The Greeks had a word for it, one from which our truth has originated – authentikos; principal, genuine. The real original. No matter how many ways you say it, authenticity is becoming lost in the vastness of trends, fashion, what’s new and popular; in with the in crowd. It’s become a dismissed term, fallen away to make room for the things this society believes hold value. We hasten to save the way of things that bring in the most money or the most likes or views on social media. Have we become so shallow as to burn away our roots in favor of winning the ‘1million views’ trophy on Youtube?
We at ProjectART UBU hope not, and that’s why we are pushing back. This doesn’t have to be our future.
In this day and age of technology, media, political upheaval, labels, shouts, screams, protests – all of us at ProjectART UBU wonder if there’s room for us to just slow our roll and take a breath? There’s so much out there for us to take in, to learn, to live and love and laugh through. Somewhere in there is the old way of seeing things, the ability to seek out and create new ideas, new moments of the soul that can teach so much more than what we should or shouldn’t “like”; the raw and real authentic.
Like the photographer whose name no one knows taking pictures with his dad’s camera – shots that would take your breath away and rejuvenate your mind’s eye – buried by wave after wave of well funded, well known, well distributed commercialized “must haves”. Like the painter painting made from cardboard boxes – images that would compete with the ancient masters like Michelangelo – labeled as “never gonna make it” because he just doesn’t have the right connections. Finally, like the writer scripting out vast and fantastical screenplays that would put Spielberg to shame, gone the way of the shadow because she can’t get one single foot in the door.
There are so many ways for authenticity to reach out and touch us lost in the space we all think is truth – the mainstream.
Why not break away from the molds we are told we should ascribe to? Why not seek out the lost creative, sculptor, artist, philosopher, and test the waters of what humanity used to be, what it could be, what it always should be? Why not step out of the safe space of what big corporations want us to see and like and learn from – to taste the depth of the truly authentic soul?
We at ProjectART UBU are up for exactly that! We want our eyes opened again to what we can build together with our beautiful and complex minds. We want to find those not so well known people who could shine if they were just given a little bit of light to start. We want to find the authentic, the genuine, the real – and be reminded that it’s okay to be who we are, as we are, right here and now. No need to strive for the most views. No need to stress over how many likes. No wondering if what we think or what we do or say is or isn’t the “popular” opinion. ProjectART UBU is looking to tear down the expectations put on us by those that don’t even now who we really are and start making our own history.
What about you?
Keeping it Authentic,
TerriLynn Le Blanc
