My father is a wood, stone, reclaimed materials, and xeriscape artist and resents that heās subjected to the gaze of an audience if anything. I know with absolute certainty that he would feel compelled to create beautiful things even if he were the last man on earth, even if there were nothing left to build with. itās the way he interfaces with the world! I think thatās very common among the most humble working artists who really do it for their craft and itās why theyāre able to be so prolific. Many of these artists donāt become known until after their deaths, if ever.
Jan 17, 2025
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sniffle you can check him out here but donāt tell him I sent you ;) the most interesting thing to me about his work is that he canāt even articulate exactly how he came to a lot of his techniques because theyāre just intuitive to him itās pretty crazyā¦
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āartā, media, whatever you create you create as a mode of expression first and foremost (which, imo, is why we all have a semi-innate distaste for work that feels derivative, disingenuous, or commerce-oriented claiming to be art.)
i think the arts landscape we find ourselves in (and the postmodernism of it all) incentivizes art that inspires dialogue, that is meant to captivate an audience and ideally a large one in both the fine arts and pop art arenas, and so we often congregate to forms like moving image, and other easily disseminated, easily digestible forms to express what is capable of being expressed through a variety of forms
if no one was there to receive our art we would still express ourselves. people expressed themselves before we had comms tech enabling immediate, mass dissemination. per meagre_graemeās rec, forms with an emphasis on utility such as cuisine, materials work, etc. would certainly be viable and more āoptimalā modes of expression, but writing would not go anywhere. photography would not go anywhere. the means by which people who do not consider themselves āartistsā express themselves and use their creative faculties to capture and romanticize their lives would become the means by which weād all express ourselves in the absence of an audienceā¦ so per taterholeā¦ does the audience even matter?
Jan 17, 2025
š
not necessarily forever, but that scarf you make may end up in the thrift one day and another person may wear it. that embroidery piece you create thats on your wall right now will probably end up on someone else's wall in the future. I have so many beautiful things that people have made and I don't know their stories, but I can appreciate their art. and the things I make probably won't stay with me. and art I've lifted to others will be passed on to even more people that I have no connections too. I love being alive and being human and having this small connection with people I have never and will never know
Apr 5, 2025
such an amazing artist because his work doesnāt last. this documentary makes you want to interact with the world in ways that donāt use it up or consume but add to it and then disappear.
Feb 14, 2024
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My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š
Feb 23, 2025
May 28, 2025
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Iāve been thinking about how much of social media is centered around curating our self-image. When selfies first became popular, they were dismissed as vain and vapidāa critique often rooted in misogynyābut now, the way we craft our online selves feels more like creating monuments.
We try to signal our individuality, hoping to be seen and understood, but ironically, I think this widens the gap between how others perceive us and who we really are. Instead of fostering connection, it can invite projection and misinterpretationāpreconceived notions, prefab labels, and stereotypes. Worse, individuality has become branded and commodified, reducing our identities to products for others to consume.
On most platforms, validation often comes from how well you can curate and present your imageāselfies, aesthetic branding, and lifestyle content tend to dominate. High engagement is tied to visibility, not necessarily depth or substance. But I think spaces like PI.FYI show that thereās another way: where connection is built on shared ideas, tastes, and interests rather than surface-level content. Itās refreshing to be part of a community that values thoughts over optics.
By sharing so few images of myself, Iāve found that it gives others room to focus on my ideas and voice. When I do share an image, it feels intentionalāsomething that contributes to the story I want to tell rather than defining it. Sharing less allows me to express who I am beyond appearance.
For women, especially, sharing less can be a radical act in a world where the default is to objectify ourselves. It resists the pressure to center appearance, focusing instead on what truly matters: our thoughts, voices, and authenticity. Iāve posted a handful of pictures of myself in 2,500 posts because I care more about showing who I am than how I look.
In trying to be seen, are we making it harder for others to truly know us? Itās a question worth considering.
Dec 27, 2024