Do-Over by spotlight skullshines
July 22nd, 2006 1:41 AMlink to original proof
http://crisis.sf0.org/robertish/taskDetail/?id=526
this is the task i redid.
Its not just that its unclear (eliciting a lot of responses regarding its unclarity). It kind of misses the point of the entire game, which, arguably is worth negative how-ever-many-points-ive-got.
Ken Dragons criticism is, ultimately what im citing as my claim to lameness, it can be seen in the comments section of the original proof. All of which is required reading in order to understand this redo.
now for the redo itself .......
Before I joined SF0 I was down and out artistically.
A Jackie H showed me the site, and, OBVIOUSLY I thought it sucked. I say obviously, because, well, this site means nothing to you if you are down and out artistically. If you arent feeling creative, its wack, its success totally relies on your inspiration.
One night I felt kinda cornered and bored, my options for the night was to hit the same old bars and bullshit with the same cast. That night, fortuituously was the night of the journy to the end. I decided to go. I wrote … to “do something different might do me some fucking good”into mynotebook that night . After the journey, I saw the potential and the beauty of the site. I ran from authorities who screamed at me mid chase. I got away. It was like high school all over again!
The adrenaline rush of that experience kept my heart racing for hours … even days afterwards. Life was different, I had a place to source this random element I so much crave.
Next I did a proof. I got a good response.
I suddenly felt that this site was not only a medium but an audience. I felt good about what I create again. It had been a long time. Almost 4 years by my count. That’s almost half a decade. The only good art ive made in that time has been, good only in its honesty, the message of that honesty was a sort of furious lashing out at the world which wasnt going the way i wanted it to. That’s a long time to feel wrong about your voice and yourself.
The world is obivously still not going the way i want it to, but i feel empowered to do something about it. This is why im part of humanitarian crisis, i believe it will give me a chance to fight.
Ever since my sudden love for this site, Ive very much wanted people to feel the same way. I’ve invited a lot of friends. Most don’t join. I sent out, probably 40 messages to players with 40 points and below inviting them to do the lemonade stand task. I doing so I explained this very narrative of how sf0 inspired me, and that I hope to catalyze similar inspiration by giving players a chance to decide on how to give away 1,000 some bottles of free juice. NO ONE RESPONDED!
I ended up getting responses when i finally wrote Sam and Ian and Tapesonten ( a longtime acquaintence) and his friend, which was totally great, but it wouldve been a lot cooler if some random people responded to my mail!!!
I don’t know how to infuse this enthusiasm and self love and joy in creativity.
But obivously, telling sf0 to stop caring about points (which is what i did before) is really not going to recreate that feeling for others.
Ken Dragon: your street junk sculpture is really fucking weird dude. If I were waiting on cal trans, and stuck in my typical routine and saw that …. it would throw me for a total loop and leaving me slightly baffled and, more importantly, significantly unroutined. In other words, I think its dope.
If it isnt obvious already, I also think your tirade was also dope. You (and all the critics of my proof and contributors to this discourse) helped zero me in on that feeling I want to infuse in every sf0 participant. you people are fresh
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Damn, man, it's awesome how much you've poured into this proof and how it has really opened up conversation with a lot of the other players. Boy, if only there were some kind of other forum for discussing SF0 with each other...
I'm in agreement with Ken Dragon (not that you're in disagreement with him, of course) that playing this game is about the experience of it. Recognition, earned through prominent placement on the front page or through well-done tasks or through consistently 'off' proofs or through landing on the FBI's most wanted list or WHATEVER--is just a part of that experience. It is a part of the experience that will be more important to some people than to others. There are players on this site who are really challenging themselves whereas there are others who are merely allowing sf0 to slightly shape their normal routines: neither is wrong. Additionally, there are plenty of people who can't connect with the "game" behind SF0 at all and would rather just use the site as a bulletin board for interesting activity ideas...damn all the politics and all the "your proof didn't meet MY vision" snarky comment bullshit. As you said yourself, inspiration is the meat of the game, insofar as it motivates someone to undergo a new experience of their own, share an experience with others, or provide a new experience via proof to those who see it.
I'm being a bit hypocritical here, with this post, because I think the only "wrong" way to play sf0 is to try and tell someone else how they should play. Sure, new players might need a nudge or two to stay motivated or to find that groove where they're finally able to start earning votes...but everyone brings something to this game no matter how they choose to play it...and everyone takes something away. That's the beauty of it.
can i get some love for being the friend who invited you to the site?
i enjoyed reading this. i think it's a really good redo in light of the other conversations going on.
i did change it,
but dont i just call you "a friend" normaly any ways?
as in, "hey a friend, thanks again for introducing me to sf zero"
one. it was good talking with you last night. made me feel reconnected to home. and excited to come visit. thanks.
two. the word, as we determined, is synergy: combined action or operation. a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct participants or elements.
three. thanks for inviting me to this site. repeatedly. (as in repeated thanks and repeated invitations) i really needed it. and not for the points, but for similar reasons as you: lack on inspiration. it (sf0) finally got me was when i was sitting around at 2 in the morning, i couldn't sleep, i was depressed, homesick, and damn i hadn't made "art" in like 2 months. and i saw your "fortune not cookie" and "trash liberation" proofs. and i just decided to do a task.
what i've gotten (gotten not in the possesive sense, but gotten as in the enjoyment sense) out of this site isn't points, comments, or votes. why i like the site is that it has encouraged me to imagine and invent novel ways of interacting with my environment: my friends, my job, my city. it's helped me look at things from a different perspective.
and now that i'm doing that, i don't post all the stuff i do. sometimes because i don't feel the need to, many times there's not a task that fits it, often because i don't have a digital camera or the time needed to post the stuff online (i hear you on that remark about how being part of a class that has leisure time, or intentionally working part time makes it easier to play sf0, as does the ability to afford a digital camera.)
and that's ok. while i feel it's fun to share the things i'm doing with all of you, what i think is more important is that i do things. things that not only encourage me to interact differently with my environment, but also maybe shake other people from their monotone routines.
i feel like i'm rambling. so i'm going to move on to:
four. it makes me sad to hear that you hadn't felt good about the art you'd been making for a while. i mean, i know those shopping carts gave you hell, but shit, my piece didn't stay up either (fuck that installation project). and more to the point, you've been a huge creative inspiration for me over the years. (crazy, we've known each other for, what, 5 years now?) which means you were creating stuff that was good enough to inspire others to create. i looked forward to your postcards almost daily this winter. ran to the mailbox like a kid looking for presents from santa. and when i got one, got all excited about making one to send back (we should post those as a proof, by the way). that project kept me going. seriously. it was a hard fucking winter. so i'm glad to hear you're not feeling that way anymore, but if you ever are, know you've got a fan in this friend....
(ps: this parentheses thing is catching)
it sucks i cant vote for a comment cause i would
:)