Kcrawleb-FirstWordLastWord

This piece introduced a fascinating dichotomy for me to explore my own creative practice, but imposed a rather strict binary on types of artistic endeavors. Coming from experience in screen-based design, where it’s almost a given that your work will be outdated both aesthetically and technically within 3 years, I’ve naturally carried over that sense of currency to the more experimental work I do, anticipating that it will not ‘stand the test of time’ or become remembered as ‘last word art’. I rarely if ever question the longevity of my digital work because in many ways, so much of that is out of my control. The technologies that are essential to consume the work could be abandoned in favor of new ones or be patched with new features rendering my work unviewable. Additionally, in my work I’m naturally much more inclined towards diverse explorations of disciplines and ideas and have trouble gaining mastery in any one area, which I believe to be a prerequisite of ‘last word art’. While those two things push me towards the ‘first word’ side of the spectrum, I certainly still care about aesthetics and craft, and should put more thought into how I archive the things I make. I shy away from the sentiment that ‘first word art’ has to be concerned with novelty or at least be aware of it’s newness, and think the best art straddles this spectrum, bringing in new elements, techniques, or approaches, but demonstrating appropriate grace and consideration in its form.