New Discoveries

(Photo of street art in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY)

This has been a weekend of working, if I do say so myself. Although, compared to the kids that spend all night every night working, I've probably not accomplished an incredibly impressive amount. But I am not here to compare myself to them; I can only do what I can do, and that does not include staying up till 3am! Anyways, this weekend I worked on my blog and my photos. Today has been especially eye-opening, as I made a banner for my blog in Photoshop, thanks to Rachel's help (yeah Rachel! you should check out her awesome blog). It was the first time that I used Photoshop, but it really reminded me of a graphics program that I used a bit in elementary school. I was kind of like, what's the big deal? But I suppose there are lots of complicated things that one could do with it that I have not even begun to imagine. It does sort of seem like whenever there's a picture in print or on the internet nowadays people discuss whether it's been "Photoshoped."

I guess I feel kind of conflicted about the whole Photoshop issue. On the one hand, it is incredibly useful for people who want to create graphics, or make very specific adjustments to photographs. On the other hand, it raises an important polemic: should everyone who makes "art" in Photoshop be considered an artist? Does Photoshop degrade art by making its production available to everyone? Or should it be praised for making something that's somewhat exclusive, inclusive? I don't have the answer to these questions, and I certainly don't have enough experience with creating art to attempt to answer. But I will anyway: I think that if someone actually puts the time, effort, and most importantly, passion into their Photoshop work, then isn't that as much art as anything else? If not, is holding a tool such as a pencil or paintbrush the key to creating art? If this were true, then this New Media Roadtrip would be based on something false, and I do not believe that it is. We absolutely have reason to be on this program, and I am not just saying that because we get to travel to amazing places; I am saying it because art is moving into the technological future, just as everything else is. Due to this move, art will likely become something that more people can or are willing to create. We already see this in all the independent cinema and music that exists, and it can also be seen in the most cutting edge galleries and museums.

I know that, small and unprofessional as it is, I am proud of my banner. It was a new venture for me, and the fact that it turned out pretty well was very exciting for me. I think it's important to keep in mind that there are lots of people (like me) who are not extremely tech savvy, but would like to learn how to create New Media. Therefore, little achievements for them are actually big, and shouldn't they thus have the right to feel good about their creations?