The arts are places where obsessions form identities. And new forms build incrementally, from the past. A snails pace, where the market generally reflects changes very slowly. That's often why the avant-garde, or the creationist class never make the big bucks like those who refine the new concepts into familiar forms, or, when so happens that the market and the audience catches on. This usually occurred a long time afterwards. This is in reverse order from tech, which handsomely rewards the futurist and early adopters, of which are many. But, like Sam Cooke sings beautifully, "A change is gonna come". And it has, without any knock on the proverbial door, giving artist very little choice but to fight or flight.
The fast changing landscapes creates three classes of artist. Artist whom, "made it" in the classical sense before the grand digital divide, those who exist, still in relative obscurity after this grand divide, and one's who came after this grand chasm. For argument sake, I place this grand chasm around the mid 2000's. This theory on dates demands more than I'm willing to write this morning, and I'm sure many arguments can be made for placing the divide at different times. In fact, from an empirically personal standpoint, the real disruption has occurred most forceable in the last couple years.
If you came on the scene as a child of the internet, you understand the rules of the game better then Jean Renoir. If you came before and already "made it" in the classical sense, most of this has no immediate consequences for you at the time being, as long as you are working. However, those in the middle of the two, the one's who were still toiling with arts and crafts and still hadn't made a name for themselves, those are the ones with the hardest times. Not quite sure where their affinity lays.
The changes in the landscape demand and dictate a change in identity. Why? Well, all of your prior heroes did it the old school way. They did it in a way that was familiar and easy to point to. Even though gatekeepers, creation and distribution and all the old shit was even more impossible then it is today, it was safer. You could toil in obscurity till you make it, or, even in obscurity there was a certain badge of honor in pursuing something against all odds. There even existed an UNDERGROUND that accepted your invisibility. And in the case of something like filmmaking, you could always point to the lack of financial support, but we are not talking about the non-doers here.
Now, that luxury of obscurity as honor badge doesn't quite exist. You cannot hide. You must get out in front and do like the new school, and leave your heroes behind. And if they don't adjust, well, after the last of their pre digital clout dies, they will be left like you. Starting from scratch. So, adjust now, try new things, let go of old and dying ideas and jump in. Play. Look foolish. It doesn't matter anyways, because the stream might never forget, but it does forgive.
