At the end of last month I wrote about making changes to this site to move away from the typical portfolio style. And I did.
The major shift was to separate my “news” and musings posts, from posts that are pure visuals (still & video) and writing, and related very specifically to one another. The former is in a category called The Present, which is the last category on the main page, and the latter is called The Undefined, and is the first category on the main page. All categories are listed on my main page, above which is a still from a movie I made some years ago, which somehow has become symbolic for me.
The Undefined is a sort of an artistic diary, and carries on a tradition I began when I first started my website in 2009. This image + writing format seems to be something I need to do. It’s a habit which has also manifested itself in past photo projects such as Story in Four and Flowers of the Underground, and in components of video series such as Abbandonata and Twins. It’s also similar to an experiment I created on Tumblr some time ago (no longer existent) called Still in Utero. Based on my continuing tendency to go back to this format, I thought at this point it really deserves its own place on this site.
One thing that differentiates me from what people seem to classify as the typical visual artist is that I really enjoy writing, and sharing it on the internet through my website. A portfolio style of site would feel like I am missing an essential body part, as these kinds of sites are not really artistic ventures in and of themselves, but interactive catalogs. The only reason to go to them is to more easily shop for something you want to buy. Since I am not selling anything on mine, that approach seems both unnecessary, and honestly, mercantile rather than artistic. One should be using a website for something very specific. For my purposes, my website is also an extension of my creativity, and not solely a reference to what I have made.
So yeah… sigh… Never do quite fit in. Which is why it’s really important, for my own sanity, not to even attempt it.
Odilonvert 