It's high time I say this:
My name is Alix... And I'm a hipster.
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Well, kind of.
I shop at Urban Outfitters and I'm kind of obnoxiously obsessed with Williamsburg as well as other bohemian spots in New York City (although, in my defense, the best restaurants are there so...).
I don't really know if my fondness of the East Village and tight black jeans actually make me a hipster, although if it does, I don't think I care. However, there's another, very similar, label that could be easily applied to me:
"Art Hoe."
I've always been kind of an artsy kid. I'm a writer and hope to make it my career in the future. I have notebooks upon notebooks of angsty poetry, some good and some... Not so good. I'm also currently working on a political satire (the past year has given me a LOT of material).
There's a lot of debate (at least, I've heard the issue debated), as to whether writing counts as an art or a craft... But I personally like to think of it as an art. It seems too emotional to be a craft.
In grammar school, I took after-school oil painting lessons and I really liked it. My paintings were kind of garbage, but I liked looking at other people's stuff. I wasn't always the biggest fan of museums, but that was because of the constant walking. I liked the art, I just didn't like standing so much.
As I got older, I also developed an appreciation for photography. One of my good friends is a really excellent photographer and her Instagram is on point. Senior year, I started following more photography accounts and taking more pictures, in hopes I could emulate that. I also downloaded the VSCO app, which led to me becoming obsessed with filters.
However, apart from my writing, my artsy side in terms of visual arts is somewhat shallow. Hence why I am an "artsy kid" and not an "artist."
I can appreciate art, particularly modern art, because I'm just all kinds of pretentious. I really love art museums, especially the Whitney and New Museum. However, I never really kept up with my oil painting, and while I always mean to tap into that, I can never seem to find the time or effort.
And, although my VSCO game is on point, my photography skills are mediocre at best. When I try to take photos with a DSLR, they never seem to quite come out like the image in my head, mainly because I don't actually know anything about things like contrast and such, unless its the tools on the VSCO app... So there's that.
This leaves me looking on enviously at my friends who are actually good artists and photographers, and make me look even more pretentious to those who aren't. When I drag my sister to museums and ramble on about art, I look ridiculous, because in many ways I kind of don't know what I'm talking about. I do, in a way, but it's a shallow, purely intellectual understanding, rather than a personal, 'I-can-actually-do-this' understanding. I connect with art, but not quite in the same way as someone who could do that, like a sculptor or painter would.
I envy that connection. I have a very strong personal connection with everything I write and the images of the places and characters are crystal clear in my head. But I've always wanted to be able to translate that into a visual picture. I'm not able to, though— my drawing skills are absolutely nonexistent and my photography isn't quite as good as I'd like it to be.
However, I've accepted this. I have VSCO to cover up the flaws in my photography with pretty filters, and it doesn't really matter that I can't paint -- I'm content with being an observer, I suppose.
If we ever hang out, chances are I'll try to drag you into Manhattan. Maybe to a museum, maybe not... And being a hipster/art hoe, I'll take ridiculous amounts of pictures. I'm the worst person to go anywhere with for that reason... And because I'm admittedly a bit of a snob, I only ever really want to go to Manhattan (and sometimes Brooklyn). It's a wonder I still have friends.
There is one way I'm more than just an artsy kid though... My writing has been influenced by art -- kind of in a "tell me what's happening in this picture" way. Museums are prime inspirations of mine, so even if I don't connect to art in the way a visual artist does, I can connect to it as a writer, which is pretty awesome.
It's cool, the way art can influence itself. I think that's why I appreciate it so much -- paintings, photography, etc. are all reflections of the outside world and the art world itself.
So, to restart our conversation:
Hi, I'm Alix... And I'm an art hoe.
