I love this post and I wholeheartedly agree with every one of your bullet points. I feel the same way about each of them. (I'm too lazy to reiterate them here but hopefully the fact that I've said more than "same" is enough -- I guess I'm attention-seeking now.)
The point is, you are not alone, and I wish you incredible success in this new chapter defined by a new PR strategy. I think people will appreciate that you care about being not just "vulnerable" but genuine. For me, some would call it "honest to a fault." Well, I picked my poison and it's honestly. Also, you might like to know I subscribed to your paid Substack unhesitatingly. No pressure lol! I actually like your writing even more than your art because it resonates with me so well. (And I do find your art impressive.) Keep truckin on~
Hi Hope, no need to reiterate the points – "same" is support enough! It's interesting you framed this new chapter, facetiously or not, as a PR strategy. I hadn't thought of it that way but I guess we all need to have PR strategies these days. What I want now is to get rid of mine, to share unstrategically. Of course all human interaction is strategic in a sense, but I think you get what I mean. Anyway, thank you so much for the support! See you around, I'm sure.
I can absolutely see how that could come off as facetious, lol. I tend to leave comments that are extremely earnest so there was no deeper meaning that time 🙏 I am wishing you good health and satisfaction 🥰
In a way, what you're portraying is not a criticism of vulnerability per se -- because I'd argue this post is far more vulnerable than these "vulnerable" social media posts -- but rather you're critical of the particular ways of sharing about oneself that fall within our social norms and expectations. This faux vulnerability where you can talk about your sexual conquests and disappointments, for example, with a tone of acting outside of social norms, when in reality these sorts of displayed confessions are the expectation and not even remotely subversive. Sex and The City may've been slightly controversial in its time, but now if anything, it's basically the manifesto dictating what the life of the contemporary young urban person should peacock into their digital persona. The underlying ideology within this display, that when confessing our failures in satisfying some ultimate hedonic desire we are at the height of our vulnerability, is to say that we are fundamentally entitled, self-interested, and happiness-obsessed individuals who could care less for fixing an exploitative system which we sit atop of. It's a bit of artificial coloring that only serves to re-emphasize the grayness of our social reality; a reality absent of the desire for self-transcendence and communal values. To the most ardent believers of this ideology, the only thing that could possibly be missing in this world is tolerance. Tolerance, which in being this blind acceptance of anything and all things, is a tsunami which engulfs the city and leaves it sitting in a muck of ubiquitous okayness. Nothing can rise above this. Nothing can be condemned within this. Stop having values, taste, subjectivity. Accept the middling greige reality.
Anyways, thanks for the post. Your art is cool. I'll still vaguely follow you despite needing to confront the irony of one near Neo-Luddite digitally following another near Neo-Luddite.
What a ridiculously well-composed reply. I almost feel like you should be writing your own version of this essay, with all the fully-formed cultural insights you're packing. I will be thinking about this line in particular for a while: "The underlying ideology within this display, that when confessing our failures in satisfying some ultimate hedonic desire we are at the height of our vulnerability, is to say that we are fundamentally entitled, self-interested, and happiness-obsessed individuals who could care less for fixing an exploitative system which we sit atop of."
Easy to forget when I get so anxious about sending newsletters that I only do it once a year! Trying to reduce the stress/pressure with this essay. Hope you're doing well Jessie :)
Having only met you a couple of years ago when I began my terrifying “coming-out“ experiment on Twitter, I don’t have the same breadth of background as some of your followers. So this backstory fills in a lot, and — not something I’d thought possible — causes me to respect and treasure you even more as an artist, an adept, a true creative person. Thank you. ❤️
Hi Robin, I've come to think of you as someone who's been here since day one, but I suppose it's only been a few years. Just goes to show how long I've been living/working online – so many eras to keep track of! And like I said, it's possible that my internet acquaintances are even more familiar with my history than I am. Thank you for being here through all the changes, and for sharing your own experience of change too.
I love this post and I wholeheartedly agree with every one of your bullet points. I feel the same way about each of them. (I'm too lazy to reiterate them here but hopefully the fact that I've said more than "same" is enough -- I guess I'm attention-seeking now.)
The point is, you are not alone, and I wish you incredible success in this new chapter defined by a new PR strategy. I think people will appreciate that you care about being not just "vulnerable" but genuine. For me, some would call it "honest to a fault." Well, I picked my poison and it's honestly. Also, you might like to know I subscribed to your paid Substack unhesitatingly. No pressure lol! I actually like your writing even more than your art because it resonates with me so well. (And I do find your art impressive.) Keep truckin on~
Hi Hope, no need to reiterate the points – "same" is support enough! It's interesting you framed this new chapter, facetiously or not, as a PR strategy. I hadn't thought of it that way but I guess we all need to have PR strategies these days. What I want now is to get rid of mine, to share unstrategically. Of course all human interaction is strategic in a sense, but I think you get what I mean. Anyway, thank you so much for the support! See you around, I'm sure.
I can absolutely see how that could come off as facetious, lol. I tend to leave comments that are extremely earnest so there was no deeper meaning that time 🙏 I am wishing you good health and satisfaction 🥰
Ugh. *"it's honesty" not "honestly"
In a way, what you're portraying is not a criticism of vulnerability per se -- because I'd argue this post is far more vulnerable than these "vulnerable" social media posts -- but rather you're critical of the particular ways of sharing about oneself that fall within our social norms and expectations. This faux vulnerability where you can talk about your sexual conquests and disappointments, for example, with a tone of acting outside of social norms, when in reality these sorts of displayed confessions are the expectation and not even remotely subversive. Sex and The City may've been slightly controversial in its time, but now if anything, it's basically the manifesto dictating what the life of the contemporary young urban person should peacock into their digital persona. The underlying ideology within this display, that when confessing our failures in satisfying some ultimate hedonic desire we are at the height of our vulnerability, is to say that we are fundamentally entitled, self-interested, and happiness-obsessed individuals who could care less for fixing an exploitative system which we sit atop of. It's a bit of artificial coloring that only serves to re-emphasize the grayness of our social reality; a reality absent of the desire for self-transcendence and communal values. To the most ardent believers of this ideology, the only thing that could possibly be missing in this world is tolerance. Tolerance, which in being this blind acceptance of anything and all things, is a tsunami which engulfs the city and leaves it sitting in a muck of ubiquitous okayness. Nothing can rise above this. Nothing can be condemned within this. Stop having values, taste, subjectivity. Accept the middling greige reality.
Anyways, thanks for the post. Your art is cool. I'll still vaguely follow you despite needing to confront the irony of one near Neo-Luddite digitally following another near Neo-Luddite.
What a ridiculously well-composed reply. I almost feel like you should be writing your own version of this essay, with all the fully-formed cultural insights you're packing. I will be thinking about this line in particular for a while: "The underlying ideology within this display, that when confessing our failures in satisfying some ultimate hedonic desire we are at the height of our vulnerability, is to say that we are fundamentally entitled, self-interested, and happiness-obsessed individuals who could care less for fixing an exploitative system which we sit atop of."
Plaisir de te lire et d’avoir de tes nouvelles.
Belle rencontre dans l’arrière pays de la mémoire à Montmartre.
Prends soin de Toi.
Je t’embrasse
Hi Pascal, always a pleasure to hear from you too. Fond memories and love from London.
can’t believe I almost forgot how much I enjoy your writing!!
Easy to forget when I get so anxious about sending newsletters that I only do it once a year! Trying to reduce the stress/pressure with this essay. Hope you're doing well Jessie :)
Having only met you a couple of years ago when I began my terrifying “coming-out“ experiment on Twitter, I don’t have the same breadth of background as some of your followers. So this backstory fills in a lot, and — not something I’d thought possible — causes me to respect and treasure you even more as an artist, an adept, a true creative person. Thank you. ❤️
Hi Robin, I've come to think of you as someone who's been here since day one, but I suppose it's only been a few years. Just goes to show how long I've been living/working online – so many eras to keep track of! And like I said, it's possible that my internet acquaintances are even more familiar with my history than I am. Thank you for being here through all the changes, and for sharing your own experience of change too.