000 - Welcome to Record Stack

Recording in Writing - The Background and Purpose of Record Stack

Beyond Content

At what point did we turn artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians into mere content creators? I don't think it's possible to pin the exact moment when the shift happened. But if I had to guess, it would be around the time in which suddenly everyone could easily create portable multimedia and said multimedia could be monetized.

Once upon a time, being an artist meant you had to wear the title.

To do art for art's sake was and still is an incredibly vulnerable experience. In a time where the question, "what do you do" is most often answered with a career path rather than a lifestyle, to even remotely answer, "I am an artist" is something that is somehow simultaneously scary, laughable, and pretentious. A lot of people don't believe artists do real work, they don't believe art has any objective money making value, and if they get past the first two disbeliefs, then suddenly "who are you to call yourself an artist?"

Now, enter the content creator. The one who doubles as marketer in the screen fixated world that we live in. Where the artist faces subjective risk, the content creator faces objective data. Where a piece of art can be measured by thousands of words, a piece of content can be measured with- views, clicks, ads, likes, dislikes, follows, interactions, etc.

Despite this sentiment . . .

I don't believe the type of nonfiction writing that this particular publication is meant to create can be considered "art." However, I do believe that this type of work must never simply be content. But how do we oppose the idea of conventional content?

Consider The Record

While sifting through synonyms for the words "article" and "writing" and "content" I stumbled upon the word "record." Something about that word resonated with something deep within me. Maybe it is the part of me that has always wanted to be a professional musician, but the concept of calling a piece of writing a "record" as opposed to "content" just sings.

Where "content" feels vague and plainly exists, "records" intrinsically have a primary purpose.

A record is often what we think of as a song, but more specifically, a record is anything that was made through the process of recording. In a musical sense, a recording studio is where a performance is captured. In a nonmusical sense, The Guinness Book of World Records is a compilation of humanity's peak and sometimes odd excellence. In that book, one can observe the special moments of people doing things that no one else has done before. In a different sense, personal and financial records can be items like receipts that are proof of expenses and events.

Yes, many people think of music when the word "record" is used, but the act of recording is exactly what this writing will do.

What To Expect

The purpose of this publication is to record and preserve that which is special and unique all while presenting the information in an easily accessible way. Where physical articles are limited by their cost of production, digital ones are limited only by the potency of material. This publication is in pursuit of honest people stuff. Life stories, memories, conversations, processes, projects, or just plain thoughts.

Topics and themes will vary, but I am particularly inspired by identity, innovation, and integrity.

These are all areas of focus that can provide cross-disciplinary value. The creative process of a chef can inform the habits of a writer. How a writer organizes their storylines might be useful for a business administrator. How one conducts business optimally could be useful to a chef. If all things can be connected, then value can be harnessed from even the most obscure places.

Hip-hop producers crate dig for vinyl records that have sounds that can be sampled for the creation of their own music. Just as they can take the old and weave it into something new, I want the written records here to be usable for future creative purposes. They could be thematic inspiration for a fictional story, they could be the initial spark for a whole new entrepreneurial endeavor, or they could simply be experienced and enjoyed at face value.

The goal is simply to record and share. Whatever happens after that is up to you.

And now,

Presenting Record Stack

record -

An account in writing or the like preserving the memory or knowledge of facts or events.

stack -

A pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged.