11th
Currently Working On: Helping people be creative
What I am working on
A platform/website for creative people. At the moment I’m calling it Log20.
My vision is to do what myspace and lastfm has done for bands but for artists/photographers/designers and creative people in general.
I’ve been planning this for a long while and it is an incarnation of a project that stalled in 2005 around Internet video (CreateIPTV) due to commitments at high school and the rapid changing landscape of Internet video at the time.
Solving my own problems before solving ones that don’t exist
With the Internet you don’t need to be mainstream to be a success. There’s some merit in saying that it’s better having a few hundred people that will buy your books and go to your shows than a few million people that will just think your interesting or strange. Niche audiences live online.
Unknown Underground Scene
Outside of the public galleries like how there is an independent scene for music there is one for the creative. Graffiti artist Banksy has brought underground art to the masses. But there are thousands if not millions of people creating and going un-noticed.
June 2008 I hosted an exhibition in the east end of London at a band’s house which I photographed (Fuzzy Logic). Printing 100 single edition prints to give away. Nearly all of the people that attended followed my work online.
Along with the exhibition for the weekend I rented a projector and generator and laser tagged London (Grafitti Research Labs). This allows anyone to write on buildings with whatever message they want.
There are loads of events like this that happens every day in London and other cities.
The future of creativity
Everyone is creative, everyone creates. Even if it’s your meals every day you still make something. Even that is an art, culinary art.
Recently what’s happening is that the barrier is lowering and allowing people to create what once was only accessible to the ones with money or backing. Look at photography and sites like Flickr. Never before have we seen that division line between amateur and professional photography disappear.
It’s already happening to video and film. Technology like the RED camera created by the founder of Oakley’s put cinema cameras in the hand of budget filmmakers. With their new camera Scarlet it would even make it more affordable for an avid soccer mum to record at higher than digital cinema resolution.
Gorge Lucas has commented that Blockbusters and doomed and high-budget movies re headed for extinction.
Next Generation
With technology lowering the bar and the advent of Y and Z generations (kids that have grown up using technology and the internet). Creativity won’t be seen as an artistic thing but as a part of life.
I’ve worked over the past two previous summers at a kids camp teaching kids Photoshop and Digital Filmmaking. Most already create their own videos and post to facebook and youtube.
I believe that there will be a new generation of filmmakers, photographers, designers and creative people that will change the way we work and the industry in general.
What am I making?
To start off I’m making a website just for my photography and work to live in. At this present time I wasn’t able to find a place suitable for what I want. I’m hoping to make this live within the next couple of months. Once that is done I’ll be opening up the site to friends.
I’m keeping it pretty low key and basic. The reason is I still have 1 year of university left of my Computer Science degree. I’m going to be doing my final year project on an extension of the website. Once that’s over I’m not going to be looking for a job but will be working on my ideas and taking it to the masses.
Growth at the wrong time is the worst thing that can happen.
If you are interested in what I’m doing or if you are working on similar projects feel free to drop a line, I am open to all. The above thoughts are definitely not set in stone and continue to evolve.– ben [at] benmatthew.net
