morgantheblog-blog

[morgantheblog-blog]

hey

hey hey, still alive. i’ve been taking some time to relax and catch up on my mental health after finishing my undergrad. 

i’ll be back soon! 

xx

[morgantheblog-blog]

Hey everyone! It’s been a minute. 

How are you holding up?

 I hope you’re all doing okay, despite the seemingly never-ending pandemic. I’m barely staying sane with all of these final projects and papers I have to do, but I’m almost done luckily! I think I’m going to sleep for three days after I’m finished. 

I bet you’re wondering what the link in front of you could be. My roommate and I got together and recorded a podcast! Crazy right? We talked about social media and how it became possible for someone to create (and sell!) books created from Instagram captions and Tumblr posts. We even talk about what “literature” may look like in the future—also, fanfiction gets brought up more than once. It’s a good time. 

Do you have any “Instapoets” you’re into? Should we broaden what we consider to be “literature”? Let me know what you think. 

I hope you enjoy! 

(pssst, here’s the link from Booknet Canada I mentioned.)

[morgantheblog-blog]

Pandemonium in a Pandemic

It feels like the world is ending. 

Okay, maybe not ending. 

How are you not supposed to feel like it is, though? The entire world has skittered to a screeching halt, and with the sound seemingly reverberating at every single turn in our usually bustling world, things feel a bit hollow right now. 

I’m supposed to graduate college soon. This was no easy feat, either. My college time has been uprooted by hurricanes, floods, changes of major, bouts of depression, ADHD and PTSD diagnoses, and it goes on. Crazy, I know. 

It all sounds like a bit of a Lemony Snickett novel at times if I’m being honest. 

Through it all, I pushed through. I felt myself give up countless times but something always found a way to nudge me one step further until I could walk again on my own. Usually it was my mom helping me back up or a close friend.

At the start of my final year (my fifth one, making me the fun super senior), I started to feel weights slough off my shoulders. I’d been functioning all this time at nearly less than half my capabilities, somehow making it through most of college by self-medicating my undiagnosed ADHD with caffeine. 

Once I was properly diagnosed and medicated, I finally experienced what everyone else had been posting on social media all my college career: a semester with all A’s and B’s. I finally felt normal, that I could make it out alive from college like I was supposed to. My holidays were filled with my mom boasting about my grades to my family members, something I never thought could happen to me. 

My last semester, the one we’re currently in, started out the same way-- but this time, I felt even more confident. 

I had a new job, I was taking all my medication like I was supposed to, and I was keeping up with my classes generally well. I felt the senioritis everyone always talked about, yes, but I was managing. I was staying sane, at least. 

Then COVID-19 happened. 

I know it didn’t happen all at once-- we all know that. But we’re in unfamiliar and uncertain territories now. My college experience that I had spent years attempting to get the hang of has now been completely uprooted and thrown into the digital sphere. 

This kind of abrupt change is damaging for everyone, even those with stellar mental health. But for those of us that are debilitated by every day tasks, this sudden change can be absolutely detrimental. The CDC has even recognized this.

The world has been changed and many of us are still sitting, stuck, wondering where to even begin. 

And I mean, with headlines like this, how can you not be scared? 

In truth, I think a lot of people hold these types of existential fears every single day, but are able to ignore them with day to day distractions. The quarantine has changed that, though.

Right now, we’re all being forced to conduct an examination on our own mental health. Things in our routines and daily lives that barely worked before are now shown for what they are, and that hurts sometimes.

Routine is important. For most, it’s a way to keep things neat and organized, a way to make our lives easier. 

For those with ADHD or anxiety, routines can form a consistent structure that makes you feel held and together. With everything shifted though, this is not as possible. I think this is the case for a greater majority than we know.

And through all of this, a new conversation has crept out.  

Mental health conversations are at the forefront of discussion right now, hand in hand with general health conversations. We know with COVID running rampant that we need to practice hygiene and wash our hands, but we’re also being forced to check our mental hygiene, so to speak. 

When the entirety of society was suddenly halted, everyone felt it. People’s daily routines have been completely eradicated and a lot of people are scared. People are bound to feel scared for their future when it seems as though it’s completely uncertain.

Because of how many feel this way, there has been such an influx of resources for people to utilize in order to help their day to day lives.

Websites like this have become easily accessible and shared widely, amongst all sorts of crowds. Although their obvious appeal is that they include information that is genuinely helpful, there was one side effect that I wasn’t expecting:

They make me feel less alone. 

I’m used to feeling like an outlier in my daily life-- not many people have a slew of acronyms attached to their school history, let alone have these acronyms impact them at every turn of the way. If I’m being honest, I don’t feel ashamed for having these, but rather that they impact me in so many different ways. It’s frustrating and alienating, more than anything.

But with the amount of circulation these kinds of articles are getting and the amount that are being written every single day to help people learn how to cope, it tells me one thing: I’m not alone in this struggle, this suffocating feeling I’ve been having. 

And that shouldn’t be ignored. 

Yes, we’re all having to social distance and self-isolate right now, but we’re all feeling this kind of worry together and that isn’t something that should be taken lightly. We’re all scared right now but we are all united in this way, and I think this is allowing us all to treat each other with a little more tenderness and understanding than we have done in the past. 

At the end of the day, human connection is what lets us bond with each other. All of us are scared, grieving, and maybe even feeling hopeless-- but I feel slightly less alone in this. 

Checking in on or having friends check up on you doesn’t feel awkward or nosy right now (not that it should have in the first place!). There’s a kind of implication hanging in the air right now that tells us vulnerability is okay. A comforting hand squeezing your shoulder to let you feel a little less alone. 

There will be hard days ahead, as there have been in the past, but there will be moments of peace and shared emotions that will make things go by a little less painfully. 

It may feel like the world is ending at times, yes. But it’s nice to know that in the meantime humanity and empathy aren’t ending quite yet. 

[morgantheblog-blog]

A Brief Ethnography of Art Twitter

(note before I get started-- I am a fan of all the accounts pictured in this post and follow them from my own accord!)

Hello all!

The world is so crazy right now, and while I’d love to talk about that, I figured I’d give a different kind of update.

Do you know what an ethnography is? I didn’t, and to be honest, I still feel like I don’t when I hear it. I mean, it just sounds so scientific. And in a way, it is!

According to a quick google, an ethnography is, “the scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.” In other words, it’s just an in depth look into another group’s culture/world. 

Cultures exist all over the place in innumerable different ways, and they don’t have to be an established group determined by something like nationalities like one may think. Tiny cultures with established customs and rules exist even in the digital sphere—just think of how many different worlds there are on just one social platform, let alone all the ones that exist!

That brings us to Twitter—specifically, “art Twitter.” 

Art Twitter exists exactly where you may think, but most importantly, it’s not hidden. In fact, one of the main purposes of art Twitter is to help its participants find each other—especially those that are trying to garner a following early on. 

This is the part of Twitter where artists will utilize their Twitter following to broadcast their art pieces-- sometimes for sale, other times just to make themselves known. With these artists come their supporters and customers, the ones who essentially help spread these account’s artwork and audience. 

I wanted to look into this culture because I teeter around it all the time, in my own Twitter experience. I usually follow a lot of comedy-oriented people on Twitter, but I also follow a lot of astrology and spirituality accounts, which tends to come into contact with art Twitter, usually through retweets of giveaways. 

While I tend to observe in passing, never really interacting directly other than an occasional like, I’ve always been fascinated by it. I like to do arts and crafts and DIY projects in my spare time, but never on the level that these accounts do. 

Often times, I’ll see an account post something for sale that I know I’m able to make on my own-- or maybe it’s something that seems out of my abilities, but it will still inspire me for a project of some kind. 

Other times, I’ve found myself growing curious about these artists/accounts. When I see something being retweeted that’s for eye catching, I then wonder who is the one who made it? How did they come to making it? Do they do this often?

The list goes on. 

From my (brief) time observing this world, I discovered all sorts of customs and cultural nuances that exist here. To make things a little easier and concise, I’ll break down my findings into a list. 

1. Most of these accounts follow the same outline

An art Twitter account is easy to locate. These accounts follow a similar structure-- albeit they can be presented in their own unique ways, they each contain the same kinds of tells:

-Their name/their shop’s name

-the type of art that they specialize in/sell

-where you can find their shop (IE a link to their website or other social media handles)-a pinned tweet of some kind (typically their current giveaway, a viral tweet, or latest project/shop update they want to showcase)

Here are a few examples: 

Seems pretty easy, right?

I believe the consistency in the “structure” for these accounts is key to art Twitter’s survival-- if someone were to post a piece of art and you click on their account and the information is difficult to find, you’re not going to survive long in art Twitter. There are a lot of artists and your account’s page is your first impression. 

2. Art Twitter is built on a support system

This was one of the phenomena that brought me to look into art Twitter int he first place. 

The entire premise of it is built on lifting each other up—yes, to each a wider audience, but in turn the participants lift up each other with positivity. In the replies of every artist with an active following’s Tweets, you’ll see an array of both fellow artists and supporters complimenting the artist or just sharing something that they liked about the piece. 

It’s so deeply engrained into the culture that you can expect it on any post in art Twitter.  It’s also common to see these artists responding to their customer’s posts about their art, thanking them for their business or even just their time.

It’s these “call and response” kind of interactions that led me to feel as though this really was its own culture. These are unspoken rules that exist in art Twitter-- you’re all but expected to support each other and in turn, others in the community will support you, too. 

This is how one becomes known in the community. 

3. Many of these accounts work in similar mediums-- this can lead to conflict. 

Plagiarism is no joke-- we all can agree on that. In the scholarly world, it can be punished severely. In the artist world, it can be absolutely damning and invalidating of your art entirely. 

You can imagine where I’m going with this. 

When artists work in similar mediums, like candles or resin, there is bound to be a bit of overlap. While there are countless ways to make your own art style and brand, there is only so much that can be done with a medium like resin-- even more so when artists source their molds (for resin) from the same few wholesalers. 

It can be frustrating. 

No one wants to hear their character being smeared and I imagine it’s even more frustrating when your artistic ability is being called into question as well.

In this regard, there is no true winner nor solution that I’ve been able to come up with since observing this world, other than trying to perfect your craft as best you can to the best of your ability. 

Despite following this world (for a few weeks), I still have some things I haven’t quite figured out. 

As someone who experiences social anxiety, the idea of interacting with complete strangers over the internet kind of terrifies me. I mean, the last thing I want is someone from god knows where finding out more details about me in real life than I would prefer. And I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. 

Yet still, art Twitter thrives. It’s not just the artist accounts that keep it afloat, because clearly someone has to be supporting them. Just like musicians have to have some kind of listening audience to stay relevant, artist Twitter has to have supporters in order to stay alive. 

And it shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. 

I can understand why one would follow so many of these accounts. Seeing tweets with pieces of art that stimulate the artistic part of your brain, even for a moment, is a needed and welcomed break in ones Twitter timeline. 

People see tweets with a craft of some kind that may be in their wheelhouse of abilities and briefly forget about the awful news that was clogging their feed before it.

If I’m being honest, I need this too. 

This inspiration is always welcome, despite me never actively seeking it out. But after this mini-project, I’ve kind of begun to want to be more active in this world-- maybe not replying to every tweet I see, but who knows! 

Maybe I’ll reply to an account with heart eye emojis soon or something. 

Stay safe everyone! 

[morgantheblog-blog]

Plant Profile: Lucas

This is one of my “oldest” succulents, Lucas. 

He is super soft and has these little hairs all over his leaves. I believe his official name is “echeveria setosa”, but many call this type of succulent a “Mexican firecracker” as well. 

I first bought this plant back in late March 2018 and am only now realizing that we’re approaching his 2nd birthday, in a way. Eep! 

I’ve never had the best luck with succulents, as they tend to do really well at first and then eventually get leggy or need more sunlight. They’re a little more tricky than a lot of people think.

I always have wondered why they’re considered an easy plant, or even a beginner’s plant, because I think they’re anything but. I have this weird working theory that most people who bring home plants love the idea of taking care of something-- the nurturing aspect of it. The idea of doting on a plant, watering it every day or so can be appealing in practice, because it helps you connect with your plant and really learn to care for another living thing. 

Succulents, however, do not love being watered every few days. 

Many succulents need only a tablespoon of water every few days, when in the right conditions. However, many only need to be watered once or twice a month. They’re desert plants, after all. 

While I can’t speak for everyone and am aware that many people’s lifestyles don’t fit in with taking care of a plant every day or so, I think that new plant owners generally have a tough time with restraint when taking care of their new plants. 

He’s been getting quite tall lately and is beginning to need more sunlight, I think. He may have to move from his little spot soon, but for now he’s doing alright with the amount he’s been getting.

I’m not quite sure what I did to help Lucas stay alive and thriving for so long, but I hope I can keep it up. He’s become one of my favorite plants in my tiny apartment and I couldn’t imagine my “collection” without him. 

[morgantheblog-blog]

*rebranding*

We’re rebranding! Don’t look into it too much.

morgantheblog.tumblr.com is now the new thing, get excited! 

[morgantheblog-blog]

Why Vine Died

Do you ever think about Vine and feel a pang of sadness? 

It seems to be everywhere, this weird hole that Vine left in so many social media users after shuttering its windows just a few years ago-- and you can see it referenced and discussed online constantly. Any form of social media that involves short looping videos now is mercilessly compared to it, people reference their favorite Vines in “vine compilation” threads and video compilations across YouTube and Twitter every single day. The memes were unparalleled. 

And yet, no one can really understand why it died off precisely. 

In a recent article I came across, “Why Vine died”, Casey Newton discusses just that. In their article, Newton discusses the humble beginnings of Vine, an app that was initially pitched as a method for users to share six second videos with their friends with the intention of showing a sneak peak into their day to day lives. 

Yet, any Vine user can tell you that it stemmed and spiraled into something much more than that. 

The video sharing app was used from the beginning in new and creative ways that the creators did not expect-- users began to play with the looping feature of the videos in particular, attempting to create mind bending effects of videos that seemingly never end. The app was widely used and successful once Twitter bought the app, but it wasn’t until the app introduced the capability to use the front facing camera that the app experienced an absolute boom in use.

New social media stars emerged left and right, such as Zach King and Logan Paul, who both amassed billions of loops on their Vine channels. Brand deals were thrown at anyone that could amass a following, and it eventually got to the point that these Vine stars began planning to negotiate a payment plan with Vine for posting on their service-- something that they began to do with brands that would easily shuck out $200,000 for a single six second video. It was a wild west of brand deals, in its own way. 

But then, news came out that Vine would be closing down within the year, coming from an announcement from Twitter.  Use of the app steadily declined as the influencers of Vine stopped using the app as frequently, and so did the normal users. 

Yet now, Vine is spoken about as a tragic tale of something that everyone collectively misses and how no new app will ever be the same. But is that exactly true?

With the new emergence of TikTok, which has spread like wildfire, it’s clear that the same idea and type of users are beginning to flock to the app and use that for the kind of content that Vine was so known and loved for. When you scroll Twitter and other forms of social media now, TikTok’s are seen everywhere, filling that hole that everyone had from Vine for so long. 

Many claim TikTok to be the “new Vine” these days, but nothing can truly replace it. Its format comes with new features that expand users’ creative capabilities and churn out just as many new memes as Vine did, but it will always live in the shadow that Vine cast as it left. The internet simply hasn’t been the same without it. 

And the internet will never be the same again. 

[morgantheblog-blog]

Blog Mentors

Hello! 

Welcome to the first post of this working blog. Although things are clearly only just beginning, I’m still getting used to the whole idea of a blog space as it is. There are so many questions that I have going into this that I’m trying to figure out; what is it all about? Who is it for? Why am I writing this in the first place?

I think that with questions like this, it’s generally hard to come up with the answers all on your own and have them be completely solid, because I know that I don’t have any of the answers myself. I’m not the first person to create a blog like this and I know that I certainly won’t be the last, so why should I figure it all out on my own?

That’s where “they” come in: blog mentors! 

Blog mentors aren’t as specific or crazy as you might be thinking. In fact, they’re quite simple: two other blogs I’ve found with similar content that this one here will have over time. So, here we go! 

#1: Goins, Writer

Written by a self-described best-selling author of five different books, Jeff Goins’ blog is centered around creative work, writing, and life itself. In his About Me section of his blog, he shares his various accolades and outlines his passions and reasonings for his blog-- he also makes his sense of voice/writing style apparent right from the get-go. Someone that knows what they’re talking about, means business, and wants to share their work. 

One of Goins’ main points that appear throughout his blog is that you do not need to be starving in order to be an artist and “share your best work.” In fact, he discourages the term itself! This is a philosophy that I like myself because it’s a weird stereotype that has always existed around any kind of creative space. 

I mean, ask an English major how their last Thanksgiving dinner career talk went, and I’m sure they’ll tell you the starving artist trope is alive and well in their family’s eyes. 

With all of that being said, a few things I like about this blog are pretty basic-- he writes with an authoritative “no nonsense” voice without sounding too out of touch or demeaning. He comes across as knowing his field and having experience, and that’s important for the purpose of his blog and audience that he is aiming for. 

The general aesthetic of the blog reminds me of those that center around businesses themselves. It seems very professional, which I’m sure is what Goins was going after. 

#2: The Houseplant Journal

Ha! I bet I surprised you with this one, huh? 

Although this blog isn’t centered around writing, it is centered around learning and sharing those experiences with their audience, which is something that I am trying to do with my own. Again, my blog is going to be talking about what I have (and am currently) learning about in the weeks before I graduate, and is directed at any other stressed out soon-to-be-grads. 

Anyway, according to the writer, Darryl Cheng, this blog is about how to be a good plant parent and ensuring the best quality of life for both the plant owner and the plant itself. He gives his experience in his about section as well, citing his blog’s beginnings and how it has grown since then. 

Overall, the blog is neat and appealing to look at. Each of his posts have titles with subheadings and the date they were posted, so it’s easy and fun to navigate around as you go through the site. 

The overall color palette is something I really enjoy. Plants are generally pretty colorful, which lets the images stand out on the white background of the blog. The accent colors are subdued and calming, too. 

If this blog was about plant care instead of writing, just know that this blog would be my idol.