When I talk about the negative effects of fame, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with admiring and respecting the artistic achievements of Tom Waits or Bjork or even your friend Jane who is working on her demo which sounds amazing. I'm talking about the centralization of attention, everyone focusing on a single point or a small number of points. The more attention we give to the same few people, the less attention we have to give to others, the more centralized power becomes. You may think that some people deserve that much attention, and that their work is of much higher quality than anyone else. I'd not only disagree with this point of view, but I'd say it's both destructive and self-fulfilling.

I've been trying to organize some of my ideas about fame and it's relationship to empowerment/dis-empowerment these past few days. It's something I've spent countless hours studying and reflecting over. These posts can be read out of order. Part 1 is about my experience in the spotlight and the power relationship between fans and the one on stage. Part 2 is about the steemit experience and fame vs. community. Part 3 is a reflection of my early days in the music scene (as a fan) and how insecurities are what often drive us to be in the spotlight. Part 4 is a more in depth look at how fame effects people and Part 5 will be about an alternative way to utilize the spotlight.

Read Part 1

Read Part 2

Read Part 3 (What's it like backstage)

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Fans often think the object of their attention is the "best" at what they do, whether they are talking about Steve Jobs or Beyonce, or Albert Einstein. Obviously none of us have the ability to pay attention to everything in the world, so most people rely on certain channels to provide them with "the best". In the case of music, it may be MTV (do they play music anymore?), radio stations or podcasts, youtube channels, Pitchfork, blogs, festivals, their friends or simply the music they hear on TV and out shopping. Things have certainly gotten better with the internet but the fact remains, so much brilliant art and music (as well as film, theatre, performance, political commentary, writing, and just about anything else) never manages to receive any attention what-so-ever. They either never cross the radar of someone who could serve as a "scout", weren't what the so-called scout was looking for or weren't looking for a scout in the first place, they were just looking to grow organically.

To grow organically in our culture has become increasingly difficult. Why is that?

Fame attracts Fame

It's the same way money works and the same way steem power works. Some would say it's how human nature works but I've seen enough to disagree with that. It's just something characteristic of our current culture. People are attracted to those with a reputation, those with resources and the more centralized the reputation becomes, the more centralized the reputation becomes. Some artist or "artist" gets money pumped into advertising, or even happens to catch the attention of a reputable source through their own merit. The stores and cafes and films want to play music that people like because they're goal is to please as many consumers as possible. In many cases they are paid by promoters to play the same stuff. Kids (or adults) who aren't as deeply interested in music as they think they are (most people) are often insecure and want to like stuff that's cool. So everyone plays the same thing.

But would people act so mindlessly without the centralization of attention? What would happen if there were 10x as many reputable sources? 1000x as many? What if a majority of us were reputable sources? What would happen if "being cool" meant going out and finding your own favorite artists and writers through social media platforms like steemit and if there was no social cred given for liking what everyone else likes. Hang out with some good DJ's and you'll find out, the amount of good and unknown music feel endless and comes at you from every direction. It may feel a bit "hipser" but you'll find that the world was much more full of talent than you knew.

I'm not suggesting everyone needs to become a DJ or an expert in niche genres like chiptune and afrobeat, but the more decentralized our interests and attention, the more artists who create work of quality can live off their work and share the attention.

Why is the idea that some people deserve more attention a self fulfilling prophecy?

We like to harp on this idea of the "genius", the "hero", the "innovator" as if they are something so very far apart from ourselves. I want to reiterate this until you are sick of hearing it. They are NOT fundamentally different for you and I. There are only two things that sets them apart from us and both are things which you can find regardless of your DNA and background: FOCUS and EXPERIMENTATION

The myth of the "hero" or the "genius" is a dis-empowering narrative we tell ourselves and share with those around us. It's an excuse we use to not live up to our full potential because we are too scared, and we are taught to think it's not possible. I remember thinking I couldn't learn another language. I put years of my life into it and experimented and I learned how to do it. I thought I'd never be good at guitar, I keep coming back to it and guess what? I'm starting to sound ok. I doubted that I'd become an influential content creator at steemit, but I kept at it and experimented and put hours and hours into it and I'm getting there. What makes me exceptional? Not much.

I respect the hell out of certain artists and writers and thinkers and do-ers. But I know we aren't fundamentally different. To think that these people are somehow more special or inherently talented than you are is a huge disservice and roadblock for you.

What does fame do to the famous

I used to send letters to my favorite musicians and try to get to know them personally. It rarely worked (until I got "connected"). There was a massive barrier. This barrier exists for all famous people. There is an image that the world creates of them and then there is the real them. This is true for everyone but the myth of the "genius" creates such a strong imagine of a famous person that natural interactions become more and more difficult.

Can you imagine having people wanting to take pictures of you everywhere you go? Or adjusting their behavior and opinions to please you all the time? You might think it'd be nice but think a little longer and harder. Is it really that hard to imagine what motivates Kanye say the things he says? Even when you make enemies, there will still be your loyal WORSHIPERS who tell you everything you do and say is right.

Let's not look at more moderate cases. Even more level headed celebrities (whether they are artists or business entrepreneurs or youtube personalities) will most certainly be tempted to take advantage of the attention they get. It becomes easier to justify any behavior because there are always people supporting you, because there are always people supporting you. That wasn't a typo. The worship comes from group-think. How then will you be able to relate to regular people. You are the center of the mainstream culture, but you are already so far removed from the culture of all your fans that you can't relate to anyone except for other celebrities. This has the potential to turn people into monsters, or at the very best, self-indulgent, self-important people with little connection to reality.

I'm obviously not calling all celebrities psychopaths. I'm just saying they are not in the ideal situation for healthy balanced thinking. The obsession with the spotlight is not only damaging to the fan, but also to the one in the spotlight. It denies them a natural connection with other "regular" people and places them in a far removed bubble.

That nervous feeling in your stomach when you get a chance to meet someone famous, that's not natural. It's not healthy. You shouldn't feel guilty about it, but try and remember that this is just a normal person who happened to achieve something you respect, not some superhuman being that warrants butterflies in your stomach. You are just as awesome, the only difference is the fruits of your labor may not have showed themselves yet. No need to get obsessed or make a big deal! You are capable of just as much awesome as they are!

Or Maybe you should have those butterflies in your stomach when you meet every single person in your life, because they all have the potential to be equally amazing. I hope you feel that when you look in the mirror too.

I'll leave you with this awesome speech by Jack Gleeson, who play King Joffery on Game of Thrones. He says it much better than I did, though I won't say "much better than I could have", I will give myself more credit than that.

Part 5

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