output enemies

saw a tweet the other day that said we’ve been overwhelmed with “mid” releases the past few years. movies we’ve already seen, sounds forced into virality, articles that don’t mean anything at all. sometimes it seems like the quality of tools accessible don't match the outputs. why does said “quality” seem to be an outlier? today, i want to touch on output. this piece is kinda targeted towards artists operating in the digital age, but hopefully anyone can pull something from it.

this vince staples interview snippet sets the tone. the short: vince breaks down the absurd expectation differences in relation to output between certain “types of artists”. questioning why some get away with only releasing “a few” works during their lifetime while others wrestle with a seemingly “forced” cycle of releases. he notes those who fall into the latter are just “approaching it the wrong way”; a theme for the rest of this.

one more quote from above before we move on; “it’s not about the music”. honestly, that’s a harsh truth that people need to be more keen to. what does this look like today? taking a magnifying glass to the past few weeks in music is a solid start. enter kaytramine, a joint album recently released by producer kaytranada and rapper amine. it doesn’t matter if you’ve heard of them or listened to the record because you’ve seen this rollout before. a few weeks of singles. crushing instagram. world building. the album release. the merch drop a week later. incense holders and natural wine cases included.

and they ran it up. quick note: i’m not calling this specific project bad, and i’m a longtime supporter of each artist individually. they’re just getting the spotlight because of timing. but the whole thing just doesn’t feel “about the music”. don’t get me wrong, the artists aren’t at fault here. and the fans that’ll be begging for more next month aren’t really either. it’s this culture that secludes singular focuses that does the damage. an album can’t just be an album. a painting can’t just be a painting. a book can’t just be a book. the point isn’t that these bundles of work are bad, it’s that once this cycle starts, they’ll just need to do it again next year.

excess is a necessity in the age of attention. or so we’re told. but the genuine wants and needs of artists have long been invisible. and if you do it the way everyone else is doing it, it won’t be about the actual craft for long. you’re a brand now. for better or worse. guess this also touches on the differentiation between “artist’s artists” and “collector’s artists”. one will always be readily replaced. blame it on the hyper-financialization of everything, but something is being sucked away.

liked these words by tim hecker, one of the “founding fathers of ambient music”, from a recent nyt interview reflecting on how he’s “sort of sorry” for popularizing the genre.

these musings came after hearing that a song of his was heavily popularized by a placement on a popular playlist called “soundtracking yoga classes, co-working spaces, and meditation apps”. hecker wanted no part of it.

right as i realized this piece weighed way further towards music, i saw the tweet below. that sort of divine timing that really only happens when you write.

and it’s true. remove a couple layers of abstraction from anything and you have renewed source of reference points.

ok let’s try to wrap this up in a succinct way. my pinned tweet the past few months has been the following.

this needs some more nuance, but feel like it heavily relates to the topic of output. in a world where everything is content, the lines between process and product are blurred. because of this, expectations are twisted. this leads to neglecting the former and overcompensating with the latter, or vice versa. pertaining to an artist’s focus or a fan’s. or labels. or managers. the list goes on.

there’s an art to how you treat to process internally and how you display it externally. and it depends on your “goal”. side note: don’t show all of your cards. the process is sacred. some healthy gatekeeping never hurt anyone. stop feeling like you need to share every step publicly. no wonder everything feels the same. and maybe there’s a larger shift that needs to happen.

we’re in a new era. more need to realize how much of the pace is theirs to set. any “game” has new rules. the idea “don’t model your career after people that started before the internet” is starting to feel like “don’t model your career after people that started before today”. another side note: listen to khary’s new project and take a look at everything he’s putting out. he’s been doing it his way and has stayed creatively sincere for years.

quick thought: content is just media. content is just context. content is not art? but when art is presented in the same way as content; that’s when we consequentially see quality deteriorate

anyways, here’s my take. when it’s time to focus on the art, focus on the art. realize that there’s more to share and monetize that doesn’t take away from your true craft. people want you. the human. and they’ll want the brand too, but you don’t have to give it to them in a way that dilutes your work i.e. tyler the creator and la fleur…etc. or you can; there’s no shame in planting yourself in the industry. but that understanding that it won’t be about the art should be there first.

it’s funny because as i’m writing this i realized how ambiguous those “process is the product” ramblings were. but i think this is what i really wanted to pull out: it won’t be about the art unless you make it be.

maybe, just maybe, we need more classics and less content.

the upmost thanks to those who choose to give me some of your attention by reading. wouldn’t even call this a newsletter yet; just a place for me to leave myself some random thoughts. all love!