Born to be an artist, forced to be a creative worker
Yesterday I texted my friend about a project we’ve been dreaming of (and hadn’t stopped talking about for years). Today we’re diving headfirst into it.
In 2022, I talked to a few friends about wanting to dig deeper into the human experience — the world around us. We are all creative workers, just trying to make a living out of our art. The catch is, the art we make has to fit someone else’s ideals in order for them to buy it from us; in order for us to be able to make a living out of it. That sort of thing can quickly lead any artist into a spiral — we’re very delicate creatures, after all.
We live in a messed up society where we have no choice but to live with the consequence of our predecessors’ greed. There’s no one to blame — pretty sure the original sinners are all dead by now, although they do keep on breeding because they can afford it.
While none of us can rectify any of this completely, one thing we can do is to try to live with it and make the best out of it.
Tangerines is a space where artists can just be artists, so that they can be workers when they work.
Yes, even if they are creative workers. Our unique species works to make things happen for someone else’s business — our art is a vehicle to get them to where they need to be — which is not always the ideal thing to do. I think I can safely speak for the group here when I emphasize that it’s specifically not ideal for our pride and ego mostly…
At Tangerines, our art can be just whatever it is. Whatever we feel. Whatever we want it to be.
It doesn’t have to adhere to any guidelines, anyone’s ideals, requests, preferences, and most importantly… no one is here to tell you to please make the logo bigger.
All I want is for this platform to be a space where you can be yourself, hopefully connect with people who you vibe with — potential future collaborators, clients, audience, admirers — anyone that has the potential to enrich your life. Your soul. Your brain. Your pocket. I don’t know.
I want it to be a collective effort, one where we leave a dent that does not necessarily have to be significant for anyone else. The world is so big and I’m tired of being ambitious and running toward goal after goal. A dent the exact size of “just enough for us to know that we tried to make something out of nothing” is good enough for me. Something subtle that says, “We tried to save ourselves from the identity crisis that looms upon us day by day.” Something that diverts our focus from trying to figure out if we’ll ever make it as an artist or if we’ll just keep letting work suck the life out of us for the rest of time. Something that lifts our spirits, up up and away from the general tone of dooming laments.
If this attempt at compartmentalizing is just how we try to survive, then so be it.
Let this be a space where we can just be. We’re all humans, being and becoming and trying and figuring it all out. By ourselves individually, and with the help of each other. Let it be a collective journal, one that records how we attempt to navigate our life — the sweet and sour and bitter, the tangy and subtle notes. Everything in-between and beyond. The full spectrum of the human experience. All the things and people and experience that you’ve been thinking about; that ruined you; that made you who you are; that have been keeping you going. Something significant, or something so mundane you don’t think anybody else would care (we do). It’s whatever you want it to be. It’s everything you think it is… for now. And if you change your mind, do tell us all about that process. That’s what we live for. We want to hear from all sides of the spectrum.
We’re all collaborators here.
If you have something you want to share with the world (and with us), just simply invite us to collaborate with your post on Instagram. Or propose how you want to do it. And if you want someone to test your idea on, to bounce your ideas with, to sharpen and solidify an idea, I’m more than happy to be at your service. Shoot me a message. That gives me life more than I think anyone understands. I need that. I haven’t talked to Rey about this but I think that’s something he might be interested in as well. I don’t know, I’m not a mind reader. Rey, please tell us.
As for the people who entertained this idea when it was nothing but an empty talk in the back outdoor space of our office when we were just so delirious — you’re all still my favorite thing about leading this life. Maybe this is just me making up an excuse to keep creating with you and keeping you in my orbit for as long as I can. I know you didn’t ask for it, but you’re all 100000% a part of this by the way. And Rey, thank you for being exactly who you are — someone who says yes to unknown adventures and plans the whole thing and gets us moving immediately without waiting for things to be perfect before we take the first step.
x del
