Jacket by Lin Ya Jun Design
As I quickly skimmed through the now extensive collection of photographs I have amassed to find one for my blog post today I began to wonder why Calvin and I were taking so many pictures. Out of the hundreds of images taken of me at this point in time there are probably a handful that are well…iconic. Only a very small number are memorable, ones I return to, that are signifiers, that represent. As a massive consumer of text since a very young age, I am now becoming a massive consumer of visuals. At what point does something become too much and actually blur into nothingness? And is there ever something that remains like a ghost? As a purveyor of visual images how can I produce something that lingers in someone’s memory long after the photo disappears from the now almost infinite number of feeds?
This week in my fashion bibliography I shared a link to a story about a recent performance piece, Sur-exposition, the product of the on-going collaboration between the director Olivier Saillard and the actress Tilda Swinton. This time joined by Charlotte Rampling, the show is part of the Festival d’Automne à Paris, an annual event around the time of Fashion Week, that Saillard and Swinton have supported for years with such pieces as Cloakroom – Vestiaire Obligatoire and Eternity Dress. Sur-exposition translates to “overexposure,” and takes on the questions I am posing.
As I make decisions about where I want to take my project, I have been told frequently by “experts” in marketing, the world of digital business and social media that I need to post much more frequently than I do. They advocate a blog post everyday and new photos going out on Instagram and Facebook at least 4-5 times a day. The actresses and Saillard remind us in this piece that good curation is never about quantity. I post every three days and that seems to work for me. I don’t just mean pragmatically, I mean artistically as well. I like to see how long a photo can sit on Instagram and still be visited and get a comment or a like. If someone misses a day or two they can come to my feed and not have ten subsequent meaningless posts and miss the one I really want them to see.
As I think through questions like re-designing my blog visually, how often to post on all my platforms and how to work with brands, I am once again inspired by my favorite style icon Tilda Swinton, performance art and emerging fashion designers. The jacket I am wearing offers for me a compelling visual of what it means for a design to contain the opposition of overexposure and underexposure.
What makes a blog post and/or a photograph something that stays with you?
Lyn, this is such an interesting question and one I’ve been wrestling with as well. I’ve come to think there’s a danger in over-saturation, and that part of what creates and sustains any "iconic" status, if you will, is a well-curated and clear vision of style and ideas. Space is important…in art, music, poetry, literature. Space supports clarity. From a business standpoint, yes, some businesses are built on volume and traffic, and others on a sense of exclusivity and distinction. There’s a balance between the two that’s sometimes tough to suss out. I guess we have to feel our way through, and trust in what feels right.
Lyn, this is such an interesting question and one I’ve been wrestling with as well. I’ve come to think there’s a danger in over-saturation, and that part of what creates and sustains any "iconic" status, if you will, is a well-curated and clear vision of style and ideas. Space is important…in art, music, poetry, literature. Space supports clarity. From a business standpoint, yes, some businesses are built on volume and traffic, and others on a sense of exclusivity and distinction. There’s a balance between the two that’s sometimes tough to suss out. I guess we have to feel our way through, and trust in what feels right.
One of the things I enjoy most about your photos is that you present a clear style presence. While you seem to lean towards more unconstructed design (I think that’s what it’s referred to), I am a California gal and it shows. I am also 66 and enjoy seeing style as presented by an accomplished woman, rather than a 20 something. And yet, I do not own a single piece of black clothing or a single black accessory. Gray is my black. Mostly charcoal gray….adopted when my hair went in that direction.
About a year ago, I revamped my entire wardrobe to boho. It was more of a desire to experience change than anything else and now I am reverting to my more comfortable minimalist leanings. An expensive experiment but well worth it for the experience. I interpret your style to be minimal, as well, so there’s a common thread.
And yes, I’d love to see more photos, possibly several at a time instead of additional posts (?), but it’s the overall experience that you provide that keeps me coming back. Great photos and links to interesting articles. Or, the chance to experience from afar a style aesthetic that is not one I am likely to actually wear myself?
I too am drawn to your blog for the way it represents your style and your always enjoyable and interesting words. I guess from a business perspective the more approach is understandable but from a personal point of view I believe quality over quantity wins hands down. Whatever path you choose , it must feel right for your own creative endeavours.
I too am drawn to your blog for the way it represents your style and your always enjoyable and interesting words. I guess from a business perspective the more approach is understandable but from a personal point of view I believe quality over quantity wins hands down. Whatever path you choose , it must feel right for your own creative endeavours.
I agree with the quality over quantity comment. I appreciate your thoughtful well written comments. You do not overwelm your viewers or readers with pointless posts to the extent that I actually read and absorb your posts as I know they are not going to waste my time!
As you often do, you have articulated something that I have only been thinking about. With respect to your postings, I look forward to what you post (Instagram and the blog). I actually take my time over your photos and spend time reading and considering your blog posts. So quality over quantity for me 🙂 While the experts may recommend more frequent photos and posts, I would ask ‘to what end’. Do what works for you and do what serves to achieve your personal goals in what you are doing. I post to my own blog when I feel I have something I would like to say and share – there can very very long breaks in between – and I post to Instagram when I have a visual that I find pleasing and interesting and think others may enjoy/appreciate etc. I say keep doing what you are doing and always do it ‘your’ way.
As you often do, you have articulated something that I have only been thinking about. With respect to your postings, I look forward to what you post (Instagram and the blog). I actually take my time over your photos and spend time reading and considering your blog posts. So quality over quantity for me 🙂 While the experts may recommend more frequent photos and posts, I would ask ‘to what end’. Do what works for you and do what serves to achieve your personal goals in what you are doing. I post to my own blog when I feel I have something I would like to say and share – there can very very long breaks in between – and I post to Instagram when I have a visual that I find pleasing and interesting and think others may enjoy/appreciate etc. I say keep doing what you are doing and always do it ‘your’ way.
It seems to me that you are an artist of a new sort and artists do what makes them most alive, not the world around them expects or dictates. Your way of posting seems consistent with the "you" we are getting to know: thoughtful, artful, gracious, anarchic and intelligent.
It seems to me that you are an artist of a new sort and artists do what makes them most alive, not the world around them expects or dictates. Your way of posting seems consistent with the "you" we are getting to know: thoughtful, artful, gracious, anarchic and intelligent.
Your thoughts and your images. The post needn’t be long and needn’t have more than one image, but if it is from you, it is almost always memorable. Please don’t become or create a "brand" or listen to the "experts" marketing, digital business and social media. Your judgment, your intellect, your curiosity, your originality serve you very well.
I love your blog. I love that it doesn’t come everyday and is full of stuff no one except the poster cares about. Your insight and exceptional writing inspire and motivate me. Keep up the good work. Change is inevitable and I appreciate that it shows we all change as the clock ticks away, just be true to yourself and don’t try and please everyone.
I think this quote from the Sabrina movie applies here…. "more is not always better, sometimes it’s just more."
I enjoy the pace and presentation of your blog, it reflects your style, and leaves a lot of room for me to think about your thoughts and your thoughtful questions. I remember so many of the images which often have an air of mystery, a place for the viewer’s imagination and feeling.
I enjoy the pace and presentation of your blog, it reflects your style, and leaves a lot of room for me to think about your thoughts and your thoughtful questions. I remember so many of the images which often have an air of mystery, a place for the viewer’s imagination and feeling.
I can’t put my finger on what stays with me. But I do know that I enjoy the current frequency of your posts. It’s the different between having one or two perfect items of clothing and a cupboard full of rubbish.
I enjoy the scarcity and value it more.
I find Tilda Swinton very inspirational as a woman, style icon, and artist. She chooses her projects carefully, and the media doesn’t track her every move so I delight in seeing a photo of her from a project (like the one you link to), or in an ad for Pringle because you don’t see her image everywhere. I feel the same about blogs and IG feeds – fewer carefully chosen, well-done images resonate with me much more than a constant barrage of content, which after a while causes me to look elsewhere.
I find Tilda Swinton very inspirational as a woman, style icon, and artist. She chooses her projects carefully, and the media doesn’t track her every move so I delight in seeing a photo of her from a project (like the one you link to), or in an ad for Pringle because you don’t see her image everywhere. I feel the same about blogs and IG feeds – fewer carefully chosen, well-done images resonate with me much more than a constant barrage of content, which after a while causes me to look elsewhere.