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I guess this is a second chapter to my earlier blog, “Are SF Writers Leading or Following?” I think the answer to that question is “both”. Since that earlier piece I’ve only seen more retreat – particularly with my middle-aged peers – from embracing new SF in favor of going back to the well-worn path of creative fruits from the late, mid, or early 20th century. The most obvious reason seems to be that the outlook from where we stand now is not particularly inviting, with global warming (or the exhausting effort to deny it), a reduction in ambitious visions of manned space exploration (unless you’re Chinese), an increase in global obesity, the continued rise of religious extremism, the uncertainties of where the digital age is leading us, the empowerment of plutocracies in “the Free West” and the coming tests (and turmoil) over the validity of the capitalist model.
Given all that who can blame someone for looking “backwards” for a vision of the future. It’s not realistic… but it can be comforting. However now more than ever scifi has a role to play. The future before us is probably less predictable than the one we saw in the latter 20th century, but face it: while that “old future” seemed brighter, it didn’t turn out to be the path reality chose to walk.
So increasingly I see a division in SF fandom (and pros): those who accept the challenge of unblinkingly looking to the future from today’s vantage, and those turning their backs in favor of “comfort food fiction”. One is a pursuit of scifi’s mission. The other is an exercise in nostalgia (I think this includes all Star Trek’s manifestations, to date). The old stuff may still be entertaining, but it’s “off-mission”. Fresh SF has a shelf life.
I expect to see this audience divide (let me label it “progressive SF” vs. “conservative SF”, for lack of better terms, though the political associations are not relevant) grow even more obvious in the next few years, or at least become more clearly divided.
[disable cranky SF purist mode] OK. You’ve endured that, now a treat – ART!!!! GO!, my DA brothers and sisters!!! Feed your eyes and imaginations!
:thumb405365898:
:thumb398831157:
Given all that who can blame someone for looking “backwards” for a vision of the future. It’s not realistic… but it can be comforting. However now more than ever scifi has a role to play. The future before us is probably less predictable than the one we saw in the latter 20th century, but face it: while that “old future” seemed brighter, it didn’t turn out to be the path reality chose to walk.
So increasingly I see a division in SF fandom (and pros): those who accept the challenge of unblinkingly looking to the future from today’s vantage, and those turning their backs in favor of “comfort food fiction”. One is a pursuit of scifi’s mission. The other is an exercise in nostalgia (I think this includes all Star Trek’s manifestations, to date). The old stuff may still be entertaining, but it’s “off-mission”. Fresh SF has a shelf life.
I expect to see this audience divide (let me label it “progressive SF” vs. “conservative SF”, for lack of better terms, though the political associations are not relevant) grow even more obvious in the next few years, or at least become more clearly divided.
[disable cranky SF purist mode] OK. You’ve endured that, now a treat – ART!!!! GO!, my DA brothers and sisters!!! Feed your eyes and imaginations!
:thumb405365898:
:thumb398831157:
Simmering
While I haven’t been leaving much of a visible art foot print, these last few weeks, I haven’t been slacking off. First, I’m working on both building up my digital resources and trying to get my 3D-skills updated after about a three-year absence. There’s quite a few image ideas swimming in my head, I’m just building to the point where I can tackle them in my “new ways”.
Second, I’m taking an online natural illustration course out of Australia so that’s not only going to be taking some of my art time, but also (hopefully) giving me a refresher with my old skills in physical art media. So l
2020: The Year I Make Recontact
Well it’s been only about a month (give or take) since my last blog update so maybe I’m having success in retraining myself back to the DA habit. I’ve made really good progress on migrating my old arting materials to my new machine and getting up to speed with DAZ Studio 4.12. I may have only pumped out three finished pieces, but behind each one is a number of experiments and trials. With each one my “render legs” have regained a bit more strength. It feels kinda nice being back at the digital drawing board… if only to provide some distraction from our nation’s dumpster fire du jour.
I’m also r
From the shadows shuffles the unspeakable horror..
Well hey there! Long time no chat. I’m still alive and kickin’… I’ve just been kickin’ it elsewhere: in my reading nook, on my modeling bench, and in my kayak. So I’ve very much NOT been here… due to the fact I didn’t have much new to show anyone. But that may change in the coming months.
The biggest thing that’d been keeping me away from making art was my aging machine (as I work mostly digital, these days). The ole box just could keep up with the state of the tech. Like a (too) old car, it can still get me from point A to point B – most of the time – but not without great ag
We here I am again… after another loooooooong absence. For whatever reason I just haven’t felt driven to create much art this year, and something in me feels guilty about coming to DA purely as a spectator. All I can say is that I sure hope this lull passes because I’m much happier when I’m creating!
I’d be lying if I said political anxiety here in the U.S. wasn’t part of the problem and with the outcome of the last election I find myself driven to become even more politically engaged to preserve the progress made over the last couple of decades. But I’ll attempt to minimize bringing my political bag
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Out of curiosity, do you think Star Trek has 'run' its course so to speak?
Or Star Wars for that matter? (yes I know that is space fantasy or space opera, not sci fi but it dealt with interstellar civilization).
I have had this discussion with someone else when we talked about my waning interesting both of these IPs.
Back in the 80s and 90s I loved both franchises and all their spin off material such as comics, books, video games, I couldn't get enough.
But Star Trek basically became exhausted of all these spin offs and continuations and it didn't help that the last television series; was not that good, recycling stories and plot devices, logic fallacies, badly written characters, and so on.
Even when the series got new producers in Season 4 the damage was already done.
The series did head now into the direction we expected from a Prequel, but the thing was; it is not doing anything new, it now just somewhat ties more in to what we already know.
Even more Star Trek seems to have focused a lot more on its own tropes and plot devices that introducing us complete new ideas, be it technology such as new medical inventions or communication, or new social concepts such as a human society not driven by expansionism.
In some ways Star Trek even has become somewhat of a 'conservative'. Concepts such as genetic engineering and cybernetic modification of the human body which have become a staple of science fiction books, explaining why humanity could reach for the planets and the stars and live on them amongst other reasons, are still seen as something 'dehumanizing', driving us away from the ideal pure human stock that is morally wise and stable in general.
The so called Eugenic Wars mentioned in Star Trek history but also depictions in the later shows often show this transformation of the human self as a general bad thing, leading to mad scientist out of control situations, genetic supermen hell bent on subjecting regular humanity under the presumption that they are human 'gods' and should rule, and the ultimate inhumanity; the Borg Collective.
Though the Borg in Star Trek are depicted as the ultimate consumers, taking every resource including one's body and mind, I also sort of see them as a depiction of the fear for transhumanism, beings with a different mindset and goals with which co existence is impossible.
The new Star Trek movies are in general just pointless adventure movies, not only scientifically inaccurate (more so than its predecessors) but more focused on telling stories that have been told before and with little point to it other than of course simply entertaining people.
In that last it probably has succeeded but as there is a lot more sci fi in other forms that is both written better and more entertaining I wonder how Star Trek can last in such an incarnation.
As for Star Wars, that is a whole different can of worms and I probably should write about that as it would probably depict me even more as an angry fan boy.
Sorry for the long rant and hope to hear from you on it.
Or Star Wars for that matter? (yes I know that is space fantasy or space opera, not sci fi but it dealt with interstellar civilization).
I have had this discussion with someone else when we talked about my waning interesting both of these IPs.
Back in the 80s and 90s I loved both franchises and all their spin off material such as comics, books, video games, I couldn't get enough.
But Star Trek basically became exhausted of all these spin offs and continuations and it didn't help that the last television series; was not that good, recycling stories and plot devices, logic fallacies, badly written characters, and so on.
Even when the series got new producers in Season 4 the damage was already done.
The series did head now into the direction we expected from a Prequel, but the thing was; it is not doing anything new, it now just somewhat ties more in to what we already know.
Even more Star Trek seems to have focused a lot more on its own tropes and plot devices that introducing us complete new ideas, be it technology such as new medical inventions or communication, or new social concepts such as a human society not driven by expansionism.
In some ways Star Trek even has become somewhat of a 'conservative'. Concepts such as genetic engineering and cybernetic modification of the human body which have become a staple of science fiction books, explaining why humanity could reach for the planets and the stars and live on them amongst other reasons, are still seen as something 'dehumanizing', driving us away from the ideal pure human stock that is morally wise and stable in general.
The so called Eugenic Wars mentioned in Star Trek history but also depictions in the later shows often show this transformation of the human self as a general bad thing, leading to mad scientist out of control situations, genetic supermen hell bent on subjecting regular humanity under the presumption that they are human 'gods' and should rule, and the ultimate inhumanity; the Borg Collective.
Though the Borg in Star Trek are depicted as the ultimate consumers, taking every resource including one's body and mind, I also sort of see them as a depiction of the fear for transhumanism, beings with a different mindset and goals with which co existence is impossible.
The new Star Trek movies are in general just pointless adventure movies, not only scientifically inaccurate (more so than its predecessors) but more focused on telling stories that have been told before and with little point to it other than of course simply entertaining people.
In that last it probably has succeeded but as there is a lot more sci fi in other forms that is both written better and more entertaining I wonder how Star Trek can last in such an incarnation.
As for Star Wars, that is a whole different can of worms and I probably should write about that as it would probably depict me even more as an angry fan boy.
Sorry for the long rant and hope to hear from you on it.