Editor's Letter November
November is all about CONNECTION here at Brainwash.
Connection w/ self
Connection w/ places
Connection w/ people
To CONNECT is to have meaningful communications with other people even if that person is yourself. It is to be able to sit next to a stranger on a train and have a conversation about love. It’s that feeling you get after meeting an internet friend IRL for the first time and feeling like you’ve known them your entire life.
Recognizing where those CONNECTIONS exists informs our next step. It tells us that if a + b = c then c - b= a. It’s the ability to see the move before it happens. To understand what is happening today as it will inform what will happen tomorrow and provide context to what has happened yesterday.
To see these CONNECTIONS is to be still—to listen. To observe. There’s this interview Bjork did in 88’ where she spends about 3 minutes taking apart a TV and explaining how each part works together to project the image you see on the screen. CONNECTION gives context to things that would otherwise be seen as irrelevant.
Also, consider the idea that while we live in a time where we are interconnected—constantly in constant communication with one another— we still have trouble truly connecting with others on a sort of human level. Childish Gambino / Donald Glover talks about this idea in his interview with The Breakfast Club declaring, “we are all connected but no one is connecting. Things are moving faster, but no one is thinking.”
As cultural commentators, we spend a large amount of time trying to connect the dots. Trying to understand why people spend more time documenting experiences than living them. Or if Drake has transcended rap and the reason why we are obsessed with the Kardashians. We do it because it allows us to apply reason to an otherwise reckless world filled with dead black bodies on street corners and DONALD FREAKING TRUMP running for president of this country. Keeps us sane.
Some ideas to think about:
Collective Consciousness
Live tweeting: the act of watching a TV show as it airs with the rest of the world
Wanderlust
Relationships- romantic + family
Lineage- cultural identity
Appropriation vs Appreciation
Rob Kardashian the most human of all Kardashians
Gilmore Girls as viewed by a black girl living in the suburbs
The Snapchat Phenomenon where documentation becomes more important than experience
Azealia Banks: What went wrong
Cultural References to pull from:
The Fashion Citizen- “Three Words | Vidtober #6
Donald Glover- Atlanta on FX
FOR VISUAL ARTISTS:
Here are some reference images for this month’s vibes here
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES:
If you would like to be a Brainwash contributor this month, send your draft to ayanna@brainwashdigital.com with “November: Submissions” in the subject line by Saturday, November 5th at 11:59pm.
Included in the body of the email must be a brief description of what the piece is about and why you feel this particular story must be told.
Please note that drafts do not need to be complete but must give the editor a clear vision of where you plan to go with the ideas being presented in the draft.
Should you decide that you would like to do a visual story for Brainwash, please send some photos of your work and copy of about 150 words describing what the work will look like and what is happening in the piece.