Is the image from the gothic quarter of Barcelona?
It isn't too far from there! I remember having a ton of fun taking photographs on 35mm film throughout the city, definitely some of the best photographs I've ever taken.
I am a strong believer that the more we consumer, the less we are going to create, as our problems are solved for us, so we don't have to find a way on our own. Once we drop far enough out of practice, we become reliant on others for everything.
Definitely! When I was just starting I found I was heavily relying on references because I just didn't have much of an imagination or much experience to draw things from the mind. It led to a strong consumption of art and less time actually doing it, but I did copy a lot of things and try to understand them, and then once I felt I had more understanding I made sure I dropped the references almost entirely, to encourage less consumption and copying and more exploration of the mind.
So many people finding distractions for their attention - anything to stop having to deal with their actual lives.
One of the biggest problems is how normalised it now is, but that's also due to how many additional distractions we now have in front of us. Everyone does it and thinks so little of it. It's almost expected now. It's not just an outcome of companies trying to manipulate you into getting addicted to scrolling, but also the media in the ways they intentionally cause outrage with various subjects to keep you in, and engaging. Arguments on news websites are great for the websites. And arguments for people with little going on is great for the people because they get worked up and assume they've achieved something after a strong back and forth argument with someone. I even notice that sometimes I do find myself reading something online and perhaps someone's commented something I might consider wrong or controversial, I feel that need to engage, but I know it's just a huge waste of time and I'm better closing the tab and moving on. Everyone has opinions but opinions are just another method of gaining metrics.
With how rapid everything is and how heated everyone seems at all times as a result of this weird digital life we've established for ourselves, I can't help but question where it's all headed. I find myself in a perpetual state attempting to understand and see what's next. We're in a very weird spot at the moment, and I think there's many others that see it and are quickly wanting to find methods to get off the ride. This is almost a different subject entirely, but it's also interesting to see how people try to escape it all, but given how many people try to escape it, the places they escape to end up with the same developments. It reminds me of the English countryside where more people want to escape the high cost of the cities, but end up building more homes in the countryside to the point where they just create the very thing they wanted to escape.
Welcome again to the community!
I have a feeling I'll be a frequent poster given I never stop reflecting. :^)
Yes. We have created myriad ways to not have to deal with pretty much every aspect of our lives, unless we choose. Who chooses work and pain? Not many, especially since it also takes discipline, something I am lacking a lot of.
The media is all about clicks polarization of audiences to get them outraged enough to attack or defend. The nuanced voices in the middle are not heard, because only the extremes shout loudly and often enough to bump the algorithms. This nudges more to each side, raising the instances.
Right,. No matter where we escape to, we end up rebuilding what we know - because it feels familiar. We don't seem to see the error in our ways.