutions; white, wealthy, deeply conservative; who create a framework by which we view culture and its media. This is founded on principles of exclusivity and incompatibility with the "THEY" you refer to; who flock in droves to 'swill'; who are 'unmotivated to educate themselves'; who are 'unconcerned with the past'. Your hyper fixation on a formalistic understanding of aesthetics misses the forest for the trees; in forgetting that perceived validity and significance within culture is a product of constructs of class and millennia of its weaponisation against the 'other', you unwittingly contribute to said othering. Culture is not "dying". There are many issues with the way it is consumed and presented, true, but do not mistake the past and its authority as a truth that we are sacrilegiously desecrating. I would argue there is more beautiful, true and accessible art being created now than there ever has been. It is up to you to adhere to a principle of institutional cultural exclusivity or to engage with and truly enjoy the produce of the world we really live in; not a manufactured, formal past.

[@ashleyhall6464]

It’s unfortunate he probably won’t read or won’t truly intake what you’ve said so eloquently here. Especially the parts about how a lot of his artistic preferences are molded around artists and art that upholds colonialism and white male privilege in those artistic spaces.

[@lotuseater7247]

The only problem with returning to antiquity is that you evade the concerns of the present and overlook the revolutions, changes, and artistic struggles of the past that altered them. It become romanticised. There is just too much history, too much we don't know, that one naturally looks at the contemporary for some short vision guidance. Of course, the best way is to marry the two. But as for being human, to borrow from Lyotard; we have never been human. And as for social media, well, isn't KZbin a social media? In fact, all media can be social, but like our response with antiquity, and contemporary, it depends entirely on how we utilise them I think. In death new cycles are formed and a greater urgency can be found.

[@AGirlofYesterday]

It's not about returning to antiquity; it's about realizing that the past, present, and future are all inextricably linked. Today many suffer from the myopia of only focusing on the now, which is like only watching one tiny corner of a big-screen tv. They miss most of the picture.

[@lotuseater7247]

@@AGirlofYesterday sure, of course. The past is never replaced only rewritten. However, the speaker states that the contemporary in art is not of value, and that they rarely concern themselves with it; and then imply that social media is a kind sin on artistic integrity. This may be true (only to a certain extent). But lest we not forget, when we look at antiquity we are mostly faced with the heralded works of the time; and not all the deluge (and alternative stories) that also came with it, which becomes filtered out. Likewise, in the present we are faced with the greatest amount of information storage of any age; most of it is probably going to be discarded over time too, but in our present state it appears like we are surrounded with so much worthless artistic efforts by people who have little clue about the past. Actually, the opposite may ring true, we have more varied creativity being exercised and shared virtually than ever before, and the history of art has partly always been about responding to technological advancement and severing from the past. At least in modernity anyway. Possibly the real issue is that people rely heavily on the internet to answer all their ideas and that the internet has become a heavily commercialised and controlling space, far removed from its original intentions. But also far beyond what we could have ever expected it to offer.

[@quentinglover6589]

⁠​⁠@@lotuseater7247 well said. While I unstable where the speaker is coming from, I was thinking the same thing. It’s easy to say “look at how rich the past was” when so much of what we see from the past has been HEAVILY curated.

[@crimsonrose]

@@lotuseater7247 Yes! People often say older music is better. My dad used to say, well they weren't around at the time, there was a lot of garbage as well but no one remembers it. He absolutely hated Dion's Teenager in Love, for example.

[@crimsonrose]

@@quentinglover6589 Yes, and not just curated but curated to the likes of a subset of people -- gatekeepers existed then as they do now and I'm sure the work of several poor or minority culture geniuses have been lost to time as a result.

[@Shanewayne9]

For however long ive been subscribed to witnessing the new chapter of your channel to now. Ive appreciated the vast types of art shown from your channel and such opportunity given me wider eyes to what is out there. Which is much appreciated and has lifted myself up many a time

[@shoepuffwilliam560]

There is a common misconception. People take the art from the past like Shakespeare and romanticize the whole era. The reason works or art echo through history is because their art was the exception. The rest was only good for its time or not good at all. With a few exceptions here and there.

[@SuperiFox]

Anything outstanding was an uphill battle to make

[@thirdpigeon2676]

The great filmmakers before the time of Bresson, Dreyer or Bunuel would have never seen a Bresson, Dreyer or Bunuel either yet they are as great, your Fritz Langs and your Buster Keatons. I can understand your point though on the contrary I think there are artists who are too familiar with “the greats” and as a result their work is just a regurgitation of what has come before.

[@wallacewilliams535]

yes, that opera definitely has "too many notes"! am I right or am I right?! On an unrelated note, I am very familiar with your line of argumentation and you are certainly TOO FAMILIAR with it. it's obviously just pseudo-academic regurgitation. stop it immediately. go watch good will hunting 100x and write an essay that sounds nothing like the movie.

[@khris461]

As Orsen Welles mentions. Future filmmakers should not be watching so many films, but instead learn from life. The greatest catastrophe for upcoming filmmakers he mentions is the homage. And I 100% agree with this!

[@wallacewilliams535]

@@khris461 orson welles made films, according to him, you shouldn't listen to him. you do not make films, therefore we should not listen to you. their money. their sweat. their paycheck. their fail. who are you, again. that's correct. no one. take a page from the conservatives and BE SOMEONE. while you're in there, take that page out from the left that says "tell others how you want them to act AS IF it were identical with how they should act." listen to me, from one hypocrite to another.

[@barrymoore4470]

@@khris461 On the other hand, esteemed writers like Annie Proulx (born 1935) advise aspiring writers to read, read, and read. It is by studying past masters that we form a metric by which to measure the successes of their heirs.

[@SebastianHernandez-nq2st]

​@@khris461are movies not part of life?

[@RichieDigs]

I've been a vinyl DJ for 30 years now. I've spent most of that time ignoring people that tell me "how it should be done" or "this is what you should play". I'm not an artist, but integrity comes first. Even if that means never being popular or relevant. I'll keep taking my opening slot and let the headliners be whatever they are.

[@Stereo_type1982]

Same Boat mate, I'm one of the few people who still plays techno the way it's supposed to be played. I wont let The way it should be be forgotten.

[@obscure.reference]

@@Stereo_type1982hows that?

[@Shinkajo]

I'm an aspiring producer, specifically in the field of hiphop. Do you have any tips on how to approach the industry? Specifically how to get my music out there, but remain independent and in control of my music and vision. I have bit of a non-traditional approach to how I do things. Join a label or create one myself? Is spotify a good avenue or are there better ones? Also how does one approach getting live gigs? I don't know or have any contacts in the industry, but I've been making music for years. I realise that these are involved questions, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@obscure.reference]

@@Shinkajo use social media to find other small time musicians with whom you gel?

[@Shinkajo]

@@obscure.reference how exactly? KZbin is thr only social media that I use. I wouldn't even know where to start.

[@teawhydee]

I wish I could express how much this resonates with me

[@Ellary_Rosewood]

I used to be quite pessimistic for a time when I was younger, and I carried around the heavy burden of always having thoughts in the back of my mind such as how much the world sucks, everything is dying, people are awful, what's the point of anything, etc. However, I've spent the last several years working hard on myself, challenging my perception of the world, looking deeply at my life and the reasons why I felt the way I did. I came to realize that us humans just really love to make life more complicated than it really is. Staying off of social media as much as possible and, when I do use it, to curate it in a way so that the things I see will benefit and enrich my life. Spending more time outdoors in nature, slowing down in every sense, being more mindful and aware of everything around me, and focusing on the little details have made the biggest difference in my life. I've also done a lot of work trying to tap back into the sense of wonder I had when I was a child, when everything was magical. I know all these things sound cliche, but it really is life changing when you're serious about doing the work and take these things to heart. Remembering that we are a part of nature, not separate and against it, remembering that all of us have much more in common than we have differences. We're all scared of something, we all love something, we all have hopes and dreams, and we all share this planet together. When was the last time you just sat down outside and really FELT the wind on your skin? When was the last time you took a deep breath and felt grateful that this planet gives us everything we need to survive? When was the last time you reminded yourself of how small we are in this unending universe? When was the last time you walked in nature barefoot, letting your feet feel the earth beneath you, or watched that big ball of fire in the sky set over the horizon? Do you ever stop to look at the ground and notice all the little bugs scurrying about, on their own mission to gather food or find shelter? Have you watched a spider spin their web, or a bee go from flower to flower? When you listen to music, are you really FEELING it? Or when you look at a piece of art, do you really SEE it? Life is full of magical moments, we only need to stop and pay attention. These are the moments that really matter and make life worth living. Life can be simple if you really want it to be. We don't need as much as we think we do. Yes, life is hard, and it's full of pain and misery, and it's harder for certain people depending on many factors. However, it's also filled with SO MUCH BEAUTY. And if you can't see the beauty, then BE it. Create something from your heart and soul, be kind and gentle with other people and animals. Listen and share stories with others, learn something new, whether it be a new language or an instrument, experiment with different things, talk to strangers and learn their stories, discover new skills, read books, discover new music from around the world, play games, keep a journal or sketchbook, and CELEBRATE this short, amazing life that we have been given. It'll all be over before we know it, and we'll wonder whatever happened to all this time we thought we had. Wishing peace to everyone here. I hope that you find the same magic in life that I have found. 💙🌲

[@saifblade]

This is inspiring. Thanks a lot.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

LSD helps to realise this! 🤯🤯🤯

[@d.sfilms7677]

"Because life, it's a birdsong"

[@porteauloin]

Loved this video so much ! Please do not stop to do what you do. It is so refreshing and rare online.

[@TZerot0]

I understand the point that you are trying to make, but I fundamentally disagree on your take on contemporary art/media. While the current mainstream, and "pop" media/art is absolutely insipid, there really isn't much separating it from the mainstream media/culture of yesteryear. Yet within the modern highly-niche and paradoxically compartmentalized yet amorphous media/art/culture there are more exciting and amazing things being made than ever before. Old-media is easy to place on a pedestal because it's quality has been proven through the years of relevance, but with time what is considered a "classic" is redefined. Our cultural canon contains almost nothing older than 150 years-things that our parents and grandparents (maybe even great) were raised on tend to be the oldest things we relate to. Friends is no longer universally loved among teenagers, etc. Back to modern media, not only does it offer an evolution of the same ideas and inspirations that made the originals great, but it presents them in ways that are relevant for today, and the ensuing complexity. You don't need to have seen Hitchcock, because you've seen works inspired by works inspired by Hitchcock. This generally goes hand in hand with the insane media literacy that younger generations seem to possess. I'm not saying they shouldn't watch the old, but I don't think it's a qualifier for quality. Modern media is complex and self referential enough that it can and will self replicate successfully

[@tahsina.c]

I think youd like this book called the "polemics of the imagination" by Peter Abbs, theres a section in the beginning where he discusses modernism and post modernism and essentially does a broadcast of the future of art. I read it during my major. I basically shared the exact same perspective as you and I still do but there are certain points that really opened up my mind.

[@d.sfilms7677]

Examples of modern day masterpieces I would argue are Succession, Twin Peaks: The Return and the Barbie Movie. Only joking the Barbie movie is the epitome of the type of contemporary media that is draining creativity. Obviously I'm just listing things I like as examples but there are countless masterpieces being made today, that shouldn't be overlooked

[@KalebPeters99]

​@@d.sfilms7677Have you seen the Barbie movie?

[@d.sfilms7677]

@@KalebPeters99 I have and confession is not absolutism. Also I love greta gerwig and she is creative but if people think it was a contemporary masterpiece and don't enjoy less mainstream films from creatives like Gerwig, they should reavaulte their values

[@ashleyhall6464]

@@d.sfilms7677or wait for it…you can think both succession and Barbie are modern classics. But that’s probably too much for your tiny male ego to handle.

[@JustaUser17247]

I believe this is one of the most important videos you have made. All of this needs to be said and kudos to you. This example of integity is exactly what the world and films need. I believe that there are many more people who think like this than we may think. I believe all of these ideas are truly engrained deep within every one of us, behind the personas which are so difficult to shed, but I believe they are there. And the more we share our true ideas, the more I believe people may speak up about theirs. I also believe collectively we have more power than we may have been led to believe. It's just a thing of being able to shed the modern personas we have created for ourselves, this way we'll be able to communicate truly as human beings.

[@fallnraf]

I wanted to stop by and thank you for your amazing insights into this worrying matter. I appreciate it and appreciate you. It affects me, as a musician, to navigate this creative catastrophe that we have in front of us. Although there is no apparent solution, I command you for bringing this up to conversation. What works for me, as simple as it may sound, is to create despite all of this. I've come to find out (through my own experience) that there are those that go beyond the surface level. There are people that will watch this video and relate to the feelings of uncertainty (specially as a creative) produced from this modern insanity. Please continue being who you are and never stop appreciating art for what it really is. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that you are very appreciated.

[@Aielo98]

I think somethin you miss on this is your place of priviledge of being able to not work for money, and have your morals first... But in capitalism, most people NEED to focus on money first, or else they won't eat tomorrow, and then they can't produce anything... Money comes first, because we need money to produce anything. Going to a museum costs money, getting a phone to watch this video costs money, consuming art in general is expensive, just as creating it is. The answer would be giving people the chance to do that, and that comes from changing the system to something that doesn't require selling your soul for money to be able to live

[@johndavidlevy7]

I have no words for how much I am looking forward to the art you both create. The past two years I've been making things from a place of homelessness and this channel, this place has been a sanctuary and a place to listen and see kindred spirits remind me I am not alone and perhaps even not mad. And I am truly grateful for that. For all of it. For this. For what is next. Thank you.

[@captain_giacco]

Be well and take care friend! You're never alone.

[@liltick102]

Homeless too and same- feel you

[@happysheher]

I'm creating out here homeless with my kids, like you friend.

[@JoeLaRocca]

The pillars are crumbling mate, but I teach film studies and film production at Boston College. I use your videos all the time. You have made a difference and have helped many people learn. I think you are on the right path. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you do next.

[@OfficialEDC]

Hey there, I’m m a film student in Germany. Is there any way our universities could arrange the possibility to do an exchange year? I would love to study abroad!

[@npcimknot958]

Trust, now isn’t the time.. america is kinda really dangerous at the moment. Wait a bit@@OfficialEDC

[@michaelproch8801]

Just looked you up on Rate My Professor. You seem like a top bloke and exactly the kind of professor I valued so much when I was in film school. You’re making a difference too mate

[@JoeLaRocca]

@@michaelproch8801 That means so much. I have never been to rate my professor, scared of what I will see.

[@michaelproch8801]

@@JoeLaRocca I don't know any professors that have haha. Cillian Murphy is an amazing actor but he never reads reviews either. I can tell you your students seem to really value you though

[@Alexanderthetitan]

Omg… the algorithm has done my life and career a favor today

[@lindseyb2586]

Art is not a zero-sum game... Beyonce AND Bjork are both artists, and the elitism / gatekeeping feels so gross to me. Yes, our media has become flooded with celebrity and influencer culture. But go to ANY art festival and you'll see that traditional, classics-informed art is alive and well, it may just not have a million likes or follows but those should not be the metrics by which we judge modern art. Just because you don't see it online doesn't mean it's not happening. Strong dislike of the message of the first part of this video.

[@jantonisito]

Not accepting trash is not eitism. It is mental hygiene. Would you call someone who eschews fast food "elitist".

[@lindseyb2586]

@@jantonisito beyonce is not trash or fast food dude... she puts a lot of work into her artistry and your inability to acknowledge that doesn't make it stop existing.

[@jantonisito]

@@lindseyb2586 I don’t want to change your mind about Beyoncé I just do not care for the fact that kind of music is pushed on people as “artistry”. There is ZERO doubt that modern music does not possess nearly the same quality, complexity and variety as music fro say 60s or 70s. This fact was objectively PROVEN by musicologists using statistical analysis. There is good music made out there but what clogs the bandwidth is borderline trash. So dude - I understand addiction to fast food but try to understand some of us do not care about brain dead noise. PS. Oh and by the way- from a marketing point of view music business IS zero sum game. If you put your resources into marketing trashy lowest common denominator stuff then you manipulate people. The market for competition shrinks.

[@tahsina.c]

I think beyonce is fine but the attitude of the culture is the issue here, especially the powers that be who want more "beyonces" it's what shes doing to the scene, but its not fair to single her out as this also applies to anyone large and popular enough to bring money to large companies, art has become a competition where you only succeed if you can compete with people like that and that's not only extremely difficult but unfair to people who just want to be able to express themselves. Art is just not supposed to be a competition.

[@lindseyb2586]

@@jantonisito LOL it was objectively proven using statistical analysis... okay jackie. Okay.

[@Vapidaxo]

I find it strange you mention the symptoms of our current global economic system corrupting art through advertising and the need for excessive profits but never actually go deep enough to say that the system itself is the reason for the corruption. I hate to break it to you, but the “utopian ideal” you describe where everyone is supplied for is not just some bizarre fantasy but a realistic future and frankly the best possible reality you should hope for if you care about art being created purely for the sake of passion and aesthetic

[@GreyGiger]

He's so close to the answer to his frustration that it makes ME frustrated, lmao. Also, he just comes off as a boomer / snob pretending that contemporary art is not worth anyone's time as if our view of the past isn't rose tinted and altered to remove most bad art. Like yeah, of course it's going to seem as if art was better previously when we have a hundred years of film before us now. I don't wholly disagree with what he's saying obviously, capitalism is an awful blight on humanity and is the antithesis of creativity. But, he doesn't know how to express these feelings very well. He's frustrated that people need to make a living but is angry that those same people would slightly compromise their art because they need to eat. Like, ????, yeah dude, most people aren't going to be so privileged that they can just make art in a vacuum and also live extremely well.

[@siamburning]

If all our troubles would be taken care of, most people would never even consider the path of art. Comfort is the death of an artist.

[@GreyGiger]

@@siamburning It's the opposite of what you're saying, our economic system is the biggest deterrent on creativity. The image of the tortured artist is overdone and romanticized, to say nobody would have the desire to express anything because they aren't living paycheck to paycheck or under immense crunch at their job is actually laughable.

[@siamburning]

@@GreyGiger okay? but historically speaking, are we not living in the best stage of humanity right now? If you want to focus on the negativity, you will find more of it. We have lifted most of humanity from dire poverty and we have much easier lives compared to our ancestors. Should you not be grateful for that? There are always challenges and things to overcome. Blaming it on others is also an excuse that is laughable. You have the power to change everything you don't like. Change it for yourself. Don't wait for the world to change for you.

[@johnsailorsgoat]

Watched the entire video and I agree with everything you said! I just sent this to a lot of people that I think will give it a chance. Always speak out even when you think nobody is listening!

[@Achilles_Heelys]

Old man yelling at the cloud with a misunderstanding of the modern generation's aestheticisms. You're not looking close enough.

[@Achilles_Heelys]

also, universal basic income would afford the people you see as not taking the time to 'appreciate the classics' the time to do so. Idk, some of the points you make within the video come off classist while you waffle on, ignorant to your privilege. Universal income would kill the capitalism 'poisoning the art world' as you describe. It's like you almost come to the correct conclusion.

[@scarlettdamante4945]

​@@Achilles_Heelys I would argue that in the modern western world at least, income is not the only factor (arguably not even the biggest one) that divides class culture. Most people have the ability to access the classics for example, for free for most of their life. During childhood, a lots of working class & under class kids could spend their time reading classics for free from a library, or even online. The difference is that 'rich' parents or from a middle class or upper middle class background *know* the importance of almost pushing such things on their kids. In the same way they will encourage their kids to play instruments from a young age or try to learn multiple languages. They create/perpetuate a culture where there is a pride in sounding educated, having a large vocabulary with a focus on historical language over contemporary linguistically changes. (Eg. Middle class parent teaching 5 year old to say, "indubitably" for fun/cute vibe vs working class parent teaching 5 year old to say, "innit" also for fun). The point is there is a culture that rewards intellectual pursuits, including an understanding of cultural history, among the upper classes. Meanwhile there's a culture of anti-intellectualism & machismo in the working & under classes. If a poor kid, say a boy, growing up wanted to read classical literature they would most likely feel the need to either hide it at school, or prepare a type of self defence when people inevitably make fun of him for being "nerdy" or whatever. Make no mistake, this crabs in a bucket mentality is not because ppl with lower incomes are inherently anti-intellectual or anything. It's due to hundreds of years of generational poverty/income inequality resulting in lower income ppl being denied access to literacy, education, & classical culture being gate kept. Also a deliberate effort to reward working class people for thinking less, & being obedient to the class above them. All that being said: reminding people we now live in an age where these things aren't gate kept, where we can choose to as individuals be in control of the kind of culture we engage in, is a great thing. Highlighting that no matter your income level if you have access to this video you can try to build an understanding of art based on actual solid education - is a great start to changing the class divide in terms of access to culture.

[@Achilles_Heelys]

@@scarlettdamante4945 that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever read😭 There’s plenty of dumb rich idiots. It’s not that lower classes don’t push their children to pursuit intellectual interests it’s that when you’ve capital you’ve the resources and time to spend learning those pursuits. If you’re rich you can afford to give your kid cello lessons. If you’re poor it’s a much larger investment in resources that comparatively. What you’re spewing is corporate apologist rhetoric. Have some class solidarity and stop licking the 1% boots.

[@durango-CODEBUILDER]

Encouraging people to avoid contemporary art is silly. The most important period of art is the period that you find yourself in, as it's the freshest. You might not agree with the work that you have come across that's being made right now, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it. Witness it and learn from it. That's what keeps art alive!

[@remotefaith]

He’s Paul Joseph Watson with a Mubi subscription

[@elianmusic7452]

I agree.

[@staratdream8259]

That’s kinda what he said no? Just in a lil way

[@Nero_Karel]

Depends. There's a lot of stuff out there doing more harm than good to anyone who engages with it. But more important than whether you engage with something or not is the frame of mind you keep in the process and how far you let that thing affect it, which I imagine was the point of the vid anyway

[@happysheher]

This is the first video I've seen on KZbin in a very long time that doesn't advertise SOMETHING to me. This video has actual content, and not for sale. Thank you, this is beyond refreshing to see coming forward

[@LIKEFLOWERSINWATER]

Your channel is very genuine. You've created something very special. I appreciate it.

[@jamiewebber7485]

You’re not his friend, you’re not his family. Why the hell is being genuine IN THIS particularly deeply personal and (usually) private way something that you can appreciate??

[@LIKEFLOWERSINWATER]

@@jamiewebber7485 You dont appreciate people being genuine, authentic and honest? lol I dont quite understand your question I think your reading a little to deeply into my comment.

[@hopewiIIrise]

I've reached the point where I can hardly bring myself to read the novels or philosophy books I buy and just waste time online instead. I watch films and I think "five years ago I would have enjoyed this". I'm not even depressed. I think I've consumed too much content honestly. I find so little authentic and what is authentic doesn't entertain me much.

[@yafrienddan]

Thank you, it’s good to here someone with the same struggle, or problem in mind that you have, even though it just complaints and grumbles, it’s good not to feel alone. And thank you for the work you put in to make meaningful art, thank you for everything you have done, and will do. ❤

[@SxyN8]

Thank you for the reminder. I tend to get lost in this world so often

[@eadeceano-vivas1331]

"Spend more time in silence and figure out who you are..." That's what it comes down to.

[@chrisblogs5115]

You bring up some valid points but this seems very bitter and like an angsty teenager who just started looking into conspiracy theories would say. There will always be change. And there will always be greed, but to say that it's impossible to make something without shaking hands with a mega corporation is untrue. One of the reasons I love the modern day is I can log in and find people from arond the world share their work. Their art, short movies, stories, projects and all sort of fiction and non fiction. It's a direct link to human creativity and individualism. Through them I can learn about their life, culture, thought patterns and so much more, human creativity is beautiful and it has never been easier to share and find it. Coming from a second world country, my life, opportunities and thought patterns would have been so limited if it wasnt the internet and the very modernity that people love to hate.

[@lvngwndw9244]

The irony is not lost that this is just another video on a social media platform

[@mndli425]

honesty is rare on any platform. thank you.

[@NelsonStJames]

Wow, I’m so glad I stumbled upon this channel. It feels like a light in the void to just hear some earnest, sincere real talk.

[@SebastianHernandez-nq2st]

You put in words what I have felt the last couple of years

[@paperandpavement]

This video is beautiful and it has stayed in my mind since it came out. Thank you for this 🙂

[@safechief261]

Ignore the noise. Thanks for this.

[@rustyshackleford735]

Anti-modernity is shallow and an-prim philosophy is morally bankrupt imo. Just sayin'

[@joem5615]

Contemporary Art: art contemporary with itself - Baudrillard

[@SuperOwenCooper]

Thank you for not only this video but also providing hope & positivity with the art that you create.

[@AGirlofYesterday]

Thank you, sincerely, for articulating these ideas. I can't tell you how refreshing this is to hear. I was able to earn my living (not get rich, but that's fine) as a professional film historian/writer until fairly recently. Now suddenly those days feel like another era, like a dream. Every day I'm alternately bewildered and shattered to find myself in a world that cares/knows nothing about art or cinema or literature or history. Most everyone around me is a rapacious consumer of the "newest and latest" commodities, while also commodifying themselves to be consumed by others. I'm not trying to sound superior, but my brain just doesn't work like that and so I don't understand the appeal. It frightens, saddens, and sickens me. Not just because I and everything I hold dear seem irrelevant, but because if art/films/books of the past aren't valued, they won't be preserved for later generations. This breaks my heart into a thousand pieces. My favorite quote is from Henry Miller: "Art teaches nothing, except the significance of life." Why would we choose to drain our lives of everything that gives life meaning? I'm not that old, but I never thought I would see such a phenomenon. However, I truly believe there is always hope that things will shift. Wishing you and your wife the best.⚘️

[@ludwigbooth4882]

You should be elected to the dept of culture. You nailed it.

[@greghenrikson952]

You could honestly say the same thing about any era, though. There's always a sea of worthless content, and it's only in time that we see what's worth keeping. There was no shortage of worthless filler plays even in Shakespeare's age. There has always been the pressure of money. Whether from the public or a patron. These are constants. If it's not a mega-corporation it's an inbred prince who has the taste of an idiot child. This is the perpetual struggle and it always will be.

[@jakejoseph5534]

I take umbrage with this take, things change as much as they stay the same. History doesn’t exactly repeat itself, but it rhymes. Philosophy isn’t as simple as “shit don’t change.” The very words you choose speak to a completely different mindset in the 21st century. The word “content” for instance is modern turn of phrase that people use as a catchall for anything someone “creates” but I’d argue that “content creators” never existed before the modern day internet. There were inventors, innovators, writers, painters, poets and artists. People still practice those things, but the way we compartmentalize these vocations is through the lens of profitability or value on the internet. That is an inherently new phenomenon, whether or not it’s similar to the way things have always been.

[@darkidarki1332]

@@jakejoseph5534 It isn't even the internet itself what caused this, rather the way the internet has been appropriated by a certain culture. The Web1 internet used to be full of unknown artistry and genuinely cool shit, it's the modern Web2 internet that made everthing into "content" to be mindlessly consumed. Nowhere is this more clear with KZbin's switch from views to watchtime. Quantity over Quality. KZbin animation used to be huge, it used to be experimental, it used to a hopeful look into a future for artists wanting to have their own voice. Before KZbin we had Newgrounds, an actual unrestricted platform that hosted all kinds of stuff. Before newgrounds, a billion different Webpages hosting a billion different things, with a billion different perspectives. Now? We have Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter, and what you consume will always be mediated by these specific pages and what their advertisers want.

[@elianmusic7452]

Torn on this one. I have oscillated five hundred times across the line of rejecting modernity and fully embracing it. My natural instinct is to think exactly how this video seems to. But iv been exposed to too much to so simply say “music by people who don’t know anything about music” or “everything is dying”. Martin Scorsese is old man. The value system engrained within him, the qualia of the oh so magestic cinematic theatre - what it means to him will never ever be the same as what it means to you - and that is the key to generational understanding. Value systems. Nothing is dying. Nothing is getting worse (except economics and capitalism and advertisement, i fully agree on that front). Art is extremely and utterly alive. Im very inclined to think you look back to the past with rose colored glasses maybe. Or with a selection bias. I see a ton of incredible creative expressions everywhere i look in my city (non western). Things are booming. Just not in the same type of way they were booming in the 60s. And yes. Things are far less intellectual now. The vast majority of people don’t have the head space, emotional maturity or intellectual background to process Dante, my man. The value has changed. Intellect is out. Peace is in (no seriously). People are numb and sad. They want party trap music and influencer boxing. And they get it. I blame capitalism and advertising as drivers of this serious, severe pessimism and malaise you refer to. But art is not dying. Just my opinion though

[@DaleColeman]

This is a very good opinion, my man. Solidarity.

[@elianmusic7452]

[@elianmusic7452]

I also want to say that i think its dangerous to fetishize older art as better and more intellectual because it has a certain academic type of thought and air put into it. I have grown and come to reject the notion that only proper writings with difficult vocabulary can be deep or beautiful, only complex harmony and time signatures and difficult rhythms can be considered upstanding music, and only films written a certain way or imparting a certain faux deep feeling, created in the 20th century can be deep. art isn't dying, but everything previously held dear and put up onto a pedestal that is to do with art has changed quite drastically and quickly. The things that make art art now are different, and to read the new language, you cannot decipher it with the tools of yesterday. Im not waxing poetic here either. If you look at mumble trap rap music from the lens of tomfoolery and sheer child like fun, you will understand the qualia within it that makes it appealing to millions, and what makes it "Artistic" even, whatever that means really. In terms of films, im not really sure what you're on about because i've seen some ridiculously good films in large quantities come out in the past 3 years, from filmmakers old and young, from across the globe. Genuinely, i dont believe art is dying. But the world as a whole may be suffering more, and everyone is, at baseline, less pleased - but i think that has to do more with other things. Cheers

[@ceruleumtesserite866]

definitely agree with this. art isn’t dying, you just have to know where to look

[@Ottrond]

Hey dude. Rewriting my comment a ton because my synapses are going off. Sorry if it's incoherent or too long. I think your heart is in the right place, but I have a few problems with some points you bring. 1. With all my heart, I cannot agree with this: "The value has changed. Intellect is out. Peace is in (no seriously). People are numb and sad." This is no value. This is a symptom of this malaise. This numbness hurts. We can just choose to tune out and reinforce our own dogmas, not challenging ourselves. This is violently reactionary, good only for those who gain from all this: the capitalists who own and profit from these social media platforms, which are a big part of today's public conscience. Lewis in this video argues for art, not against it. He is arguing for the right to make and study art, build a repertoire, connect with the human experience. This is not a capitalist sentiment. It is an antidote to this very capitalist malaise. An artist honing their craft and process is a notoriously difficult situation to be in. Lewis mentions in the video how people look at his efforts to study and teach art as weird. That is because Art is non-productive. Non beneficial for capital. Art "wastes" not only money, but the time and resources of capital, and for no other reason than art itself. Money birthed Content and money likes Content much better than granny Art. I *hate* how currently building your repertoire, academicism, intellectual pursuits are seen as pedantic, old-fashioned or whatnot. Studying and broadening your horizons a human necessity, and capitalism turns that necessity into privilege. It's an ingrate journey in the current capitalist landscape, and capitalism tells us that it will never be worth it. So I don't think arguing for the right to remain numb and guzzle content is nothing but a defeatist, reactionary position to take. 2. I'm in Brazil right now. I don't consider Brazil to be part of The West, but western influenced. I say this because Brazil has no say on what The West means. Brazil is global south, and it has little cultural hold and influence on the world's definition of The West. The art that is produced here can be enjoyed, can inspire, but what we receive and engage everyday are the products of what the West serves us. What Lewis described: neoliberal bullshit, consumerism, quick truths that are "a mile long, an inch deep", insincere art. Content. The thing that alarms me is that I've had a guy call some of the points made in the "The Illusion of Progress" video "dogwhistles" because Lewis criticized brutalism. A subjective, aesthetic critique of brutalism and it's prevalence nowadays caused said guy to compare the video's points with twitter reactionaries that argue things such as the "fall of western civilization" and "reject modernity". As for me, saw someone critiquing the present informed by their own art history repertoire. Lewis mentions several classical Western works, and for me as a leftist, there is tension and suspicion when it comes to interfacing and cherishing capital W Western culture. But those essays also cherish art from the whole world over, just like Martin Scorsese, a man that has done a lot for cinema, and not just because of his movies, but by his restoration and preservation efforts with the World Cinema Foundation. Talking about such history so people can know about all this and build on it. He's arguing for ideas and for the development of the art form.

[@Lifesizemortal]

Im an artist. All I need in life is love and my work. And everything else follows.

[@bignashi]

I think you're overlooking the fact that film has primarily been a rich man's medium. In recent decades/years, underground film has flourished due to its decentralization and consumerism. Take a look at the folk filmmaking movement and creators like Damon Packard, Steven Whatmough, Ryan Trecartin, etc. Just because cinema has changed doesn't mean it's worse. I actually vastly prefer watching endeavors made by creatives rather than an industry. I also enjoy old movies and "the greats", but I think it's shallow for it to be a necessity to consume that old art in these changing times. Art can be made by anyone for any reason at any time.

[@projectunposed]

"Money is not a culture...", John Cassavetes. Amen brother.

[@melchid8448]

Reminded me why I am still here, my heart goes out to you Lewis until you give up, visibly you wont. XOXO Lewis

[@void.lawyer]

I needed this, man. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[@gustavoaguado5449]

I've been writing music since I was 19 trying to horn my craft, always exploring and listening to new musical landscapes be it rock, jazz, classical, soundtracks, whatever. But not in a nilly-willy way just for the mere purpose of consumption but with care. I don't use Spotify or any other music streaming platform because I don't want algorythms to dictate my next musical discovery, I just want to do it the way I've always done it, reading about the artists, searching what other artists influenced them... For me it's almost a lavour of love. Years ago I realized that my knowledge about cinema was rather poor and the journey of discovery is still going on for me (just now being totally inmersed in Lynch). I'm 48 now. I've got a band where we play our own songs. In the last concert in my city (Barcelona) we played in a small but crowded place full of young hip people, digital nomads. They just talked all through the show, like we were just a musical background, only when we played "Can't Stop" by the RHCP they stopped to shout the lyrics they half-knew all the while they were taking pictures of themselves or short fragmented videos of what we were doing... I realize now that it's been a long while since I picked up my guitar at home to write anything. It's not by design, I just don't see the point. Because I'm kind of restless I turned to writing a play. Again, it's not by design, I guess it's just my creativity trying to find a way. I'm not planning on publishing it, I'll give it to some of my best friends to read it. I'm just tired of pouring over my efforts to a world that has become a mere surface of insane and restless background consumption. I much prefer searching for a small audience that I know could share this real sense of exploring, of appreciating the beauty in the effort of trying to do something meaningful. I was a child in the 80's, a teenager and a young man through the 90's, I grew up before internet and social media took over and I'm immensely grateful for it.

[@nubojin]

Thank you for this. This video is like thinking out loud for the same thoughts and concerns that I have for today’s state of art and society. I too will do my best to create art on my end. All the best, Cinema Cartography!

[@AlexandreSoma]

Thanks for sharing this beautiful part of you

[@JunkyardHounds]

I try to make art (mostly films) that pose questions without necessarily answering them, i do everything by myself and then released them for free. It's a hard struggle everyday. This video gives me hope. Thank you and keep up the good work Lewis.

[@Deadsies556]

Through your efforts you keep the history and meaning of art alive ,and we all pass it along to whoever we can spreading your influnces even farther. Your really doing a great service to art history, keep it up, can't wait to see what you guys make.

[@jesseyules]

Good luck with the new direction! :)

[@benediktzoennchen]

Thank you for articulating something I and, I think, many people feel. This feeling of a dying world where everything is overcoded by the hyper-real---a world that is blissful on the surface but horrific if one spends only a little amount of thought. There seem to be no more place for the craft because everything is exchangeable either by symbols or money. We live in an age of profiles and brands but there is still another world which is concealed by the act of seeing the world instrumentally. Thank you again for your words. They sparkle hope.

[@cvntelevision8312]

You had me at Hieronymous Bosch

[@benjireid798]

Thank you for putting into words what i'm constantly grappling with as an artist . b

[@jantonisito]

There is that line in Tarkovsky's "Stalker" when Stalker say something like "My God - the best of us - the minds - and all they think of is how not to sell themselves to ocheaply".

[@fviannaval]

You have expressed, in a very eloquent way, something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Thank you.

[@Major42]

Wow this is so good! You have just opened up and show that you can be brave. You are a real person. A real one.

[@Joselitty]

It’s intriguing listening to this rn because I just started on my creator / artist journey and I think “it would be nice to make money from this eventually” but I don’t want that to overcome my passion for what I’m doing and then I become shallow. Overall, thank you for this video. Definitely realigning my perspective on how I perceive / go about things in this “modern picture of chaos that’s painted”.

[@aylinarroyo]

Thank you for creating this, thank you for sharing it, because sometimes you feel that you're alone in a world that is crumbling but actually there are many that still care. And always will be someone who cares...

[@museumofmusic9702]

Thank you for making a different sort of video. This was convicting. I started my channel because I believe in the power of and want to explore the true purpose of art. But of course, over time, I started trying to play the game of branding myself and seeking views. It is a soul numbing endeavor. I'm turning my eyes toward purpose again, starting now.

[@Noirlax]

Really genuine and authentic video, inspiring to hear someone wanting people to make beautiful genuine art. I may not agree with everything you said, I understand contemporary art ideals have walked away from beauty and maybe even authenticity but it's great to hear someone wanting to make something that transcends/nuanced/quiet in this day and age. I've struggled with this for a long time but every time I've made something more for the audience than myself, it eats away at me and I have to revert back despite the frustration from a lack of recognition and eventually I hope to be confident enough with my own voice. Sometimes an artist has to forget the audience and let the audience find your work. In the case of the new generation I've learned to worry about it less. The young of today will eventually grow old, nature will force them to a different stage of life, then their souls will hunger for something different from the more youth focused media of today.

[@Will_Scobie]

This was excellent, very insightful. Really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing.

[@RossOzarka]

Post your work to the internet, and it will never be recommended to any audience because what's popular right now is teens putting a T-shirt on their heads and pretending to be their moms. Apply for funding from your country's national film board, and they'll pass you over in favor of someone who has a larger social media following. Submit to a film festival, there are 2,000 entries and only 90 spaces, submissions cost $50 each, and films are chosen by committee. Screen your film at the library, print flyers and doorknock the entire area inviting the community to show up, only about 30 people do, and you don't make enough money to recoup the cost of the flyers. It's just so hard to share your work with the world. Ironically this makes me feel like I don't have a voice, which compels me to make more stuff, only to get ignored more, leading to more frustration... art is a vicious cycle.

[@RossOzarka]

And you would think that the monstrous amount of content means that there must be a monstrously sized industry to support its creation, and yet nobody returns my calls and emails. Maybe I just suck lol

[@remotefaith]

He doesn’t make good art, either because he lacks the talent or the courage. And he is sublimating his insecurities and resentment about that in this bizarre rant.

[@reereekennedy3211]

Thanks for taking the time to spend some time with us... Bravo!

[@bobgillingham7215]

I truly enjoy your videos and I really appreciate hearing this perspective. I think it's important to 'turn down the noise' and that's something I have tried to do in recent months. Thanks for these words I'm interested in seeing your future work!!

[@artygede]

Thank you very much for persisting, it is an encouragement.

[@PlatinumChasers]

I am some one who is in a very similar position as yourself, in fact, I think we might even live in the same city, but I mean someone who is tired of world’s current trajectory, while putting themselves in public space like KZbin. I have made KZbin videos for five years and I’m now taking a break and finding myself, reading deeply, exploring the real world and of course, studying the great filmmakers and for once in my life I feel free. This was a great video and one I will listen to many times in the future, just to remind me there are others out there who feel the same.

[@Y0PPS]

We really appreciate everything you and your wife do. I use the internet mainly for the means of finding thinkers and those who truly appreciate various art forms. People who actively consume instead of passively. I don't have any friends in the real world, there are moments online where I feel a small sense of community and it's nice. I don't even know where to begin trying to find that in my real life. Nearly 40 years old here and it has gotten tougher as the world has become more mindless. Most people here are seemingly like-minded and I appreciate the community you and your wife have built.

[@dejabu24]

Im not affraid of the future, but if making money is so simple , then why there are so many people that are broke , and have no money , very often scientists and artists disregard business and capitalism as something low , is not that simple after all those paintings and sculptures were paid by someone, in the renaissance were the Medicis , today is JP Morgan , they produce what people demand

[@honuman39]

I'm older. I appreciate this. I've heard this type of critique when I was young. On one level I believe every generation contends with these issues. On another level what's happening today is something very new with the social online influences and not having grown up with quite this level of societal dysfunction I can't imagine the challenges of it for younger people. It used to be said that previous generations had it harder. It's a generational trope but I don't think it's true now. The battleground now is so much more about the mind. Where survival and physical abilities were more the advantage before, I think the ability to keep one's mind is as much or more now. It's all seemingly entropy.

[@Miss-Sad-eyes]

Thank you for existing. Thank you for this channel. This channel makes me feel like there's still hope in the world. Thank you, for everything.

[@DeathAlchemist]

Gonna leave a comment since you are trying to be genuine and make your feelings known. I get the urge to value your integrity and not take sponsorships. Some ppl do want money just so they can have it, but plenty of ppl want money simply for their survival, you know pay bills, food, etc. I know plenty of artists who love creating who need money so they can keep on creating and not go homeless. The privilege of creating authentic art without sponsorships comes with financial stability that many artists don't have. Not to say there aren't artists who create and share their work without wanting to make money, but they are far smaller. The internet has let me see so many smaller artists, animators, etc I would never have seen otherwise. Furthermore, it has provided a refuge for those whose lives are not fine for a variety of reasons and opened up new avenues. This leads me to my next disagreement, the anti-internet stance. Besides the fact the internet is necessary due to its ubiquity, this is literally the only reason I am hearing you talk right now. You live in a different part of the world. I listened to you and your partner analyze art, introducing me to some I have never heard of or talk about art I do know in a unique way. It's one of the reasons you (and later your partner; I remember your old channel name) are probably able to transition to making art. Having a Patreon is still parasocial. You offer plenty of other resources, behind-the-scenes content, and a private community. Now three dollars is not expensive, but you are putting the ability for ppl to talk with you behind the wall. It isn't wrong to do this, especially since you value your privacy. However, there is no way to avoid parasocialism when you gather an audience, especially since that is on the viewers and not you. The best thing you can do is curate your experience which you are doing. Last thing this is off-topic. How is explaining an idea bad if one of the ways you judge art is by the artist's intention? I don't know how to end this comment. I have disagreed with you both before, though usually, ppl have said what I want to say better. I didn't really see my thoughts represented.

[@ericvargas5362]

agreed, seems out of touch with all the social strugles artists around the world go trough

[@d.sfilms7677]

​@@ericvargas5362I don't think he's advocating a shift in creating art, but more if a change on how people consume it

[@superkitten7560]

"Now you don't do anything unless you can make excessive money from it." The core reason I just haven't even tried artwork anymore. It feels pointless because the social landscape makes you feel that it's useless unless it can be monetized and made profitable. At the core, I draw because I like it. It's good for *me* and yet I feel I shouldn't do it unless it's for other people. How screwed we have become.

[@rumfordc]

if everything is dying, then everything must be alive. sounds pretty good to me!

[@HoaxElectronic]

If you’re actively avoiding contemporary art and encouraging viewers to as well, why a Borremans painting as the thumbnail?

[@StopFear]

All of the questions stated in this video are valid questions that cause many of us distress and uncertainty in life. But it also made me think about how often the people whose mind starts thinking about the most difficult questions of life and the world we live in are probably usually in the stage of their life when they do not have chronic pain or a serious illness. Those of us who are closer to the age of 40, and those who are past 40 and up start to get more physical pain and more illness of some kind. When that happens the purpose of daily life becomes much clearer. Basically the mind is more preoccupied with how to stop the pain or how to survive some illness without severe long term health damage. Those things themselves sort of answer our questions about purpose by becoming our more immediate concerns.

[@seanramsdell4117]

I actually liked the MUBI sponsorship

[@DeFi-Macrodosing]

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell, 1984.

[@ludwigbooth4882]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[@MisterCross]

I love your powerful words. Every video is a joy to my heart. And a kick in my butt. Thank you and keep on doing what you are doing. You are appreciated.

[@lewrenchjeardeau1370]

Yes. This. Right there with you. Many of us struggle with this same conflict. How can we make simple meaningful creation, when our very simple lifestyles are priced out of existence, and our havens of affordable living are scraped away. Still we push on, because simple human creativity must survive. Thank you for the departure from your previous topics, and the vulnerable sharing of this piece.

[@Pippinmog]

This video has given me a lot to think about. I've been good at art since I was little and throughout my life I've had dips in my effort when I was attempting to make 'the next big well paid thing' and never becoming the artist I SHOULD be. It's taken me a long while to know who I am as an artist, choosing comic book art as my main form of expression, as a result I abandoned projects because I realized those weren't truly me, but just lame imitations of someone else's work. Even my own father once said to my face as a teen, "You're a good artist, but sadly not employable". Who the hell says that to their own son? But these days I now take that as a compliment. This aside, the one thing that made me understood what it means to be an artist is cinema. I've no dreams of being a film maker per se, but cinema had made me realize what matters to me, hence why I enjoy movie videos, especially from the Cinema Cartography. I've no attraction to modern cinema these days. save for a few exceptions, as it mostly seems to be remakes, reboots, reimaginings, sequels, prequels, ad nauseum.... but I turn my attention to what came before as far back as cinema's earliest conception. That has more interest, more escapism and more lessons to teach me. Avant Garde cinema really captures me as watching those make me feel that this is the direction I want to take with my comic work. I've reached a point where I no longer care if what I make makes money or earns me fame. A project that I've been mulling over for over two decades has broken free of the 'commercialized delusion' and I've finally decided what it must be. As a result, I've taken the idea to a point where it cannot be anything else but what I truly wanted to express. But one thing that does bring fufillment is supporting others works of art, whether it be comic, film, novel, painting, knitting, etc. Thanks for your videos and please keep it up!

[@bryanswisshelm941]

It’s really refreshing to hear another articulate how I feel about the world in a way I couldn’t articulate. Yes. Indeed.

[@Nero_Karel]

Feels great to hear someone say it with this amount of clarity and lucidity

[@PalomaGonzalezzz]

This feeling is true real art will have its time again i love you all n ty for this film n your consideration for REAL ART. i often think of takashi ito nd get paralyzed by how far ahead of his time he was and how it would even be possible to get to that level in these times but inshalla itll happen

[@StopFear]

I would not be so sure to dismiss Beyonce as less of a legitimate "artist" than famous writers or painters. Of course the nature of their art is very different in the sense that acclaimed writers and painters in history have usually managed to create something which we consider "timeless". But pop singers like Beyonce could not similarly be dismissed as just someone who advertises their brand. To dismiss her because she is promoting her brand is to essentially state that she has no unique talent, whether innate or acquired. I think most people who teach music and song would agree that she indeed does have a very unique and capable voice. If just evaluated by her singing ability, without her songs becoming as popular as they often are, we have to acknowledge that she is an artist. To not give her credit as a creative singer would mean we have to dismiss famous opera singers and singing as an artistic expression as a whole.

[@larva5606]

It's comforting to know there's others in this world that feel the same way as I do. Thank you for saying what I can't find the words for. 🙏

[@Taylor-cu2dh]

well said, been thinking about these subjects a lot recently and its reassuring to hear others realising the same things especially in regards to art as true art seems to be dying these days

[@jagoturner]

Magnificent. I started listening to this not really knowing where you were going but am so happy to have watched. In fact, this video perfectly encapsulates so much of what I believe a lot of people have been coming to recently. In some ways, it seems that AI has done us a favour in being the epitome of unreality and soullessness. Hopefully more will awaken to this. Hopefully. Thank you for this.

[@PalomaGonzalezzz]

I believe this video will create a new community that we need desperately this has to be the next movement in art history its our responsibility to kill & pull the weeds and grow a new garden we have better tools and blueprints to work off of all we need is unity

[@Twoseconds001]

So glad I found this Chanel again I was about running mad without listening to his calm voice