how not to criticize me. (Patreon)

hello my loves. 

to the new patrons (there are a few hundred of you) - WELCOME. it is a good place here, please be comfy and feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. i'm always reading everything.

i'm currently at klekolo coffee shop in middletown connecticut, about to do the day-long video shoot with my students from wesleyan university. three weeks ago we spent a class together in which i asked them to free-write on the topic of "fixing shit" and i took all of their writing and turned it into a song a few days later. then i made a piano demo of the song, sent it to them, put together a band in london and recorded a full production of it with bass, drums, piano, glockenspiel and saxophone (!). meanwhile, the students wrote their own video treatment and michael pope has been guiding them in how to create a video from scratch. they've been shooting for two days and this is day #3, in which i'm on set and apparently we are shooting in an filthy abandoned house with no heat. RIGHT ON ROCK AND ROLL!!!! this is how you get fired from a university, people!!!! 

a reminder that i would never be able to spend the time doing this, unpaid, if the patreon weren't there to provide the budget. so consider yourselves all donors to a bunch of international college kids who really wanted to learn how to Do and Make Art. one of the kids in the class is audrey pratt, the girl who won the full-ride Hamilton Prize Scholorship  (that's the board i'm on with effin' lin-manuel miranda, fellow wesleyan grad). she's kicking ass. all the kids are. i am so proud of pope, of them, of us, of art growing. 

i'm due on set in about 20 minutes. i have been informed that i might be "covered in clay". right.

.............

meanwhile, the "mother" video has still gained absolutely no traction in the mainstream press, but the Occupy Democrats facebook page just posted it, garnering it almost 300k views just today, and....a lot of trolls. HOORAY! i started a nice discussion over there, go add your voice if you're on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/OccupyDemocrats/videos/1795788757180837/

..............

david gilmour (the david gilmour, of pink floyd) wrote to say he liked the song and video. i died.

................

meanwhile, i'd love to share a few comments from the official "mother" post.

99% of you seemed to love the video, the song, the project, the whole nine yards. you were moved and some of your comments were so on the money: you seemed to really understand the intention of the video. other people were confused by the intention but still loved it. that's all great. 

not all of you loved it. and i love when not everybody loves a thing. it would be weird if everybody loved Every Thing. if Every Body loved Every Thing i would feel like a bad artist, or i'd feel like my audience - you guys - weren't intelligent, opinionated and discriminating. 

which i actually need you to be to feel like a real artist.

this is a great criticism/comment:

ria wrote: "I guess I just don't get it. Maybe it's because I don't live in the us but it just doesn't resonate with me. It's pretty,it's nice too see Melissa but I don't understand the hype. And I feel really sorry about that, wish I was more emotional about it. Instead I'm a little bit disappointed it's a cover song. Love you anyway xx"

and this is also a great criticism/comment: 

Wong Sau Yan wrote: "I love you, and I love being your Patreon, Amanda, but I am really REALLY tired of weepy paino/violin-only-driven songs. I won't be deleting my pledge, but this song is definitely not going to be a unskippable track on my musical shuffle.  I would definitely look forward to more original songs, or even weird arty videos like the Grown Man Cry video. That was really fantastic. <3  I dunno if you'd get around to reading this comment, but yeah, I hope you do so, eventually. In the meantime, I'll be here looking forward to new material!"

okay now.

this is not a great criticism/comment:

tinker's tales wrote: "Amanda, if you are reading this, I convey the sentiment of 2 other friends, that this video was confusing, out of date, out of touch and to 'arty'.  Enjoy parenting and teaching, and allow the next gen to make good art."

this makes me want to laugh, because i'm like: i expect this from youtube comments, but you're....my patron??

that means....wait...that means: you're paying me money to troll me.

weird.

...................

criticism, yes, bring it on. 

i love you and i love it. i truly do welcome it. i do not like smoke blown up my artistic ass. 

i've released dozens of pieces of art on this platform and i'd be shocked and disappointed if you each loved everything equally. i'd be crushed, actually.

aesthetic/political/musical disappointment, bring it on. i love you all, love your comments, love your intelligence, love your take son things, love your profound understanding of art and meaning and subtlety.

but

downright immature insults? 

"enjoy parenting and teaching"??

dude.

i will. i will enjoy parenting, teaching, vacuuming, sewing, and making uncompromising fucking art of greater and greater relevance and personal power until i'm frail and old, and then dead, thank you very much.

i'm relieved to announce that i researched this patron, and they withdrew their pledge after posting this.

to the rest of you: long may we prosper.

xx

a

---------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

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