Common Day Connection
“Common Day Kahlo”
As you may know, the College of DuPage will welcome an epic exhibit of the artist Frida Kahlo’s work to the MAC in 2020. Earlier this fall, I went to Frida Fest to celebrate with the community. It was a fun, festive event with music, dancing, art vendors and a lot of individuals dressed for the occasion. As my friend and I walked up the sidewalk, a young girl came right between us from the opposite direction. Something struck a chord, the young girl looked like a replica of the iconic Frida, only with glasses and a cellphone nearly pressed to her nose, oblivious of the happenings around her. I whispered to my friend, look the “Common Day Frida Kahlo”. Pop culture is often lost on me, but the image of a Magritte inspired Frida cracked me up.
…and made me think. If Frida had the technology we have today, would she have been as prolific with her self-portraits? would she have shared them freely with the world in real-time? Or would we only know her from a selfie-feed? Would she have felt more or less connected to the world while bed-ridden?
Which stirs more questions, are we more connected today or less? How many innovations or creations are not fulfilled because we are so consumed by our technology consumption? Are technological advances truly advancing ideas? at what cost to humanity? Are we more or less connected? How is social media affecting the creation and the pressure of selling our art and sharing our lives? Truly a conundrum.
What do you think?
I ask myself, as an artist, how the instant gratification and accessibility have changed how we interpret and appreciate art. And as a communications specialist trying to connect communities, services, and funding, how has the introduction of technology and social media affected my career?
There are so many scholars, teachers, employers and parents asking these same questions.
Well, we cannot close Pandora’s box, only acknowledge and question our own habits, because it really isn’t technology at fault, is it?
Here are a few suggestions from the experts, I may need to try myself…
Avoid charging your phone by your bed
Simon Sinek suggests, People before technology: if you are with a group, have one person have the phone for emergencies maybe even to take a picture, but otherwise commit to leaving their phones at home.
Take a day off: set aside one day a week and put your phone away
or… if you are really brave, do a complete reset: Choose a 30 day period to restrict your usage to phone call and text
Install apps to restrict your access or time
Changing your phone settings, like simply turning off notifications or setting your screen to black/white might help curb the pull to pick up your phone
Put your apps in “folders” so you are less likely to mindlessly go through them
Or even use a physical barrier, like a hairband wrapped around your phone, making the choice to use the phone a conscious one.
