kate spethmann.

Important Importance.

Tonight a fellow artist tried to convince me that artists aren’t important.

After getting past the wave of feelings of offensiveness that nearly drowned me, I calmly asked “how so?”.

He went on to explain to me that artists are not important because anyone and everyone is and/or can be one.   Lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. are the only ones in our society that hold any importance…according to him.

The wave of feelings of offensiveness was quickly followed by another wave of anger and pity.  Not for me, but for him.  My mind soon became flooded with questions.

“why do you have no self-importance?”.  “why are you even on this earth if you hold no important purpose?”.  “why not train to be someone of ‘importance’ instead of an artist?”. “what do you even think ‘importance’ IS?”.

Importance. Importance.  Importance. Importance. Importance.

What I hear is: Influence. Authority.  Notability.  Dominance.  Worth.

He later explained to me that the ability to become extinct proves importance.  At this point I realized, I was dealing with someone who had a very different train of thought.

Tonight I realized my importance.  By merely having it challenged by someone who I thought was on “my side”, I was washed up onto a beach of pride.

I refuse to believe I am not an important contributor to my society.  There is no way I would be on this earth if I weren’t important.  Even if I’m not important to the masses, I am important to someone and that makes me important…period.

My run-in with the boy-with-no-soul, once I got past my anger and frustration,  also got me thinking.  Where is the support?  If you can’t even depend on your peers, who do you turn to in moments of weakness?

Living the life of an artist, whether it be a writer, a painter, a musician, a photographer, an advertising executive, a film director, a model, an actor- it’s hard.  Just as hard, if not harder, as being a lawyer or doctor.  It just takes different skills, not less intelligent ones.

I have seen the medicine of doctors save lives and I have seen the art of artists save lives.

What I do is important.  What you do is important.  And I would personally like to thank you, for doing whatever it is you do.

Give it a rest.

I am overwhelmed with frustration as yet another person (let alone an “aspiring journalist”) bombards me with insults of the media.  It is one thing to acknowledge a problem.  It is another thing to bash an entire industry and have complete disregard for others who are trying to better it.  Then, when politics get involved? Forget about it!

An angry student journalist, who happens to be extremely conservative, shared this link:  http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/24124/

While the interview and the reporter’s manners did upset me a little, I certainly wasn’t about to quit the business or go on a tirade about how the liberal media is the epicenter of America’s problems.  The funny part is, I’m sure I could find a million videos of a right-wing news outlet reporter acting similarly at another event.

The anger isn’t unique to “liberal media.”  Statistics pop up everyday.  Now it is estimated that 75% of all media in the U.S. is “liberal.”  Ok, so?  Newspapers were created way back when to allow a separate checks and balances system for our government when our country was just starting to mold itself.  We are the watchdogs.  Human emotion can cloud this, I know that.  Viewers know that. Readers know that. Listeners know that.

I guess what I’m saying is: back off.  Instead of attacking the media, why don’t we let them take a step off their defensive lines and march back onto the offense.  There is a job to be done so let those of us who are willing to do it…do it.

P.S. If you hate journalism and think it’s horse crap and that you don’t have the power to help “fix” it, then stop studying it and be on your merry way.  We’ve got a job to do here.

Everyblock: what you don’t know…

Apparently I am a much firmer believe in “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” than I had previously thought.

My first reaction when I typed in “60605” and the Crimes section came pouring in was, “What?! I don’t want to know this!”

Although I have learned that there is a condo for sale right around the corner for over $600,000 I am still finding the information that Everyblock provides to be a bit daunting.

Crime statistics aside, I can see how this site could be utilized in a positive way and, not to mention, a very impressive way.  The amount of information packed onto this one site is truly amazing to me.  It weeds out all the other “stuff” from other areas that readers may deem irrelevant and gives us exactly what it is we think we need to know—the things that may, or may not, directly affect us.

One thing I did enjoy about the site was the Photos section.  It was undoubtedly my favorite portion and probably the only reason I’d go back to the site.  I guess stalking my neighborhood isn’t on the top of my priority list.  I would much rather go out, take my chances and enjoy it firsthand.

http://chicago.everyblock.com/streets/michigan-ave/1100-1198s/

The Internet and Me.

As a young adult, the Internet has provided me with a plethora of ways to stay connected to a plethora of people.  Whether they are co-workers, family, friends, enemies… I can reach them with a click of a button (and maybe a clicking of a few keys as well.)

As a journalist, the Internet has provided me with a plethora of information and infinite ways of gathering that information.  Even though my knowledge of the world before the Internet is limited, I do know that now it is easier than ever to literally have all the world’s information at your fingertips.

Today I have already checked my e-mail and Facebook about eight times.  And, I have ironically spent about an hour using the Internet to post to this very blog. So, my love affair with the “Intarweb” continues day in and day out.

Multimedia saved my life

It’s true; multimedia saved my life.  Afterall, I have heard that boredom kills.

The concept of having media directed to us in many different forms sincerely thrills me.  If I had to sit down and get all of my news through reading the tiny newsprint that leaves my hands dirty day in and day out…I’d probably opt to be left out of “the loop.”

In all seriousness, I get my news (entertainment and otherwise) through many outlets.  My main sources just happens to be the Internet. Why the Internet? Because I can interact. Interactive media, videos, pictures, graphics…when these accompany intellectual words and thoughts I feel educated; I get the whole picture.

Instead of being “bored to death,”  I flip through my magazines and newspapers as well as surf the web and TV channels for my fix. Therefore, multimedia saved my life…and continues to every day.