Lipstick on a Pig
Something we’ve all done, is take less than extraordinary content, and made it appear great through our presentation of it. “I don’t really have anything to say, but if I say it with the appropriate font and words bolded, it’ll be convincing”, or, “Just add some grunge…” “Make that picture a little more edgy…” There’s a name for this, “Lipstick on a pig.” Sometimes, we have something that needs said, and isn’t necessarily flashy. I understand that. Sometimes we do the best we have with what we have.
What I’m concerned about however, is that we have gotten so used to relying on the presentation of the content, that we are quick to excuse poor content. Content that isn’t impressive, but is received well, because of that lens flare we added in photoshop.
The better our tools become, in presenting our content (whether that’s photoshop, finalcut, or garageband), the easier it becomes to neglect originality and depth. Originality and depth mean hard work. It means spending extended time in concentrated thought. Taking the time to think beyond what other people are thinking, to produce something that is worth sharing with other people. It’s when we’ve taken the time to develop content that has the depth to make it valuable, and presentation to make it engaging, that we’ve made art.
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