The Digital Renaissance and What It Means to Me

Greetings to all who may read this, whether you're in my lifetime or not. As I write, we are approaching the second half of 2017, and preparing for a new decade, the 2020s. With that being said, as most children (now adults) of the 1980s can understand....WOW!!! We are nearly 20 years removed from the 20th century. Next year, I will have lived as long in the 21st century as I had in the 20th century. So when 2019 comes, would I then consider myself a man of the 21st century? Never! Read up and I'll tell you why....

The 20th century (more particularly the 80s) shaped my whole way of thinking. How I think now is a result of then, most likely because I had an adult mind as a kid, as well as a great imagination. The cartoons of the 80s had morals in the episodes and had great tales for both boys and girls. Even though home game systems were on the rise thanks to the improvements in technology, our generation still took the best from our Baby Boomer parents and ran with it. Enter the 1990s, where sex replaced love for the most part and led us to the society we have here today.

Since this is my first story on here I won't get too preachy, LOL (yes I will be using text lingo from time to time, keep up :D). What I will go into is the overall topic, that being the Digital Renaissance and what it means to me. I first used that phrase years ago on either a Facebook status or in one of my notes. I wrote over 400 blogs during my MySpace days (2006-2009) and notes early on when I began using Facebook more in 2009 (first joined 10 years ago this month). It's hard to really pinpoint where the Digital Renaissance really began overall but in my case, I will say 2001. I was in college at the time and I saw a classmate viewing pictures of herself as she scrolled on the computer. I asked her what was that and she told me it was a website called Blackplanet. On September 5th I created my first Blackplanet page and thus began my venture into the social media age via the internet, using the moniker I created for myself earlier that year, Slim Jim Longfoot.

Five years later I joined MySpace and that was a fun time. I loved the customization of the pages. Being an artist, it was fun to play around with. I would customize other people's pages too. At that time did it for the love of just doing it, although I planned on monetizing that little hobby eventually, which I have now. Once MySpace's popularity faded completely by the end of 2009, I was only on Facebook and another site, Mocospace. Mocospace was a great site at that time, I met a lot of writers there. Those that either wrote poems or short stories, which rekindled my fire for writing stories.

It was sorely needed because at that time I was in an art slump. After receiving my first laptop at the end of 2011, I had finally and fully arrived in the digital age. My career has benefited from the digital renaissance in terms of being able to reach people and an audience that may never come to my state, let alone my city who has the same interests as me and in turn request my services as an artist. Some of my recent works came from local people who didn't travel through the same circles as I, but through mutual friends via the internet, we ended up connected and thus relationships were formed.

In 2007 I began using Photoshop, so to have my own time to work on my art on my own laptop became the best feeling. So much more could get done. 2012 was shaping out to be a great year in terms of my further growth as an artist. Then on Election Day 2012 (November 6th), the Mayans' prediction came a month early. My world as I knew it had ended with the sudden death of my mom.

It's been nearly 5 years since that tragic day and honestly I can't believe how time has passed so quick, yet still feels as if it's moving so slow. My goals in life are simple: To make art, spread love and info to those in my lifetime and those in the future (your present reader :D) and beyond. The digital renaissance is much like the artistic rebirth that took place half a millennia ago in Italy. Except this rebirth is worldwide and all who wish to reach out in the infinite space that is the internet need only to click. Welcome to my vocal, let's enjoy ourselves for all time. Follow me everywhere @goat1408.

Artbook showcasing my artwork. Check it out!