GUEST BLOGPOST: Kane Hopkins, commercial fashion photographer
In Greek mythology Narcissus was a hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia who was known for his beauty. He was the son of the river god Cephissus and nymph. He was proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis noticed this behaviour and attracted Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live. He stared at his reflection until he died.
Online platforms such as Instagram and Tumblr can negatively effect artists who haven’t figured out their creative-output identity or what the driving force behind their art practice. It takes continual critiquing of one’s own work, and maybe just as importantly, oneself.
It can be a dangerous loop to get stuck in the world of external inspiration where it becomes easy to accidentally imitate ‘successful’ imagery rather than developing an inner voice motivated by critical thinking – and critical seeing. One of the greatest things about making art for me, is the process and the sense of discovering my surroundings while developing an increasingly critical opinion of what I consume and produce image-wise. I believe the artist and audiences must resist the temptation – and training – of conforming to popularity, as mandated by image-making apps like Instagram.
– Kane Hopkins, commercial fashion photographer
Kane Hopkins is a panelist on Capture’s “Writing with Light” speaker series on April 26, at Inform Interiors (50 Water Street). The theme of the talk is ‘Liking vs Critiquing’, and will examine image-making within online platforms, in the era of art criticism on the decline. Details here.