There are more people listening to Justin Bieber now, than there ever was listening to Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen. 
There are more people who have seen “The Fast and the Furious” than “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” or ” Grace is Gone”
And the list goes on…
This is something that I discovered at a very early age. That bland “fast food” art, is more popular and widely accepted than the good stuff. The real stuff.
I remember discovering this, to be honest with you, I don’t remember when, exactly, but I discovered this at some point, when I was very young, maybe 12 or 13 even.
I was discovering lesser known musicians that I was into, and the way it worked was that when I discovered one, it would lead me to one or two other lesser known musicians that were just as absolutely fantastic as the one that brought me to them. I was digging in deep to find the best music I possibly could because what my peers at school were listening to and what the radio played was not amusing me, and was not touching me at all. It was an act of desperation.
And you have to keep in mind that there was no Internet back then, so I had to rely on whatever I could to get to new music.
And the more of these artists I found, the more it occurred to me how they never made it into the mainstream, how no one knows about them, and why I stand alone with my love and appreciation for this music and these artists.
I never really bothered to dwell too much on this discovery, I just regarded it as fact, and that was that, I never pondered why this was.
I remember when we moved to Curacao, and we were struggling financially for quite a while, how my father made a similar discovery in his work.
He was a Master Chef and was used to cook the best of the best. We’re talking about that super fancy cuisine you would see on the food network. The plate with the tiny bit of food on it that was super expensive, super nutritious and considered to be a 5 star meal.
Now in Aruba this was not a problem, my father was the executive chef of the biggest hotel on the island back then, and had 6 restaurants under him. And you can bet you that he got to cook his fancy meals, and he was praised for it. People were willing to pay for such a meal, they loved it.
But here in Curacao, it was different. The culture is different, the mentality is different and this was something he didn’t count on. And as he applied for work here, people continuously told him: “You’re over qualified” and “We can’t pay you what you’re worth”.
And it got to the point where he did what I would do at that point, he said well if no one can afford me, and I’m over qualified. I would do this on my own. And he did, he started his own restaurant on the island, and it bombed.
And I remember finding my dad sitting at the living room table with his head hung low. And if you knew my father you would know that this is a position you would very very seldom find him in. He was always optimistic, and always had a firm grasp on that ever elusive silver lining people talk about. It’s like he had a direct line to all the good in this world. I can count on one hand, the times where I found my father looking so down.
When I inquired as to what was going on, he said something like this;
“I don’t get it, I just don’t get it anymore. I am one of the best chefs in the Caribbean, I cook some of the healthiest meals you’re likely to find in the area, and some of the better tasting as well. In Aruba people couldn’t get enough of my food and expertise. But this, this is different. It’s like the people here, they don’t want to eat healthy, they don’t want to eat right. I see them turn down my meals, so they can save ten bucks and eat a huge plate of greasy Chinese food, or hit up a “Truck di Pan” (Which are vans, parked around the island that serve greasy fast food from say 10 pm sometimes till the sun comes up). They give up quality, and countless health benefits, to save a little money to buy food that will eventually lead to chronic health disorders. I just don’t understand the mentality down here, and I just don’t know where the priorities lie with these folks.”
I sympathized with him, I understood him. And at the time, I did not make the link between my discovery as a child, and the one my father just made.
Now that I have given myself up entirely to art and expression, and trying to make 
a living off it, I found myself with my head hung low, much like my father was on that day I found him at the living room table.
Since I started this whole photography gig, there have been a great many others who have picked up the camera since then. Both here on the island, as in Aruba. And many of them have also credited me with being their inspiration, and for this I am humbled.
The work we produce are vastly different, me and many of these other photographers. Pictures from one photographer to another can vary as much as one culture to another, or the topography of one land to another. But I dare to say that most of what is out there is Glam photography, which is pretty much what our parents used to love to do in Studios across the island back in the 80’s or so. Fake backgrounds, some lighting, and making people look pretty.
It is not artistic or creative, it is in every sense of the word, a pretty picture, and meant to flatter a person and make them look well….glamorous.
Now I have enjoyed my fare share of success since I started, and of that I am very proud, and humbled once again.
But I found myself with a dilemma.
I notice many of them gaining much popularity. People love them, and I respect that. I find people sending me e-mails telling me how much they love my work. And these people send e-mails to these other photographers saying the same. While our work are vastly different.
It’s much like eating at a vegetarian restaurant, and sending your compliments to the chef, and then going to a Pizza joint ordering a “Meatza” or Meat lovers” and sending the same compliments to that chef. Of course this is possible. I’m not saying it’s not so don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m just saying that it’s not common. You’re either left or right, black or white. But nowadays people are living in the gray area, which is what dominates. People spread themselves very thin. I mean sure I love Burger King and Mickey D’s. But I don’t finish a meal in Bistro and then hit up Mickey D’s, complimenting both chefs. I’m not saying I’m Bistro, and the rest is fast food, but there is quite the different between the two. Sure they are both food, but the difference is astounding. Catch my drift?….errr..hope so.
Maybe I’m trailing off…let me get back to what I need to say.
I found myself saying to myself: “These guys are better than me, which is why they are more popular, which is why they get plenty of clients, which is why they’re in the public eye”
And this train of thought threw a major wrench in my gears. It really had me down for a while.
After some serious soul searching it hit me. I made the same discovery again, forgetting that I have made it once before. Justin Bieber, everyone loves him. He is everywhere! You cannot turn around to scratch your ass without that ridiculous little chipmunk staring at you from back there. And then I wonder, what is wrong with the world, when artists like Pitbull, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and so forth dominate television and radio, while other musicians, who sing songs with so much substance, who actually play instruments, and know their instruments inside out, who sweat and bleed to get their music out, fall on deaf ears?
When movies like “Fast and the Furious” and “Twilight” are winning awards and making millions, and movies like “Inglorious Basterds” and “Benjamin Button” go almost unnoticed?
And then it hit me, one of the fundamental flaws with people. I’m not even sure what it is, but people simply settle for less. If it’s catchy, and if it’s light, they gobble it up. They don’t want to think, they don’t want to feel, they don’t want to be challenged by art. They want art to be like background music, a light lunch, a passing car. It should be light, and fluffy, and accessible, and stylized. Style over substance any time, any day. And please make it brief. Don’t use big words. And you pronounce mouth, MOUF! Don’t be easy like Sunday morning, be CRUNK! like Friday Night Foo.
I have already discovered that when you’re an artist, you’re biggest enemy is yourself. It is excruciating being an artist. How do you best your last work, how do you move on, how to not fall into apathy, how to be progressive, where to take your work next, how to really express what you feel, and what would people think if you take this into that direction. It’s pretty confusing and irritating.
And I have read many times how artists sell out, how they become comfortable and lazy. And oh how easy it is to do all that.
Ever realized how an artist will release their first album, and it’s brilliant? And the only song or two that don’t sound like the rest of the songs on the album are the hits that make it to the radio? How those are somehow catchier and poppier and deal with much less than the other songs? And how maybe by the second or third album, there are more of those “radio hits” on there than anything with substance?
Well friend, they sold out. They came to the crossroad, and they fumbled the ball.
As an artist you get to that point. You realize that people like the fluffy stuff, keep it light and casual and you’re a rising star and you will sell out concerts, go platinum, and basically make planet Earth your bitch. Can you say Billions of dollars? C’mon say it ten times fast!
Or be progressive, experiment, stay true, keep it meaningful, and chock full of smart, emotional, meaningful content. And always stay small time, sure you’ll have a strong following, but that’s all you’ll have; A following. You will never reach the masses. You’ll become a cult classic and that is that. Always a struggling artist, but true and progressive and raw.
I have come to to that crossroads, and I have chosen.
I will stay true. At the end of the day, it is far more important to me to feel satisfied with the work I do, than have money in my pocket.
I will admit though, that I almost slipped and took the other route. Subconsciously. When work’s pouring in, and the money is flowing, and people want bland stuff, and the bland stuff comes easy to you because it’s so simple, you sort of go with it. I mean why not? It’s easy work, and you always have money in your pocket. But then even with the money in your pocket, and a happy client, and the praise of the general public, you ask yourself, why in the world do I feel so cheap!? I feel used, and cheap! Like a plastic disposable camera…
It’s because I’m selling out, it’s because I’m not doing what I should be doing. It’s because I’m taking the easy road.
So if I am to go down in history as a Justin Bieber or as a Bob Dylan, let it be Bob.
And people, seriously, look beyond what the media and society spoon feed you. Look beyond the MTV, and the top 40’s. Shed that fake fucking skin that you put on so you can fit in and be like everyone else. Find yourself and stand for something. Don’t be bland, don’t be another brick in the wall. Be somebody. Shake things up. Question the foundation that this artificial life is built on, and challenge the system. Shove the man! Because living in the gray area, you will never ever see true colors. That much, I can promise you.
