Since I was a teenager, my obsession with the web has fueled my passions. And it was amazing to be able to watch it’s evolution over the late nineties and into today.

Communities evolved from forums, yahoo groups and web chat to social networks and now, Twitter. Internet’s advancement from text and java based worlds to the multimedia interface it is today is evolving so fast that we are finding it harder to keep up.

Benchmarks are harder to reach.

Our approach to marketing through the web also, constantly adapts.

And it’s no longer a subculture or minor few who use it. The web is becoming integrated with everything we use today: fridgerators, video game consoles, cell phones, alarm clocks, weather thermometers, etc. WiFi is now located in every major McDonald’s, free of charge. Even major cities are beginning to offer city-wide WiFi (though that still needs some improvements…). It’s an unavoidable force and a powerful tool for visual artists.

I’ve observed companies move from corporate powered to consumer driven. No longer are we force-fed products or ideas by companies or politics. We have the option to follow traditional media or people-driven information. Social media has provided a more democratic world. Obviously, not without it’s flaws, but a more open and free arena of communication and progress. We are seeing the audience itself determining what is worth our attention and money. And depending on how we as artists and creators utilize that power, it could make or break a us.

Artists are no longer confined to the institutional restriction of years before us. We’re no longer restricted by old-fashioned advertising, gallery owners or local demographics.

Our gallery is now the WORLD.  Continue reading →