The iPad Cometh,What's An Artist To Do?
posted:
Is April 3rd the beginning of the end for the printed word? Will we all find ourselves with wide-open expanses of newly available space on our bookshelves? Are our fears of books moving into a new realm realistic? This was the idea I had in mind when I created this gallery piece for Jason Treat at The Atlantic. The art appears in the current issue.
Unless you've been under a rock for the past year, you've probably wondered what this means to those of us who make our lives in the realm of print publications. I sure have. And I must say, I'm still not sure sure how this all will shake out. The best-case scenario is one similar to the creation of the microwave oven. It hasn't replaced the traditional oven, but actually created an entirely new line of products that benefitted from the speed and ease that a traditional oven cannot offer.
I know many of us are fearful about what these devices will do to our industry and our livelihoods. But my biggest fear is that we are afraid of change, and all the possibilities that it brings - that we will not lead publishers in new ways of using our work in this non-linear environment. If we are seen as an impediment, will we not become irrelevant? Wouldn't we rather suggest new ways for our work to advance in this new form? If we don't, someone else will.
And perhaps this is a wake-up call for publishers of print to focus on what only print does - to find new forms that exploit its' physical nature. Even the most minor publications carry an essence of the legacy that print benefits from. My hope is that print will find a new way to exploit the things it does better than digital media and that the creation of the iPad will actually represent an expansion of opportunities for artists and writers.
That's my ¢¢. I'd love to hear yours.
ps- Notice the cameo of the drawger front page in the illo.
Unless you've been under a rock for the past year, you've probably wondered what this means to those of us who make our lives in the realm of print publications. I sure have. And I must say, I'm still not sure sure how this all will shake out. The best-case scenario is one similar to the creation of the microwave oven. It hasn't replaced the traditional oven, but actually created an entirely new line of products that benefitted from the speed and ease that a traditional oven cannot offer.
I know many of us are fearful about what these devices will do to our industry and our livelihoods. But my biggest fear is that we are afraid of change, and all the possibilities that it brings - that we will not lead publishers in new ways of using our work in this non-linear environment. If we are seen as an impediment, will we not become irrelevant? Wouldn't we rather suggest new ways for our work to advance in this new form? If we don't, someone else will.
And perhaps this is a wake-up call for publishers of print to focus on what only print does - to find new forms that exploit its' physical nature. Even the most minor publications carry an essence of the legacy that print benefits from. My hope is that print will find a new way to exploit the things it does better than digital media and that the creation of the iPad will actually represent an expansion of opportunities for artists and writers.
That's my ¢¢. I'd love to hear yours.
ps- Notice the cameo of the drawger front page in the illo.
