AMP

I’ve noticed that, for the most part, I don’t really care for the blogs by other artists (myself included). But as much as I’d like to argue to leave it up to the professional bloggers, I know from history that some of the best surprises come from outside the field. However, it wouldn’t hurt if we all took a breath and thought about what they hell we are doing before we go and do it. Lately I’ve found the overall quality of blogs (mine included) to be somewhat lacking–I don’t think it’s the thought that there are too many, but rather the majority of blogs lack focus. My favorite blogs (and I would argue most consistent) are those that focus their posts tightly around one central thesis. For example:

Modern Art Notes – news about contemporary art collections
Art Fag City – tech art reviews
Sartorialist – on the street fashion
101 Cookbooks – new recipe every day
5b4 – photobook reviews
Stereogum – indie rock music news

Of course there are exceptions to the rule–Alec Soth’s blog (RIP), Jason Kottke, and my friends at Boing Boing prove this point. The weakest blogs for me are the ones that simply gather together other posts/links found elsewhere on the web (something both Boing Boing and Kottke do but manage to do well). At it’s worst, it becomes a cluster-fuck of self-referential in-clique bullshit (thankfully not often the case). This is something I refer to as ‘piggy posting’ and is essentially no more useful than a friend nudging you and telling you to check -insert cool band/photographer/movie- out. The problem with blogs, however, is that these people aren’t your close friends, and they’re telling to you check something out that they think is cool, which may not be something you’re interested in.

So, in an effort to focus my blog, I’m going to be limiting my posts–i’ll try to focus on moments where art, music, and photography combine to form a Voltron-esque experience. Also, in an effort to add something new to the interweb, I’ll only be illustrating my posts with my own drawings and music videos. Booya.