Andrea David Nov 29th, 2023
Prof. Doris Cacoilo Acts of Resistance: FALL 2023 ART
Intervention 3- Final Project
The Artist’s Personal Brand is A Performance
https://www.houseofblouezz.com/events-and-shows
I started using social media at a young age. In middle school there was a class where we were taught how to use the internet in the 4th grade. This is when I discovered youtube, I used to love searching this website for all the funny weird videos online with my friends. At this age, I was always taking pictures. I picked up this habit from my dad because he used to give me cameras and told me to document everything! So I always recorded videos of my home life, trips at school, vacations, and just taking selfies for fun. I used to find pages on youtube to subscribe to that created vlogs or cool artsy content for their page which reminded me of my everyday lifestyle. As I got older, I got introduced to other popular social platforms that I used as a teen. I found a love for tumblr, pinterest, and instagram. Those were platforms where I was able to dive deep and find really inspiring artists or ideas. “They’re easy to create, reuse, and remix. And what makes them work so well is that they’re so relatable. They make us laugh but have the ability to connect us around a common feeling.” This quote relates to the use of social media posts and memes. However, all of the popular social media platforms are what we use to relate to others, find some sort of joy and enjoyment in our day to day lives, and even escape from reality. For me, I used those platforms as archives to post, reshare or pin people, places and things I related to that I felt like other people around me just wouldn't understand. Even though these social media platforms have changed significantly over the last 15 years, Social media has been one of my main resources of daily inspirations for my creative and artists endeavors.
Over the years I've been following the painter Monica Hernadez aka @monicagreatgal on instagram. She is one of my favorite artists not just for her raw expressive paintings that showcase the body and discuss identity in a unique way, but because of her influential online presence. I remember when I first found her page, I never found an artist that utilized instagram in such a raw way and wasn't afraid to show their studio/ painting process online. Monica also has a youtube page where she discusses/ debates concepts which is great content and lets viewers get a closer view of her perspective as an artist. I really enjoyed having a birds eye view of an artist’s studio practice where they present their ideas and studies online. Because most of her work is self portraits, a lot of her studies revolved around the raw female body, movement and her thoughts on how society viewed colored female bodies. Her work aligned with and inspired much of my concepts artistically. Since then I gravitated towards artists who had a unique raw presence online and were very creative with the media that they utilized to execute their ideas. Another artist I admire is @sunnimullen on instagram & youtube as well as Kimberly Drew who utilized tumblr for her activism work. They also have a unique artistic craft and use social media to showcase their art process in a raw way. Then there is FKA Twigs! A singer, song writer, producer and performer who uses media, and social media in a way that captures her artistic craft beautifully. One thing I notice about many artists is that they will have a website. Whether it's for merch, or for their art portfolio, I have realized that it is such an essential part of being an artist who wants to be taken seriously.
When having an online presence, The way you are perceived online is your personal brand and your brand is your business. You present yourself to an audience of millions on a daily basis, so whatever the content is that is being produced, Your content is perceived as a performance and the internet is your audience. Looking at performance art as this new kind of art form, and the fact that having a social media presence is a business, we can acknowledge that art and business go hand and hand together. “There is a key element in this ‘new art’ which has its counterpart in the business world. That element is innovation –– without which it would be impossible for progress to be made in any seg- ment of society.” Therefore, when thinking about social media; everything that gets posted is a performance and the artist that is performing should see themselves as a business. As well as any form of media that is created and gets posted online, that in itself is also a performance and the artist is a brand. With that being said, I am presenting my brand House of Blouezz for my intervention. House of Blouezz is an art platform that can be perceived as a virtual platform through Houseofblouezz.com, as a physical platform in different spaces/studios, and as an Idealistic platform- a state of mind housing shared ideas and concepts.
“Physical and mental space is key for creativity. A space away from the ordinary routines, obligations, and distractions of daily life.” Having an online platform helps you sometimes to escape reality, you have the freedom to create and post whatever media you'd like and curate the identity you want to perform as. It's a space away from your day to day societal obligations, and it gives you the power to rebel in a way or make a statement opposing expectations. This is one of the reasons why I created House of Blouezz. I realized how hard it is to have a safe space to create art and express yourself freely, especially for marginalized groups of people. I wanted to create a safe space for others, whether that's a physical space, an online platform, or by providing services. From observing many admirable artists over the years and having an interest in Music Business & Arts Management, I acknowledge the importance of branding yourself as an artist. Every artist themselves should operate as a business, therefore I created House of Blouezz. Having House of Blouezz also allows me to brand myself as well as an artist online where I get to curate my identity. The House of Blouezz platform provides services such as event planning/ hosting workshops and classes, promotion for artists, creating promotional content, creative assisting services and more. It also operates under the name Artbyblouezz, as a platform for producing and showcasing my own personal art. I now want to focus on the services and products House of Blouezz will be providing as well as prioritizing event planning through the platform. Currently I am revamping House of Blouezz by working on my business plan and shifting gears post opening up a studio space at the end of 2022.
My updated website showcases previous work that I have done over the last few years in teaching, curating, and all other artistic endeavors. I have a page where I describe all of the services Houseofblouezz provides along with pictures and descriptions of previous events. There is a Photography page where I showcase, barely all but some of my favorite photographs I have taken from events, concerts, travels, strangers, friends, family and nature. I have a blog as well where I post most of my academic essays, event press releases, and poems. My gallery page is where I show miscellaneous photos of myself for different events, modeling, and sample photos of my artwork. Of course there is a merchandise page, still in progress However this page has my art that's on sale as well as 2 examples of jackets from my new jacket collection Renegade Spirit. My about page discusses who I am and how House of Blouezz came to be. Lastly, there is the first page when you find the House of Blouezz website.. Home. The homepage has a graphic that I created about the coming jacket collection as well as other graphics and a newsletter signup to grow my mailing list. Usually I use Mailchimp to send out newsletters during holidays and events. My website also links to the @houseofblouezz instagram where I use social media as a platform to connect with my audience to promote any upcoming events, connect with and promote other artists and share my personal artwork. For me, creating a website was a bold move because I was choosing to put all of my work online for everyone to see. By creating such a platform, this allows me to perform in the ways many of the artists who I've been inspired by and I am able to grow my audiences for the content that I do create. To showcase the work that I have done within the last few years or so where I opened up a popup art gallery/studio for House of Blouezz as well as promoting the Renegade Spirit Jacket Collection; I created a reel that I posted on instagram. This reel will be a part of the presentation for the updated House of Blouezz website to showcase how I have been utilizing media and the kind of work I do. I also included a screenshot of the reel engagement on instagram to the audience insights. The updated HouseofBlouezz.com website was recently published and you all be the first to see it.
Sources:
The Interventionists: Users’ Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Lives edited by Nato Thomson and Gregory Sholette, MIT Press, Cambridge 2004 Gregory Sholette – Artist/Writer/Activist NYC, www.gregorysholette.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Interventionists_03_14_041.pdf. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
“The Art of Activism, Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible.” Vitalsource Bookshelf Online, online.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781682192702/pageid/64. The Art of Activism, Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible by Steve Duncombe and Steve Lambert, OR Books, New York 2021
“Memes Are Our Generation’s Protest Art.” VICE, 1 Mar. 2019, www.vice.com/en/article/mbzxa3/memes-are-our-generations-protest-art.
Media and Performance Art | Moma, www.moma.org/collection/terms/media-and-performance-art.
Full Article: Performance Art and Digital Media - Taylor & Francis Online, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14626268.2013.806333.
The Media Arts - Ct.Gov, portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Arts/Guide-to-K12-Program-Development-in-the-Arts/MEDIA-ARTS-Introduction-and-CPRC.pdf?la=en.
“What’s the Point of a Personal Brand?” Harvard Business Review, 27 July 2023, hbr.org/2022/02/whats-the-point-of-a-personal-brand.
Dreidame, Laila E. “Social Media as Performance Art: ‘expressions of Social Nonconformity through the Merging of Art and Life’ by Trinity Townsend.” Mixed Mag, 5 Aug. 2022, mixedmag.co/2022/08/05/art-perspective-by-trinity-townsend/.
Personal Branding for Creatives - Creative Market Blog, creativemarket.com/blog/personal-branding-for-creatives.
This Is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew, Penguin Workshop, New York 2020
https://theartandbeyond.com/personal-branding-for-artists/
https://www.instagram.com/fkatwigs/
https://www.monicahernandez.co/works
https://www.youtube.com/@monicagreatgal
https://www.instagram.com/misswondrousoul/
https://www.instagram.com/them90steachers/
https://www.youtube.com/@sunimullen.studio
https://www.instagram.com/sunimullen/
http://www.newimageartgallery.com/naudline-pierre

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