Hello friends!
I have noticed in recent months that my experience on social media has shifted significantly– between the proliferation of scammer bots, AI nightmare fuel, and shadow bans, I just don’t enjoy it the way I used to. I have decided to move towards a direct sharing model for my art, music, and other creative projects. Despite the cliché complaints I have mentioned, my primary reasoning for moving to an email-based model is for something positive: to open up a new depth of connection based on two-way communication which is not dependent on algorithms or anything like that. I'm a real person, and you are too! I believe that the social media format encourages us to communicate through the briefest form of connection, the “Like”. This tiny acknowledgement may be appropriate for day-to-day check-ins of beautifully mundane moments like baseball games and taco nights, but when sharing and discussing works of art, we should not settle for fleeting acknowledgement as the standard currency of communication.
To be vulnerably transparent, my own dependence on likes(etc) for validation has negatively impacted my own perception of my art. Even though I know that it’s entirely dependent on a black box algorithm to “serve my content”(yuck) to audiences, I have consciously and subconsciously associated these metrics with my own ability and validity as an artist. The biggest problem is that this isn’t actually how I see the function of art: it’s not supposed to be a binary ‘hot or not’ system. Over time, I relented to the platform's concept of art-as-commodity and the metrics associated with that. I’ve also realized that this format has induced me into creating work which supplements a “post-a-day” schedule; this has caused me to shy away from more intensive work which requires sustained effort to create a single piece (e.g. painting). I want to free myself to pursue more difficult (and hopefully rewarding) mediums, and so I must consciously distance myself from a daily posting schedule and its demands.
I want to de-commodify my artwork, and I want to share it with other human beings in a way which is personal and creates opportunities for dialogue. I would like to put more energy towards connecting with you, hearing your stories, and seeing your creativity, as an exchange between human beings without the additional baggage of algorithms, advertisements, hashtags, and all of the trappings of a platform which reduces art to an interchangeable commodity. I would love to interact with your work in a way that allows me to deeply absorb it away from the distractions of timed stories and overcrowded newsfeeds.
I want to do the work of personally delivering my art to anyone who may be interested. I do not expect replies or conversations, but I want to exist in a medium which creates that opportunity naturally. I don’t just want to grow my audience, I want to know my audience. Not just as content creators, as human beings with wonderful creativity and ideas to share. That’s what I want to get to, whether this is forwards or backwards I couldn’t say.
So with all that being said, I’ve set up a mailing list which is free to sign up. I would like to share my work directly with people who may be interested, rather than placing it on the doorstep of the algorithm and ringing the bell. This mailing list may include art, music, writing, or whatever else I may come up with. I dislike spam email as much as anyone, so I give you my assurance that my messages will be crafted with intention and with a sincere respect and appreciation for the person on the receiving end.
Thank you for your time in reading this, and I hope to see your name on my list. Even more so, I look forward to conversations we may have about both your art and mine, all you have to do is reply and the conversation can go anywhere from there! I will never sell your information (I only collect e-mails), and you can always unsubscribe easily. Please feel free to share this sign-up form with anyone who may be interested!
With Love and Gratitude,
Justin C.M. Brown
August 2024
P.S. If any of this resonates with you as an artist and you would like more information about how to pursue a similar strategy, I would be more than happy to share my process using MailerLite and what I’ve learned so far. I will also be honored to include myself in your first wave of subscribers.