#but I guess I rather post high quality art rarely than bad art often | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skinnytuna · 1 year

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(i'm anon who replied to your long post about audience validation and art)

thank you for your response, it's very interesting. it's actually kinda funny because I used to be a person who never, ever shared anything I did with other people (online or in person). I wouldn't talk about the media I enjoyed or showed the drawings I made. it always felt too intimate - I was only doing it for myself and so having other people's eyes on it wouldn't add anything to my enjoyment apart from shame from not liking or creating the 'perfect' thing. if I imagined what I would do in the future, it was only from the perspective of what I would actually create, rather than the validation it would give me.

and then my world view flipped, I guess as I became increasingly exposed to online validation. I still dont share anything I make but if I (indulgently) daydream about creating something, it is rarely purely the process of creation that I think about. I cant separate the stuff I do and the response I would get like I could as a kid. this is probably partly because of watching numbers rise online. but maybe it could also just be the sad reality of transitioning into adulthood? when you are young the stuff you make is never going to get you shit. but when you are older, you are expected to view the world with a transactional slant: whatever you give, you must get back in return.

idk how into fandoms you are but I love them because they are a way to remove that dependence on transaction (both monetary and inter-personal validation) we have. obviously, fandoms mostly exist in an online world and so some people are going to be more successful at creating than others (and some people might even manage to make a tiny amount of money) but mostly they are pretty equal. most artists (fic writers/fan artists) are only creating for the sake of creation. they like something, want to improve it or want to explore a world and so they create. some fanfic writers will never get past 100 kudos on a single work, but they still write thousands and thousands of more words. this is because, for them, writing is a hobby and a way to have fun. they are literally unable to monetise it, and the possible size of a response is often limited by the tiny size of a niche fandom.

fan fiction is wholly and unapologetically amateur. it can be a great quality, but writers have the freedom to create imperfect things and learn as they go. there are no critics, book sales or best seller lists - you can just make shit and put it out there if you want.

idk if any of that made sense but yeah

it's funny you say that about adulthood because there are so many like. 13 year old rappers now who are solely in it for the money or dont understand why they are doing it and their parents are encouraging them to do it for the money so like. childhood for us was very different to what childhood currently is, right now this year.

but i personally cant remember a time when i wasn't desperate for validation like when i was playing guitar when i was 8 or 10 i still had that "i hope im good enough i want to be good enough without trying" feeling it's just the people i wanted to impress were like, authority figures. i wanted my guitar teacher to think i was cool. i wanted my moms friends to think i was funny. i'm still afraid of doing anything i haven't already learned how to do, writing is the first New thing i've attempted in maybe my entire adulthood.

it's kind of funny, when i was younger i didn't realize how bad i was at writing music and that's the only reason i stuck to it long enough to learn anything. i was like laughably bad at it in high school and no one really went out of there way to grab me by the shoulders and say "hey! you suck at this! stop!" though a bunch of people did tell me it kinda sucked. i mostly just thought they were wrong. they weren't. but now part of me doesn't believe i could ever be any good at something that isn't that. like when i write fiction i know on a cognitive level if it ends up being good it's not because i worked hard or earned it or anything it's just a complete fluke. and i don't even really believe people when they tell me it's good. even though obviously i'm only posting it so people will tell me it's good.

in a way i feel like i'm sort of shifting back to the way i was in high school... every piece of art i make im like "this is the best shit ever" and then i post it and if people tell me it sucks im like "lol. incorrect. your tastes are Unrefined" and then i keep making more whatever crap whatever. which honestly is the best way to live i think. i have some people in my life who really like, respect and admire that i make whatever the fuck i want without ever really considering whether or not i should. which is funny because i have a lot of people in my life who are like, Normal artists, who Think before they make something, and try to make Good Things and i envy them greatly because it really comes through in the work.

though obviously as an evil bastard communist i am a strong believer that "Bad" Art Is Radical and "Good" Art is Bourgeois Idealism and i find myself constantly torn between, the allure of timesinks and iteration and the mystique of hyperprolific stream of consciousness artists and i feel like i'm the worst of both worlds by not being fully one way or the other! but i guess not everyone can be Lil B and not everyone can be Frank Ocean and some of us need to sit in between those two extremes...

look at all this me talking about how i never stop and think about the art while i'm stopping and thinking about the art... i'm an Olympic level liar rn.

i've never read a fanfiction in my life (outside of like.. homestuck smut when i was fifteen. which i guess Technically Counts.) but as the form is widely derided i'm sure it has the most artistic merit of any thing. i think a lot about what a world would be like where money and art are completely unrelated. and all art exists completely separate from how much dollars it can make a corporation. would being popular even matter? would people still seek fame... complicated questions. Way if we pees form butts

#you better tell me who you are anon we better become friends

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sterek-stuffs · 2 years

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I posted 3,750 times in 2022

That's 1,459 more posts than 2021!

6 posts created (0%)

3,744 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@clotpolesonly

@isthatbloodonhisshirt

@evanesdust

@wellhalesbells

@outtoshatter

I tagged 1,895 of my posts in 2022

Only 49% of my posts had no tags

#queueue - 1,500 posts

#fic recs - 5 posts

#🥺 - 5 posts

#i love this - 5 posts

#sterek - 5 posts

#to read - 4 posts

#oooh - 4 posts

#love it - 4 posts

#this is so cute - 4 posts

#this is so cool! - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 115 characters

#the more he thought about it‚ the more he came to the somewhat startling realization that he might be okay with it.

My Top Posts in 2022:

NSFW Tag Game

The lovely @raisesomehale tagged me (well, my main which is RobotCorsair) in this bingo! Thanks for tagging me, this was fun! And sorry I didn't get a single one hahaha 😅 I enjoy a light sprinkling of smut on my fic but I rarely consume it as a main dish 😉 Some of the ones I marked I enjoy in very specific cases only, but when they match my tastes? Chef's kiss!

Card made by @loserchildhotpants! You can find it here!

(I'm not tagging anyone specific but if you see this and feel like doing it just tag me, I want to see it!)

3 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

Soft

having a smooth surface or texture that is pleasant to touch; not rough or coarse.

having a pleasing quality involving a subtle effect or contrast rather than sharp definition.

800 words - G

Tags: Pre-Slash, Fluff, Wolf Derek Hale, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Ficlet, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sharing a Bed, Platonic Bed-sharing

12 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

Stiles buys this cd for Derek as a Christmas gift

22 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

Dear Fellow Traveler

written by: lanalua (sterek-stuffs) with art by @berrysterek

Rating: M (getting together, magic!Stiles, initial Stydia, endgame Sterek, Stiles leaves Beacon Hills, Stiles comes back to Beacon Hills)

Excerpt:

“Hey,” Stiles said when he was close enough for it to not be weird. Then he remembered Derek could have, and probably had, heard him from the house. Derek nodded, “I didn’t figure you for an early riser.” “Ha. I am full of surprises!” Stiles was in a good mood. “I see that. I thought you’d be back in New York by now.” Derek had a way of getting straight to the point. Stiles would have admired it if it wasn’t so annoying, so often. “Well, I decided to stay a bit longer, after our conversation that day, you know?” Was that a weird thing to admit to an… acquaintance? Friend? Trauma buddy? Whatever, it was too late now. He decided to turn things around on Derek. “Also, dude, are you staying here? What about your loft?” He was close enough now that Stiles could see his cheeks were a bit red, although whether from embarrassment or the cold he couldn’t tell. Derek shook his head. “I have a room at the motel. I’m not staying here.” Stiles raised his brows. “You’re such a bad liar!” Derek breathed what could be a laugh. “I’m not. It was just for tonight, I wanted to start work early today. Start tearing it down soon. It was easier to just stay here.” “And you’re clearly not a morning person.” Stiles quickly steered the conversation away from depressing topics. He meant to embarrass Derek, not make him think about his morbid past. Derek’s smirk showed a hint of fang. “Wolves are nocturnal.” “That’s not even true, you know? Wolves are totally crepuscular, so really, you should have been fully awake and ready to face the day by dawn, at the latest.” Derek’s smirk softened into a smile, like he was pleasantly surprised at Stiles’ knowledge of random wolf facts. What did he expect? Stiles had gone into so many research spirals back in high school, looking into the behavior of wolves in the hopes of better understanding his lupine friends - well, and his enemies, if he was being honest. Guess the information had stuck with him even after all these years.

Coming soon to the @twsterekbigbang !!

102 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fics that came out this year and you might have missed, but that are absolutely worth checking out!

among your heart-shaped leaves by dappledawndrawn

After rebuilding the Hale house, Derek enlists Stiles' help in planting a garden.

Bite the Moonlight & Bleed Gold by raisesomehale

Seven years after being tricked and imprisoned by the Argents, Derek Hale finds himself off the blistering coasts of Antarctica aboard the Argentum Domina, an illegal prison ship out of which the Argents operate their behemoth, underground poaching empire. Derek, a bitter, pack-less alpha, spends his days working off his servitude by poaching creatures for Gerard to sell on the Black Magic Market, just trying to retain his sanity as he earns back the years of his life one capture at a time. But there doesn't seem to be an end, or future, in sight for him. Until, everything changes when Allison Argent brings him a capture case with a reward price so ludicrous that he has no choice but to accept. The only problem is, the target creature shouldn't even exist. Derek is flung fast into the deep webbings of a bigger mystery than he could have ever imagined. And discovers that, like this enchanting creature, not everything is as it seems. Can Derek unmask the schemes that threaten not only his life, but the state of the very world itself? And if doing so means losing the unexpected love he finds along the way, will he be willing to make that sacrifice?

The Bright Side of Disaster by Gia279

Tucked between fresh harvested vegetables and fruits, homemade skincare products and lovingly knit scarves and sewn shawls, were booths and tables selling potions, amulets, crystals, and herbs, athames and wands, scrying glasses and hand-embroidered altar cloths. Beacon Hills was a hotbed for magical activity, and it drew the supernatural community like moths to a flame. There were rumors that magical tools crafted in town were more powerful, potions more effective, even herbs more potent.

buyer bonus by elisela

When he walks back to the table, Derek’s out of his seat before he can think better of it. He’s going to ask him out. He’s going to go over there, he’s not going to say the man has a mouth he’ll dream about or give any cheesy, half-assed pick-up line, and he’s going to ask him if he would like to get coffee some time. Maybe he’ll skip that and go straight for dinner, or the bookstore. Derek’s heard you can learn a lot about a person by what they read. He’s cool. He can do this. “Hi,” he says, eyes flickering down to the glossy pamphlets of houses for sale that litter the table, and when panic overtakes him, what comes out of his mouth isn’t any of those things. “I’m thinking about buying a new place. Are you an agent?” Ah, crap.

Waning Crescent by Dexterous_Sinistrous

Derek’s scent was a heady warmth that enveloped Stiles’ senses. It was like the first strike of rain in a dried forest. A crisp smokiness to the tickle of petrichor. It lit up an unfamiliar spark in Stiles’ gut. And for the first time in a couple hundred years, his fangs ached.

how long will it take (to finally atone) by lookingforatardis

“I could hurt you,” Stiles says quietly, and doesn’t quite understand why he’s being honest himself. “You wouldn’t.” “I did, though. I did, Derek.” Stiles’ voice shakes and he has to pull his attention away from Derek to calm himself down from the sudden flash of memory. Silence fills the room until it’s uncomfortable, until Stiles has to look, and finds Derek watching him with a closed expression. “That was the nogitsune,” he tells him. “Not you.” Or: Void hurts Derek while possessing Stiles and Stiles has an extremely hard time recovering from what Void did to Derek even after the nogitsune is gone. The thought of touching him sends him into a blind panic, terrifying him as if every touch will hurt him all over again. Stiles can only take so much, after all, and Derek has always been his weak spot.

Don't forget to leave the authors some love!

185 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #thank you everyone

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ask-extra-size-hero · 2 years

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Favorite color?

I have a soft spot for red and white too!

#hetalia #aph america #chubby!america #alfred f jones #chubfred #answered #anonymous #i spent way too much time on this.#but I guess I rather post high quality art rarely than bad art often

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moonsolhyun-blog · 5 years

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Hi again, it’s me Laina!!! Welcome back to the mess that is me~. I re-vampred my muse. His name is Solhyun and I hope you adore him, bls. And don’t hate me for this, but also plot with me cause I am soooo excite!!!<3 TW: parent death, mention of anxiety, depression.

━♡ guess the 22 YEAR OLD MARCH baby just arrived to dallyeong! it makes sense, because MOON SOLHYUN is just as INTUITIVE as the month of MARCH. wait, why do they remind me of KIM TAEHYUNG? beyond that, they seemed CREATIVE and SENSITIVE upon first glance. I heard someone say they’re sort of WEAK-WILLED and FLIRTATIOUS though. I hope they get acquainted here in seoul; he seems to be excited about HIS job as A MUSICIAN AND MODEL

Solhyun was born on March 13th and is a Pisces.

He remembers hearing from his mother that he was born on an unlucky day and it rains every year on his birthday. Though Solhyun has never minded the rain.

He is from a small town in the North East called Yagan and he hates it there. He’ll skate around the topic of where he is from for various reasons. The biggest being that it reminds him of finding his mother’s dead body.

Sol looked up to his father even though he was a piece of shit, but he adored him not knowing any better. When he was seven years old his father told him that Yagan was poisoning the society and he had to purify them. He had no idea what he meant and just walked to school with his best friend.

He went home that night to find his parents arguing, that was when he saw his father stab his mother and there was nothing he could do about it. He was sure his father was going to come for him too, but for whatever reason, he didn’t and took off running. He held onto his mother’s hand until it went limp.

He called the police but nothing was really done about it. His father was never heard from again and his mother’s death was swept under the rug. He was told that someone he never met before was going to come and care for him-- but they never showed up. He didn’t care, he had his best friend next door and she was all that he needed. He spent most of his time with her at her house, only going home when her parents forced him to.

Soon her parents vanished-- so he and Han left their town deciding to never look back to the hell hole. They bought tickets to Seoul and bought an apartment with cash even though they were only thirteen years old. No one asked questions when you had money, that was just a fact.

He was glad they weren’t followed and that no one came looking for them. It was just the two of them and he was okay with that.

The fact that photography was nonexistent where he was from, Sol took a real interest in it. He loves it and anything art related, that was what made him happy.

He started a youtube channel and modeling to bring in money in high school. There was a teacher there that looked out for him and encouraged Sol to post his music online.

Sometimes to avoid lonely nights Han and Sol would throw parties. It was fun to forget about things and just have fun with others. It made him feel normal even though he knew he was far from it.

The teacher who encouraged him found out that Sol didn’t have parents. He offered to adopt Sol since they had grown close and he considered it. But Sol couldn’t go without Han, no matter how lonely life without parents was-- she was his constant. The teacher offered to adopt both of them, but before Sol got a chance to tell Han-- his wife said no and Sol was crushed.

He pulled away from almost everyone after this just focusing on his music and photography.

That same teacher asked Sol to not tell his daughter Rune why things didn’t work out-- so he ended their friendship as well because it was just easier. He never really gave her an explanation and he feels bad about it. He hasn’t seen her since his graduation when she came to congratulate him despite him not deserving that kindness from her.

After high school, Sol became extremely busy. He worked part-time as a model, full time as a Youtuber to post his music. His popularity grew rather fast and soon he had a record deal.

Despite having all that fame and fortune-- he still remembers the one bedroom apartment he and Han shared. It reminds him of his roots and so he likes to live humbly (most of the time.).

Solhyun is always working and keeping busy despite the fact that he’s been told many times to slow down. He doesn’t think he would know how to at this point.

In present day, Solhyun moved to Dallyeong to be close to Han again after finding out that she lived there. It was private and humble enough for his liking and he missed her. However, just after arriving he was asked to go on tour and he decided to take the opportunity. He was gone for the last six months and is now just returning to the complex. He is ready to start working on his next album, getting back in touch with those he left behind here in Seoul, exploring other artistic avenues such as photography and modeling again-- and just basking in what he now hopes to call home.

Personality (March Aesthetic):

Passionate, warm and loving- Solhyun has extreme amounts of passion and empathy for those around him. He is the guy that will rip the shirt off his back to give it to you and express it through his actions, more than his words. He will say nice words, but not as often as he’ll hold your hand to let you know he is there for you.

Reserved, Private and Quiet - When you first meet Solhyun you might mistake him for being cold and aloof because he might not say very much. (Unless he’s nervous then he might awkwardly babble like a cute idiot.) Most of the time he spends his first few minutes analyzing you and getting a feel for your energy. He enjoys quiet and sometimes just your company is enough. He doesn’t open up very easily with very deep things. If he does share these things with you it means he trusts you quite a lot.

Intuitive and Psychic - Whether you believe it or not, those born in March are said to have a sixth sense and be quite intuitive and psychic. Sol believes in this because he believed it saved him many times in his life. He’s honed this skill, by using it to get a good sense of people. He’s also dabbled in the arts of tarot and fortune telling. Sometimes he used to do it in high school for fun with friends and he’s explored it on his Youtube channel as well. He’s insanely decent with advice because of this.

Insecure, Moody, Escapist- Also like the Pisces and month of March he is moody. His mood can shift just as quickly as March can go from sunshine to rain. His is a deeply emotional person and can be easily wounded because of this. He will put on a hard shell like he isn’t but he is. He will bottle up his emotions and is prone to suffering for those he loves and rarely expressing how he feels. When it finally does get too much he’ll retreat or take a spontaneous trip to get away and clear his head.

Flirtatious and weak-willed - He is very flirtatious, sometimes unmeaning to be. He’s sincere to a fault and sometimes it comes off as flirting. Other times, he is actually flirting. He loves love and is insanely romantic, quick to fall for someone if given the chance. Sometimes his flirtations get him in trouble and he has been in more love triangles than he can count. He doesn’t mean to, but he hates breaking anyone’s heart as it has happened to him so he’ll try to make everyone happy, which often backfires. He will give people way too many chances even when they don’t deserve it, forgiving them when he should stand up for himself.

Fun Facts:

Sol is very touch starved, his love language is Physical Touch, while he does love sex and is a sexual being, just the act of holding his loved ones, cuddling them, and spending quality time with them is very important. This goes for both romantic and platonic relationships. Skinship is a big deal to him.

He loves chocolate and fruit, but most other desserts he can pass on.

Loves music and art more than anything.

Very honest, sometimes too much so. For example, if you ask him if you are a good kisser, he’ll answer you honestly. But if you ask him about a very personal issue he is more likely to bottle up his true feelings.

Will read your tarot cards, palm, aura etc. if you ask him.

Suffers from anxiety, panic attacks and bouts of depression.

He cries easily, but will not let you see if he can help it.

Will also analyze you and get an impression of you upon first meeting you.

Loves the rain, cold weather, plants and pups.

Is actually quite funny and silly once you get to know him better.

He has been called a free and unique spirit before which he takes as a compliment.

Photography and painting, pretty much anything artsy is a hobby of his.

Will act cute one second and then be a complete badass the next, he has a strong duality like the fish (Pisces).

Is a huge dreamer and often seen with a dreamy look in his eyes. Caution: If you look in his eyes or see his big smile you might fall in love. (I don’t make the rules it’s just how it is lol. This is a joke LOL)

Can cook for you and hates a mess, will clean your apartment if it’s too messy and you aren’t doing anything about it.

If you are let into his home studio, you must be really special because he considers this his private retreat.

Loves nature and often will go to it so he can write, takes photos, and clear his head.

Carries around a notebook or often writing notes on his phone every time something inspires him to write a lyric.

Will often be found humming or singing something almost all the time.

Read more stats about Sol here!

Find out about his connections and wanted connections here!

#☮ 𝐼'𝑚 𝑎 𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 ( OOC )#dallyeongintro #// this is long AF #whoops #Please plot wiff me #also i did not check for typos #because it is late

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marymosley · 6 years

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Guest Post by Profs. Frakes and Wasserman: Irrational Ignorance at the Patent Office

By: Michael D. Frakes, Duke University School of Law and Melissa F. Wasserman, The University of Texas School of Law

The Patent Office, which processes over half-a-million patent applications a year, routinely faces budgetary shortfalls, high patent examiner turnover, and a crushing backlog of patent applications. Given this challenging environment, it is not surprising that the patent examination process generates some degree of error, including errors that culminate in the issuance of a significant number of invalid patents. Given that invalid patents impose substantial harms on society, the question is what should we do about them?

At first glance, the solution seems straightforward: the Patent Office needs to do more to ensure it awards patents only to those inventions that deserve them. A seemingly promising start is to give patent examiners more time to evaluate applications. On average, a U.S. patent examiner spends only nineteen hours reviewing an application, including reading the application, searching for prior art, comparing the prior art with the application, writing a rejection, responding to the patent applicant’s arguments, and often conducting an interview with the applicant’s attorney. If examiners are not given enough time to evaluate applications, they may not be able to reject applications by identifying and articulating justifications with appropriate underlying legal validity. Offering validation for these concerns, our prior empirical work tested the extent to which patent examiner time allocations are causing examiners to grant invalid patents and found that examiners were indeed allowing patents of dubious quality because they are not given sufficient time.

Even in the face of this compelling evidence, however, it is not immediately clear that the solution to the patent quality crisis is to give patent examiners more time. While increasing examiner time allocations will decrease the number of invalid patents issued by the Patent Office, it is possible that the Patent Office is, as Mark Lemley famously wrote, “rationally ignorant.” That is, it may be rational for the Patent Office not to screen patent applications too rigorously because there is another institutional player that could weed out bad patents: the courts. More specifically, Lemley argued that because so few patents are litigated or licensed, it is better to rely upon litigation to make detailed validity determinations in those rare instances rather than increasing the resources to the Patent Office to provide more thorough review of all patent applications. Lemley supports his thesis with a cost-benefit analysis wherein he concludes that the costs associated with doubling the Patent Office’s hours to review patent applications outweighs the benefits gained by the resulting decrease in the number of invalid patents the Patent Office would issue. Although some of the numbers in his analysis reflect hard data, the dearth of empirical evidence available to the time forced him to make several critical assumptions, including assuming (rather than estimating) how many fewer patents the Patent Office would issue if examiner time allocations were doubled.

Although it has been over fifteen years since Professor Lemley wrote his influential and widely-cited article, the debate on how to best rid ourselves of bad patents continues to rage on. In 2011, Congress enacted the most comprehensive reform bill to the patent system in decades, and arguably favored the ex-post approach by creating a new adjudicatory tribunal at the Patent Office wherein third parties can challenge the validity of issued patents. In 2016, for the first time in forty years, the Patent Office began a comprehensive reevaluation of examiner time allocations, arguably favoring an ex-ante approach.

The time is ripe to revisit whether the Patent Office is, in fact, “rationally ignorant.” Should we increase the resources at the Patent Office in an effort to increase the quality of issued patents or should we forego those marginal investments and reserve a larger residual role for the courts? Our Article, begins to answer this question by employing new and rich sources of data along with sophisticated empirical techniques to form novel empirically driven estimates of the relationships that Lemley was forced to guess in his own analysis.

Armed with these new estimates, our Article demonstrates that the savings in future litigation costs and prosecution expenses associated with giving examiners additional time per application outweighs the costs of increasing examiner time allocations. More specifically, we estimate that doubling examiner time allocations would cost the Patent Office approximately $660 million dollars in additional personnel expenses. We also estimate that doubling the amount of hours allocated to review applications would result in $301 million in savings in prosecution expenses to the patent applicant driven by decreased rounds of review at the Patent Office. Finally, we estimate federal litigation-related savings of $491 million and PTAB litigation savings of $112 million. Though the $660 million increase in costs is significant, this amount is still exceeded by the $904 million that may be saved annually in (i) expenses covering litigation in federal court, (ii) PTAB-related legal expenses and (iii) potential savings in prosecution costs. The efficiency gains from marginal investments at the Patent Office are even greater when considering a range of additional harms that may ensue from the issuance of invalid patents by the Agency, such as diminishing cumulative innovation, dead-weight loss, etc. Thus, we conclude the opposite of Lemley: society would be better off investing more resources in the Agency to improve patent quality than relying upon ex-post litigation to weed out invalid patents. Given its current level of resources, the Patent Office is not being “rationally ignorant” but, instead, irrationally ignorant.

The current draft of our article is available on SSRN here. It’s forthcoming in the Vanderbilt Law Review in 2019, so there’s plenty of time for us to incorporate any comments you may have.

Guest Post by Profs. Frakes and Wasserman: Irrational Ignorance at the Patent Office published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

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manojlakha-blog · 8 years

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dissertation title:

‘Appropriation in fashion and the obsolescence of target demographics’

the aim of this dissertation is to highlight two forms of appropriation within the fashion industry; brand appropriation on the part of different subcultures and consumers; and cultural appropriation on the part of the brand. I will explain how this has led to a democratisation of fashion where consumers can shape fashion culture as much as designers, rendering target demographics in fashion obsolete.

here are a few interviews I conducted as research:

Baz, Cris (2016) Q&A

Cris Baz is an administrator of Stone Island Talk EU, an online group with over 20,000 members dedicated to Stone Island enthusiasts and sellers.

Q: First of all, could you explain what your role is as administrator of Stone Island Talk EU? Could you tell me how SI Talk started and how it's grown to where it is now?

A: Yeah sure. I'm an admin, so we police the group. Essentially, if there is a problem we mediate. We make sure all posts follow the group's rules and codes of conduct ie no racism, sexism, discrimination etc. We are also here for our knowledge to help determine if an item is fake or to help identify the year/season/model/region.

Stone Island Talk UK/EU started around 18 months ago because of a lack of groups which actively engaged with their younger members. Most groups are 18+ only and don't really like anyone young or who speaks differently to them. The surge of UK street culture which has bought a new wave of people into the brand has not pleased a lot of the older casuals.

Q: Interesting you should mention the 'new wave' of people becoming interested in the brand. Stone Island, for instance, has always strongly associated with football hooliganism? How, in your opinion, did this happen and how has this changed over time?

A: Yeah, I suppose it's the same with any brand: a lot of twats drive BMW cars but not the majority! If you go to Italy and ask where Stone Island came from it's not a football hooligan brand. I guess the casuals in the 80's liked quality expensive clothing and Stone Island fitted the bill; with their innovation in materials and pushing casual sportswear to a new level. ‘Urban sportswear’ is how Massimo Osti described Stone Island so I guess it was just a perfect fit for young men who enjoyed sports clothing with a military feel, as they saw themselves as soldiers of some kind.

Q: How would you define 'urban sportswear'?

Also, I've heard little bits about the Paninaro culture in Italy being one of the first groups to embrace SI. Do you know much about their history?

A: For me urban sportswear is the fusion between military style and sportswear technology.

Yes. that’s semi correct. Paninaro were one of the first but really the first group to embrace it was rich old men haha! It was developed at the start for yacht wear hence a big push towards marina wear. And also the prices forced a lot of people out. The Paninaro were like the UK [fans] as they were a young subculture based around music and similar tastes in clothing brands such as Fred Perry, Stone Island and Moncler. Fred Perry was one of Osti's biggest inspirations.

Q: Wow, I did not know that! Stone Island, to me, differs from many other brands as it's hard to pin down the exact type of audience you would expect to wear it Many high fashion brands seem to be targeted at the wealthier members of society Stone Island is priced like high fashion brands, but seems to be popular for a wide range of people, from Drake [rapper, often seen wearing Stone Island], to football hooligans, to rich old men, to roadmen [street youths, typically grime fans known to wear expensive trainers/tracksuits with designer brands].

Why do you think SI is popular amongst such a wide spectrum of people?

A: Yes, it’s why he called his first big brand Chester Perry; as a homage to Fred Perry.

Yes but if you see interviews with Osti and even now with [Carlo] Rivetti, neither talk about an audience; they talk of innovation and experimentation. This creates its own audience; they come to SI because innovation does not need to be marketed.

Stone Island itself was created not to make money but to investigate one fabric that Osti didn't feel worked with his CP company collection [the Tela fabric], so he created the brand to see what he could do with the Tela fabric as he didn't see it making money.

Q: Do you think SI's growing popularity is positive or negative? If you even believe it's getting more popular?

A: 100% it’s getting more popular, with people like Drake, Kanye and Travis repping it and the brand actively playing to different markets with the Supreme/Nike collabs It’s a bad thing for me personally because my classic Stone Island pieces are getting more expensive to find! Then again I have a few nice jackets already!

Q: Final question, where do you see the future of Stone Island and it’s fan base(s)?

A: Not sure really, as I see the brand heading down a path of mass production to keep up with demand which is a bad thing for me. [More basic, less innovative] jackets like the Soft Shell, Membrana and Nylon Metal are being produced in numbers not seen before to cater for the new entry level younger crowd. I don’t want it to become a ‘hyped’ brand, but at the same time it's good that the brand is becoming more accessible for the longevity of the brand as a whole

Q: Do you foresee a drop off in quality to go alongside the increase in production? Do you think catering for this 'new entry level crowd' is a bad thing?

A: There is already a massive reduction in quality in the jackets I listed alongside others. I would only buy [rare, limited edition] Special Process jackets now, as these are made for collectors of quality, not just to wear the badge.

No not really; if people like it, people like it. I know what I like, and I'm sure some people didn't like me or my friends wearing the brand when I started 10 years ago at the age of 16, but that's what the brand is about; a broad church of people who take what they want from the brand.

Gordon, Calum (2016) Q&A

Calum Gordon is co-author of Contemporary Menswear. He has also written articles for Dazed, Highsnobiety & LAW

Q: High fashion houses are incorporating more and more streetwear/hip-hop/punk influences into their design. Do you believe this is simply 'inspiration' or 'cultural appropriation'?

A: I think it very much matters on the specific cases. Designers referencing streetwear, punk or hip hop is largely fine -- referencing Hip Hop is the only thing on that list that could in any way be problematic, because designers need to be both aware of/and sensitive to the fact that black art has consistently been co-opted by predominantly white industries for profit. So such references need to be executed with the sufficient reverence to the culture it's drawing from.

Q: You say 'black art has consistently been co-opted by predominantly white industries for profit', which makes drawing inspiration from black art/culture a touchy subject for many. Do you think there are healthy or non-offensive methods for designers to incorporate potentially problematic themes into their work?

A: Yes of course, I don't think there's any problem with designers referencing elements of black culture/art. The problem comes when it is stripped of all of its original context and it becomes appropriation rather than inspiration. Take Junya's SS16 (I think that's the right one), collection for example, which was massively inspired by elements of African art and dress, but featured an entirely white cast of models. Compare that to someone like Nasir Mazhar, who takes inspiration from the streets of London and his runways actually reflect that diversity -- and feels all the richer and more authentic for it.

Q: Yes, I think context is key. Often, that can come from collaborating with the people/culture you're drawing inspiration from, to gain a better understanding. Maybe we don't see that enough in the fashion world.

You mentioned in your article the worlds of streetwear and high fashion are slowly becoming indistinguishable. Do you think the concepts of target audiences are slowly becoming irrelevant?

A: Yeah I totally agree.

Target audiences will always matter, because they ultimately drive sales. What we're seeing with the likes of Gucci becoming increasingly less high-brow in its menswear approach is a broadening of its target market, rather than ignoring the concept altogether. But designers will always design with a specific person or group in mind - such is the way of the modern world, however, traditional customer archetypes are becoming less relevant.

Q: In my opinion, the exclusivity of high fashion products has slowly evaporated thanks to the ubiquity of online shopping and the global expansion of high fashion houses. Do you think this has positively or negatively affected the culture of fashion?

A: Both. The constant desire for new product driven, and increasingly "it" product, like Vetements' DHL tee, is a cycle that cannot be sustained and will negatively impact the luxury market at some stage. However, that is not to suggest that embracing modernity and an international outlook is a bad thing -- fashion has always been made richer by its willingness to embrace the new... It just needs to find out the correct way to do so.

Ody, Jason (2016) Q&A

Jason Ody is the owner LeMonde, a leading retailer of contemporary menswear in the West Midlands.

Q: Hi Jason,

Thanks for the reply. Here are a few questions, which help give you a gist of where I'm going with my dissertation: Certain brands, like Stone Island, Burberry or Aquascutum, can become associated with negative stereotypes. Why do you think this is?

A: Because of certain working class tribes i.e. casuals for which Stone Island became their uniform.

Q: Stone Island, for instance, is strongly associated with football hooliganism? How, in your opinion, did this happen?

A: It was an new wave of Italian sportswear brand which was hard to find and featured very visible branding.

Q: What attracted the 'hooligan' or 'football casual' culture to Stone Island?

A: Travelling to European football matches and discovering the Italians ultras who were wearing Stone Island etc. It was like a uniform or sergeant stripes within their subculture or tribe.

Q: Do you think this hooligan image has worn off over time?

A: Yes,slowly. But the media love the stereotype and people love what they read. As a retailer of Stone Island in recent years the customer demographic has changed to the broader audience.

Q: To what extent do you believe the consumer controls brand image, rather than the brand itself?

A: The brand controls the distribution but not who buys it. Limited distribution, price and styling have influence.

Q: Do you think target audiences in fashion are still relevant?

A: Target audiences are still relevant but society today is made up smaller tribes who find their influences from music, sport and other cultures etc. It’s up to the brand to market themselves in a fusion of modern and traditional ways to reach their audience.

Q: Thank you again for taking the time to help. I really appreciate the advice.

A: Hope that will help you. Good luck.

Santilli, Julia (2016) Q&A

Julia Santilli is the curator of ‘masproduction’ an online archive of Massimo Osti’s work.

Q: Just to get going, could you tell me a little bit about yourself and the inspiration behind ‘masproduction’?

A: So my name is Julia Santilli (I guess most people find it surprising to see a girl is such an avid Stone Island fan!). I studied menswear in London and now work as a pattern cutter for Bernhard Willhelm in LA, but i'm still always working on my own projects with textile manipulation and design.

Q: What were your early experiences of Stone Island?

A: I discovered the brand when my dad introduced me to their work at the age of 16, and when I was 18 I went to do a very short 'internship' with them in Milan for a couple of weeks. I recently visited the Massimo Osti archives and the Stone Island factory in Bologna and Ravarino and learned a lot more about their textile production which was great!

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marymosley · 6 years

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Guest Post by Profs. Frakes and Wasserman: Irrational Ignorance at the Patent Office

By: Michael D. Frakes, Duke University School of Law and Melissa F. Wasserman, The University of Texas School of Law

The current draft of our article is available on SSRN here. It’s forthcoming in the Vanderbilt Law Review in 2019, so there’s plenty of time for us to incorporate any comments you may have.

Guest Post by Profs. Frakes and Wasserman: Irrational Ignorance at the Patent Office published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

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