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Steve Koller: Studio Writing #6

Merchants of Cool


It's fascinating to think that our generation and age group is such a powerful force in the USA today. Economically, the teenage demographic has become one of the largest spending groups in our country. This video opened my eyes to how market researchers use different tactics to get clued in to what makes things "cool". These researchers believe that if they can find what's cool, they can quickly sell it, until it no longer is cool. Some of these people actually go out and find someone that they can talk to base their research on.

What's interesting from a creative process viewpoint is how some researchers take the time to actively find an average Joe and learn about him. They learn not only his basic likes and dislikes, but also social interactions like involvement in dating or friendships.

Here's a thought: if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, shouldn't the artist know his audience? This question makes me think of writing a speech. The very first thing you have to do when writing a speech is to identify your target audience. Will you be speaking to a group of antsy 5-9 year-olds, a senior citizens bingo club, an all female choir, or a pack of disgruntled employees? Each of these groups describe a different approach to the same material (or even a different choice of material) for the creator to take into consideration. As a practicing artist in the US, it makes sense to size up your audience even before you begin a piece of art. Pragmatically, it will help maximize profits. But then again, is that truly what art is about? Being a mere money-maker?

On another note, it will be interesting to see what comes out of the increasing convergence of digital technology and art as far as targeting art to the viewer or consumer. Advertising companies already track your web surfing history to try to tailor their ads to fit your needs, to maximize the chance of a sale. Say this approach was applied to art...would we see an interactive website that changed color based on your browsing history? What if in the near future someone really could create a mirror that showed you what you desired most in it, like in Harry Potter? I can just envision an interactive digital piece that morphs into different things depending on your perceived height, weight, gender, etc.

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