Eliminate the Gatekeepers

What major historical events do you remember?

I remember all of the major historical events of the last 49 years like most people… That are 49. But instead of focusing on War, famine, disease and sporting achievements. I thought I’d highlight the major events that I can remember as an artist and content creator.

First of all I want to journey back to when a little thing called the Internet was launched in Australia around 1988. Not sure what good it would be, probably just a gimmick for computer nerds like a ham radio or something. Little did I know that it would change everything and help artists worldwide reach their audiences directly and eliminate gatekeepers in the arts. I had abandoned my school passion for art to build wooden boats for a living.

Then in 1991 Nirvana released the album Nevermind and the birth of the grunge scene hit. It stirred the artistic cockles of my heart and made me feel like there was some kind of artistic revolution going on. It signified the death of the highly polished 80’s music that I mostly despised. Nirvana had real passion and that was one of the events responsible for reigniting my creative passion… the first time.

The 90’s punk aesthetic also saw artists that were keen to shock while making you think. Like Damien Hirst’s full sized shark cut in half and displayed in formaldehyde tanks. Then there was the groundbreaking Pulp Fiction that challenged genre films and inspired a new generation of filmmakers, myself included. I soon quit my boat building job to go and study film, where I’d write and direct a handful of short films and start work in the film industry.

Then the around 2005 the internet really started to find its feet, launching podcasts and YouTube all around the same time. Again I wrongly thought all of this was a bit of a gimmick and I continued to make films to get into film festivals. When in retrospect I should have been going all in on both YouTube and Podcasting. I think the message here is to be an early adopter of technologies in your field. Sometimes you lose, but you could win big by being in the right place at the right time.

Then in 2007 the revolutionary iphone was launched. Life for creators was never going to be the same again. You would eventually have the ability to create podcasts, videos for YouTube, do livestreams, write blogs. Basically anything creative can be made and distributed worldwide from your phone. This is where almost any artist with the grit and determination could make a living as a creator online.

For example in 2015 Casey Niestat started a daily vlog that would become massively popular and an inspiration to creators like myself. His energy and cinematic/documentary style really struck a nerve and has inspired me to create content as an artist ever since.

So for me these are my most memorable historical events that inspired me to attempt to live my life as a thriving artist. At least I have all the creative tools I need. I just have to figure out how to make them all work.