(Sept 20, 2022 ● Oslin Pierrette)
In a lot of different instances, the main attribute to mobility in most facets has been networking, credentials, and relationships. I know that wouldn’t be my strong point. So I made sure to focus on my craft and to make the product and work so good, so I could bypass a lot of the networking. The work can speak for itself. That may sound honorable, but it typically doesn’t work that way, it hasn’t at least. I actually started researching this as a topic. I sent the work I did on this to a well respected writer in the journalism space, someone’s voice I respect as well. He agreed with my point. The creative space should be more merit based, on the quality of work. But him being in those spaces, he said unfortunately it’s simply not true. “It is about who you know…it’s good to spend more time building relationships than it is trying to improve your skill.” It’s pretty much evident that good relationships bypasses lack of talent and skill, more than great talent and skill bypassing a lack of relationships and reputation.
“There’s this sentiment that artists and creatives are supposed to be salesmen. People expect you to be a shark. But that’s just not a part of many creatives’ natural personality, it’s actually abrasive to some creatives’ personality. Like people who are the higher ups or recruiters, you have to offer up the perfect sales pitch. But some of the best artists I know are introverts…People like to say “Closed mouths don’t get fed.” But I like to retort with my saying “I can tell you’re hungry.” That feels like beautiful hospitable warmth to me, community like. People are attracted and open up to compassion. If I’m a showrunner of my team, and I believe in you enough to put you on the team. I’m gonna do my best to provide a comfortable platform for you to open up and give the best work you can. You’re gonna miss out on some beautiful work from many introverts, thinking they’re not good enough because they aren’t sharks or salesmen.
The reason I’m speaking about this again, I went to this fashion panel about being inside the industry, how to get in, also how to survive and sustain a life in the industry. And they reiterated the sentiments that I just don’t like. Basically a lot of what the fashion industry is about is relationships and reputations. My main problem is that most artists I like come from impoverished places. They just love art and the work. Then someone saw it and believed in them based on the work. So why do people put these high pretentious standards in the art world today? Most people don’t know anybody in those positions. They don’t have anybody to call to look out for them. They don’t have the luxury to get college resources to assist them, able to get and be a part of internships. That’s why you see a lot of lack of quality in these positions, highly undeserving people. They also have the audacity to have a lack of care about the positions they should be grateful for. Because they have the luxury to easily get the positions with a lack of skill. They had the luxury of connections and resources that bypasses having the required skill to put them in the seats they’re in.
That’s why there is a discrepancy in the lack of cultural people in cultural positions. For example NYC. I’ll be in the heat of the culture or the scene. And just wonder why these people never get the opportunities, and why do the people that fill the seats do. When you start to understand how people get positions, you understand the hiring pool. The hiring pool are mainly the people who have the luxury of their resources and relationships, and sometimes regardless of their skill. The bulk and where you’ll find the most talented and skill are within the culture. But the hiring pool just doesn’t highlight that region of people. They aren’t connected deep into the fashion/art world like they should be, I would assume that’s their job, trying to get the best talent to fill those positions. That is easily and simply not the case.
I’m all about being consumed by the work, loving it, and improving the quality. Then I have people telling me that’s cool and all, but it’s more important to make relationships. I’m ok with networking, it’s a natural human element. But it shouldn’t weigh more than the work. If someone has great work, why do you need a glossy résumé or “verified” people to verify my work. They had this point at the panel about “Instagram isn’t a real portfolio.” I think that’s absurd. Instagram can be a better résumé than actual résumés. Where most résumés are fluffed up. Instagram I can see your work and skills. Easier to vet if people are faking it. Instagram you have a way higher chance to see someone’s authentic skill rather than fluffed up résumés. I don’t care where you are or who you know. I see the work and if it’s beautiful or great, I want to work with you.
This is what I wanted to say at the panel, but I was sitting way in the back. Didn’t want to shout, I’m an introvert, I have a gentle mental. So I’ll express those feelings here.” An excerpt from one of my books.
A lot of who I am, comes from the way I am in my art. I do what I feel and express that in a genuine authentic manner. That’s how I live my life. Do, say, and express how I feel, live an authentically genuine lifestyle. So networking in hopes of self gain, basically networking just feels fraudulent to me. It’s too much of a transactional space. I’m not good at performing, as for a large group of people. I’ll see people approach people with full smiles and small talk conversations. Then you’ll see them walk away in gratitude mainly because they gained a new contact that could benefit them. And you can tell the person doesn’t really care about the person. Doesn’t care about their day or how life is going for them, their only interest is how can this person benefit me. That’s a skillset, where you have to add an artificial performative aspect in your personality. I’m not saying that you can’t have natural and genuine networking moments, and spaces. But in many situations, some people have to dissociate how they feel, dissociate who they naturally are, and be the person that the person wants them to be. Be the person that they would like, want to help or work with, or give the job to.
For many it’s tough to bring on a fraudulent personality, to have to carry that will take a toll on you after a while. You just don’t have the freedom to be sometimes. Walk on eggshells and perform to be able to move up. These spaces aren’t based on meritocracy. These spaces are more of a power structure, and the people with the leverage seemingly like to be catered to.
When you have relationships and reputations outweighing the work. You have people seeking relationships and reputations rather than improving the skill. Which manifest into these fraudulent spaces. When it’s mainly about who you know, you’ll ask someone about themselves, and they flaunt their connections like it’s their own merit. And you can’t really knock them for it, because it’s taken many people a long way. There’s value into putting all your effort into building your connection and status. It’s basically what cultures have turned into. Most cultures now are filled with people who are abandoning the aspects of the culture’s foundation, and just put all their efforts into gaining status. While not obtaining the skill to create in the culture. It doesn’t matter though, their status already bought them their seat. The “work, content, or art” that comes from these people are so sparse, watered down, and apathetic. Destroying multiple cultures as we know it. I don’t think they care that it’s getting destroyed, because they don’t care or respect the cultures they take part of. They like the benefits they receive from it. That is a culture vulture, you can’t have them inside. But when you have leadership, recruiters, and higher up positions filled by vultures, it’s gonna trickle down the company. They don’t really care who they get to represent the culture, or how the culture is affected. They just want to make sure the numbers are getting crunched.
When you get rid of those culture vulture aspects. Have cultural people in higher positions. That will trickle down. You have people who can actually vet out great talented and skilled cultural people to fill those positions. They just simply understand who’s the best to fill those positions. They don’t need to know who you know or where you have been to verify you. Cultural people would actually be good at their job of vetting talent, they could look at you and your work and know you’re the one for the position. Aspects like this would build meritocracy, where the culture would flourish the most. Networking would be way more valuable, because there’s a better chance you actually respect and admire the cultural people in the positions, and would like to connect with people like that. Have a real human exchange, instead of performative fraudulent ones. And after you work on your craft where you’re making very quality work, you can come to these cultural people, and they would be able to see the value in your work, instead of your connections and relationships. Building a stronger meritocracy. Instead of having people who like having their position, where they can leverage people and be catered to.
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From another post of minet:
I never understood that polished lifestyle. Like when you’re at a corporate job or event setting. How they talk on those morning or daytime roundtables. Those news anchors. Being media trained. Too politically correct. Also just general small talk and banter. Where you have to keep smiling and banter. I just don’t understand the point of it. I understand people utilize it to get by. But I don’t understand the greater true meaning of it. What is the true purpose of this etiquette? When it’s like everyone knows it’s an act. I’ve always felt that that culture is insane. The culture runs on the guise of its innocence, its fraudulent moral high grounds. You have to present yourself like you affiliate with all the “correct sides” of morality. Like being in this small “perfect” character. I just don’t understand the point of it, the absurdity. Like I feel the manifested version of this lifestyle is manipulation, polished presentability of a filthy core, an insane amount of hiding, accepted fraudulence. On the guise of kindness and niceness. When there is so much devilish evil within a lot of that culture. That’s why I highly detest it.
Like compare dark comedy to this “Polished high morality culture”(That’s what I’ll call it for now). I have more respect for dark gaudy comedians as humans rather than these polished moral people. I never want to live in a world of the polished. Even though it comes off as innocent, it feels so surreally menacing. Very creepy, just seeing everyone fake smile and chuckle.
Dark comedians tear down the curtains of the hiding. That fourth wall. To show people the bleak world we live in, an honest representation. I’m not saying I want to live in that bleak world, but it is a stop on the journey of where you should go. A step in the right direction. Honest self acceptance to allow growth.
I just can’t take part in the polished community. If I’m deemed abrasive, I don’t mind. Lot of people of the polished morality community are gross and full of low self esteem anyways. I just don’t have it in me to be that diplomatic.
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