Learn Appreciation

Summary

To appreciate something doesn't automatically mean you have to LIKE it ... The word LIKE implies that bias and personal transference are taking a front seat over full consciousness of the art as a whole.

I gave a lecture about art appreciation last night that was really a lesson on how to better connect to, and understand, media as an artform.

While Media Therapy focuses mainly on what you transfer INTO the media you consume, I always teach background about media that comes from decades of working in media, studying film in school, and having friends who are actors, directors, costume designers, DPs, and more in the TV and film industry.

Knowledge matters.

Appreciate is one of those words that has a Preferred Connotation that people choose over actual understanding, so I’ll share the etymology here for clarification.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 ‘𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦’ (𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦) 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 1787; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 ‘𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧’ 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 1833. 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Most people consume art and media with so much bias and self-importance that there is no conscious sense of its true value.

… 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 … 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 …

So, I repeat … Knowledge matters.

To appreciate something doesn’t automatically mean you have to LIKE it … The word LIKE implies that bias and personal transference are taking a front seat over full consciousness of the art as a whole.

When you put aside the LIKE, you can make more room for things like knowledge, validation of roles, history, and form, understanding, etc and therefore … appreciation.

I think artists understand this, especially MAKERS, who have to explain and justify the cost of their handmade goods and art to people that have ZERO appreciation for what goes into making something by hand with willpower, desire, physical energy and creativity. People want to pay for the raw product but not the spirit that went into it which is almost undefinable.

𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Media is similar.

There is always something worthwhile to find and learn in a lot of art. Most of it doesn’t exist for you to LIKE it.

As I’ve said, a good majority of the art you consume isn’t even FOR you directly … and when it comes to television and film … liking has nothing to do with it’s value.

In the end all that matters is you bought a ticket or you tuned in and gave your time and money to sponsors and others who simply wish to line their pockets with your attention and hard-earned dollars.

When I lecture on media appreciation it mostly has to do with understanding it’s TRUE value beyond the bias of what you want it to be for you.

Stop thinking everything is FOR you. It’s not. I promise you it’s not. Especially media that is made for profit or to sell products to consumers. It’s not for you.

It’s for businessmen and businesswomen whose livelihood depends on numbers, commercials, marketing, your ignorance and your desperate need for escapism.

Knowledge matters.

To me, media is about very different things and my appreciation of its value stems from knowledge of many of those people who are involved in making it; their work, their passions, their livelihoods, etc. My focus is rarely on the content itself and more on what it takes for the content to exist in the first place and what to takes to get any writing, passion, or creative endeavor from page to screen.

Most people have no IDEA of those individual challenges and sacrifices and don’t care.

𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘯; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 … 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘧 …

Learn to care. Learn to find value in the HARD work of others.

Learn to appreciate other people’s passions and creativity, their challenges and sacrifices for their own dreams to come to fruition …

It’s not about you. It’s about others.

Without others you wouldn’t have any means of escapism or ‘entertainment’.

There is value in learning to appreciate that.