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Philosophy

A selection of posts pertaining to those things that animate the work of Elliott Earls.

Digital Sin or Salvation? Aquinas Tackles Doomscrolling, Cancel Culture & Tragic Memes

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### What’s Inside? 🎬
1️⃣ **Human Nature and Vice**: Is doomscrolling a disordered form of the otherwise virtuous desire for knowledge? We explore this through the lens of Thomistic ‘curiositas.’ (#Curiositas)

2️⃣ **The Common Good**: Could doomscrolling and memeification of tragedy be undermining our community bonds and societal structures? Aquinas would have something to say about it! (#CommonGood)

3️⃣ **Prudence and Time Management**: Are we squandering precious time engaging in these behaviors? Let’s break down what Aquinas might think in terms of prudence. (#Prudence)

4️⃣ **Effects on Mental Health**: How does this constant scrolling affect our emotional and spiritual well-being? (#MentalHealth)

5️⃣ **Dignity of Human Life**: What happens when we turn tragic events into memes? How does it affect our ethical considerations? (#HumanDignity)

6️⃣ **Truth and Representation**: Are memes distorting the truth, pulling us away from the intellectual goals that philosophers like Aquinas held dear? (#TruthMatters)

7️⃣ **Community and Solidarity**: Could meme culture be dissolving our sense of community and mutual responsibility? (#CommunityMatters)

8️⃣ **Moral Theology**: How do these behaviors affect our moral integrity? Aquinas’ views on scandal could be enlightening. (#MoralTheology)

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The Devil’s Role in Art | My Response | Your Comments |Episode 136

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Welcome to Episode 136, a meticulous dissection of an idea that hovers over the realms of theology, philosophy, and existentialism: “Why is God Hiding in Plain Sight?” As the head of the Graduate Graphic Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art, my quest for knowledge and understanding isn’t confined to design and art; it reaches into questions that stir the soul and provoke the intellect.

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Artistic Independence: Escaping Mom’s Couch with Diagrams | Elliott Earls

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DOWNLOAD THE DIAGRAM FROM THE VIDEO HERE (free of course):

https://www.minislimited.com/product/the-diagram-artistic-independence-escaping-moms-couch

In this comprehensive how-to video, we delve into the central thesis that “Responsibility = Power. Power = Freedom,” providing you with the key insights and practical knowledge needed to unlock your artistic potential and achieve financial independence.

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How Weaponized Empathy Killed Irony and Critical Thinking | Elliott Earls | Episode 133

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The video makes the case that our culture has moved through four distinct phases. We have passed from an early phase of postmodern irony, into a middle phase characterized by “The New Sincerity,” then moving into a phase where Empathy is our primary cultural currency, and finally into a phase where cultural empathy has been weaponized. The video discusses David Foster Wallace’s concept of “The New Sincerity,” 1990’s Grunge Ethos, Tik Tok displays of emotion and Trumpian Rage.

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Clan Wars! Artificial Intelligence Worst Case Scenario. Truckers VS Knowledge Workers | Episode 131

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Welcome to the most epic battle of the year: Clan Wars! In this thrilling event, we’ll be witnessing the worst-case scenario of artificial intelligence pitting Truckers against Designers. Get ready for an adrenaline-packed ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
In this video, we’ll be exploring the potential impact of artificial intelligence on two of the most prominent industries in the world: Trucking and Design. You’ll witness how AI could change the face of these industries and even lead to a battle between them. We’ll be exploring both sides of the story and presenting the worst-case scenario.
Artificial intelligence has come a long way in recent years, and it’s starting to make its presence known in a variety of industries. Trucking and Design are no exception. In Trucking, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way goods are transported, making it faster, cheaper, and safer. However, this could also lead to massive job losses, leaving thousands of truckers out of work.
On the other hand, AI in Design could lead to a new era of creativity, enabling designers to create incredible designs that were previously impossible. However, it could also lead to a reduction in the need for human designers, potentially leaving them without jobs.
So, what happens when these two industries collide? That’s where Clan Wars comes in. In this battle, we’ll witness how AI could be used to pit Truckers against Designers, with each side fighting for their survival. It’s a worst-case scenario that could become a reality if we’re not careful.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. In this video, we’ll also be exploring potential solutions to the problems posed by AI in these industries. We’ll be looking at how we can use AI to create new jobs and help people reskill to work in new areas. We’ll also be exploring how we can use AI to create more environmentally-friendly transportation and designs.
So, sit back, relax, and get ready for the ride of your life. Clan Wars is about to begin, and you won’t want to miss it.
In this video, you’ll learn:
How AI could revolutionize the Trucking industry and what that means for truckers
How AI could revolutionize the Design industry and what that means for designers
The worst-case scenario of AI pitting Truckers against Designers in a battle for survival
Potential solutions to the problems posed by AI in these industries
How AI can be used to create new jobs and help people reskill
How AI can be used to create more environmentally-friendly transportation and designs
The impact of artificial intelligence on the Trucking industry:
AI has the potential to revolutionize the Trucking industry, making it faster, cheaper, and safer. Self-driving trucks are already in development, and they could change the face of the industry forever. These trucks would be able to operate around the clock, making it possible to transport goods more quickly and efficiently. They would also be safer, as they wouldn’t require a human driver who could potentially make mistakes.
However, the downside of this technology is that it could lead to massive job losses in the Trucking industry. Truckers who have spent their entire careers driving trucks could find themselves out of work if self-driving trucks become the norm. This could have a devastating impact on families and communities that rely on the Trucking industry for their livelihoods.
The impact of artificial intelligence on the Design industry:
AI is also starting to make its presence known in the Design industry. With AI-powered design tools, designers can create incredible designs that were previously impossible. For example, AI can be used to create designs that take into account environmental factors such as wind and sun exposure. This could lead to more sustainable designs that are better for the planetThe Design industry is another industry that is likely to be impacted by artificial intelligence. AI-powered design tools can create incredible designs that were previously impossible. For example, AI can be used to create designs that take into account environmental factors such as wind and sun exposure. This could lead to more sustainable designs that are better for the planet.
However, the use of AI in design could also lead to a reduction in the need for human designers. AI can analyze data and make design decisions in a fraction of the time it would take a human designer. This could lead to job losses in the industry.

This video description was written by ChatGPT

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2️⃣ Think – Feel – Think. The Jungian Shadow | Part 2 | Episode 119 | Elliott Earls

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It’s possible to research your own intuitive choices in order to learn more about your work and yourself. An important component of the creative process is research and analysis of our own work. The art we make can tell us a lot about ourselves. It can show us things about ourselves that we weren’t aware of. Carl Jung the Swiss psychologist who founded analytic psychology who’s work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, literature, and art developed the concept of The Shadow. The shadow is an unconscious aspect of the personality that the conscious ego does not identify in itself, the Shadow can be understood as the entirety of the unconscious; It’s everything of which a person is not fully conscious. In short, the shadow is the unknown side of the self. The Shadow can be thought of as those aspects of our personality unknowable and inaccessible to ourselves. Many forms of design and art are a visual representations of the shadow. This is why a systematic analysis of our own work can be so powerful. Analysis of our work reveals the shadow, it can bring to light the previously inaccessible and unknown components of our psyche.

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1️⃣ Think – Feel – Think Explained Beginner Then Grad Student | Part 1 | Episode 118 | Elliott Earls

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I spend a lot of time in the studio thinking about how ideas affect aesthetics. It’s probably a fairly obvious thing to say but when we’re looking at a piece of art what we are actually looking at is ideas. In my teaching I’ve found that a major sticking point for many students seems to be a tension between logic and intuition (between thinking and feeling). When and in what ways should the creative individual use logic? And when and in what ways should they use intuition? This video offers a potential plan and a potential solution to the problem.

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Alpha Designer. Beta Designer | Episode 117

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#graphicdesign #designadvice #graphicdesigner

Advice if you’re a designer and you don’t want to spend your life as a cubicle drone. There are different types of designer. In the context of this argument Alpha can be broken into 2 basic categories. The Entrepreneur and the Artist. The Beta designer – is the office drone, the dutiful foot soldier, the terminal “employee.” Alpha designers “eat what they kill.” Beta designers “eat what they are given.” This is an ESSENTIAL DISTINCTION – What’s this mean? The Alpha designer is RESPONSIBLE for the viability of their work. The Beta Designer is not. At it’s core None of this has to do with how the work looks or technically wether you are an employee — I’m not talking about the look of the work. You make clean, rational work? Fine. Are you a Maximalist Fine? My advice and this argument has to do with Destinations and responsibility, which I’ll explain in a moment so TECHNICALLY you CAN BE an employee and still act on this advice.

I’d suggest that every designer who’s work you know exhibits Alpha behavior. In other words, famous designers in most instance ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VIABILITY OF THEIR WORK. They are responsible for cultivating, maintaining and developing an audience and economic model for the work. By Contrast the Beta designer has little skin in the game. The beta designer abdicates their responsibility for their work. In most instances the beta designer trades (LITERALLY TRADES) emotional and financial security for NOT HAVING TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORK. How to know if you’re Alpha? In the WORK THAT YOU CARE ABOUT are you responsible for finding, cultivating and developing the audience, the venue and the economic viability? Congratulations. You might be an alpha designer.

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Why Your Avant-garde Typography Doesn’t Look and isn’t “Avant-garde.” How to Begin To Fix It | #116

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#graphicdesign #experimentaltypography

ZOOM LINK FOR LIVE CHAT:
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/7692993638?pwd=dkVPZnBFUWd4VkUyaVJQb1U0TWtUUT09

Many graphic designers are interested in exploring ways of making work that fall outside of contemporary corporate aesthetics. An “experimental” and “maximalist” approach to graphic design usually involves aggressive typography. Unfortunately most graphic designers still think that hampering typographic legibility is the key to making “experimental” work. Designers interested in creating work that falls outside of accepted corporate aesthetics often make spurious typographic decisions in pursuit of anticorporate, anticapitalist and experimental graphic design. Frankly, in MOST instances the result of this process is not avant-garde work that challenges existing paradigms, but is simply bad (objectively bad) typography. There are different forms of typographic legibility. Compositional illegibility is different than structural illegibility. Most graphic designers who push their work into the “experimental” rely on compositional illegibility rather than structural illegibility. This is one of the primary reasons work of this type lapses into the category of “just bad.”

#graphicdesign

Elliott Earls on Instagram: @elliottearls
Collect Elliott Earls prints: www.minislimited.com
The Cranbrook Graduate 2D Studio: https://cranbrookart.edu/departments/2d-design/

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LINKS YOU NEED BELOW
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ZOOM LINK FOR LIVE CHAT:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/7692993638?pwd=dkVPZnBFUWd4VkUyaVJQb1U0TWtUUT09

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LINK TO THE LIVESTREAM (starts at 9:27pm after premiere):
https://youtu.be/N2MpqBIe2d4

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Grad Student Critiques Teacher | Art & Design | Episode 115

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ZOOM LINK FOR LIVE CHAT:
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84415503821?pwd=QmZBR1EyQ0ZjU2h2bEVuZzd2ZHkzQT09

Meeting ID: 844 1550 3821
Passcode: y1cWSz

Student critiques teachers’ art & design.

Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate student Ed Ryan critiques the work of Artist-in-Residence Elliott Earls. In this episode we see footage from the critique discussion, an in studio conversation with Ed and thoughts on critique method.

As part of the critique method, Ed was asked to write comprehensive criticism of Elliott’s work. Ed was also asked to design and produce a booklet version of his critical essay. There is a link below where you can download a copy of his complete critique.

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LINKS YOU NEED BELOW
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ZOOM LINK FOR LIVE CHAT:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84415503821?pwd=QmZBR1EyQ0ZjU2h2bEVuZzd2ZHkzQT09

Meeting ID: 844 1550 3821
Passcode: y1cWSz

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LINK TO THE LIVESTREAM (starts at 9:27pm after premiere):
https://youtu.be/N2MpqBIe2d4

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A FREE PDF OF ED’s FULL WRITTEN CRITIQUE:
https://bit.ly/3zWMToc

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How Cranbrook’s Design Program Redefined How We Make And Talk About Graphic Design

How Cranbrook’s Design Program Redefined How We Make And Talk About Graphic Design

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“There’s a quote, perhaps apocryphal, from Massimo Vignelli that you’ll sometimes hear from alumni of Cranbrook Academy of Art’s design department. “Cranbrook”, he supposedly said, sometime in the ’80s or ’90s, “is the most dangerous design school in America.” They recite this like a badge of honor, though no one I spoke with is quite sure when or where he said it.”

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Understanding Kanye’s Dragon Energy Big Yourself up! Like Trump & Fousey | Episode 108

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Dragon Energy, (the unfounded, unwavering and absolute belief in the self) is a conceptual pathogen that lays waste to human intellect. This video takes a look at the issue. We’re going to take a look at a diagram that I’ve constructed, to try to make the case that ALTHOUGH we’re currently living in the midst of a Global Corona Virus Pandemic – We’re also living in the midst of a Global Dragon Energy Pandemic. We’re going to look at 3 Vectors of this diseases, Donald Trunp, Kanye West and Fousey to try to understand the effects of this conceptual pathogen and how it’s transmitted. If you stick with it to the end of this video I engage in a discussion with Musican and Artist Jacob When on ways that you can inoculate yourself from the disease. #dragonenergy #bigyouselfup

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Thoughts On Making Art In The Midst Of A Global Pandemic | Episode 107

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In so many ways we are “living in the future” (it’s never been later than it is right now). From COVID-19 and Trumpian “Truth” to the long overdue exposure of police brutality, culture convulses with the possibility of massive change. In what ways are these forces affecting the ideas that underlie art making? In episode 107 I offer a few thoughts on making art in the midst of a global pandemic.

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The Most Important & Dangerous Lesson Not Taught In Design School | Episode 79

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What is the single most important lesson not taught in design school? What was the most important idea left out of your design education? Which important idea is simultaneously critically important and decidedly dangerous to your career as a designer? Featuring hot young designer/artists Brenden Lovejoy and Britt Gudas. Featuring a portratit of Reggie by […]

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Artist as Holy Diver | Episode 39 of Studio Practice

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####################################### Artist as Holy Diver | Episode 39 The artists’ studio can be thought of as a sacred space where the artist, operating as a kind of “holy diver,” plumbs the depths of human experience. Links & References In Episode 39 of Studio Practice ############################################# DOTBIZ is Helen Ip & Alex Meiser The “Eatquity” installation […]

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Conceptual Asymmetrical Warfare & The Deskilled Object In Art | Episode 34

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What does the 1983 colder blockbuster Wargames staring Matthew Broderick have to do with the “deskilled” art object and Conceptual art? What’s the relationship between Ponyhawked American Idol singer Sanjaya Malakar and art theorist Benjamin Buchloh’s “deskilled”  art object? How did  Marcel Duchamp’s simulations in his “lab” led to conceptual asymmetrical warfare in art? How […]

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Art Critique is Broken. Fix It! | Episode 23

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Most adults are openly hostile to real criticism, while most artists and designers exist in a professional bubble with little or no opportunity to engage in critique. Nearly all students in art and design design schools are subjected  “correction” masquerading as legitimate critique. In this episode, Elliott Earls discusses the mechanics of art and design […]

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The Many Ways to Remain Defiant in the Face of Institutionalized Stupidity | Episode 14

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Cognitive Expressionism as an approach to both Art & Design is a statement of defiance in the face of institutionalized stupidity. What is institutionalized stupidity? What is Cognitive expressionism? How can you incorporate these things into your studio practice and stand up to the stupification of our culture? Episode 14 of Elliott Earls Studio Practice […]

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How to Get Paid in Art & Design | Episode 12 of Studio Practice

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How to Get Paid in Art & Design | Episode 12 The idea of the starving artist is so thoroughly embedded in our cultural imagination that it is nearly impossible to understand the role of the artist without poverty. In this episode we look at the idea of the artist as an economically self-sufficient cultural […]

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Time & Quality: Oliviero Toscani, Hal Foster & John Heartfield | Episode 11 of Studio Practice

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Is there a necessary correlation between “sweat equity” (labor) and the way a work of art/design is perceived? What’s the relationship between time and the quality of a work? In what ways are direct forms of visual art and design problematic? Must work show evidence of “difficulty” of manufacture in its’ final form? In this episode […]

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Problematic Work Is Your Responsibility | Episode 10 of Studio Practice

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In this episode Elliott Earls looks to the historical models articulated by Chaim Potok and James Joyce to gain insight into culture making in 2016. Books referenced in this Episode: “My Name Is Asher Lev” by Chaim Potok and “Portrait of The Artist As Young Man” by James Joyce. Check Out the Studio Practice YouTube […]

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Destroy Habit, Synthesize Knowledge and Take Action | Episode 9 of Studio Practice

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In this episode of Studio Practice Elliott Earls provides a plan of action to destroy bad habits, synthesize new knowledge and take action in the studio. Special thanks ❤️ is in order to my frequent collaborator Joshua Ray Stephens who appears as Les Griffin along with the amazing Ries Straver (riesstraver on Instagram) in the brief […]

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Escape the Cube Farm | Episode 6 of Studio Practice

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In this episode Elliott Earls gives suggestions for how to avoid working in the “cube farm.” He draws on the work of Detroit based designer Chris Schanck, Detroit born motivational speaker Dr. Eric Thomas and clothing designer Marc Ecko as examples. Elliott also gives away a signed, limited-edition print as a thank you to the […]

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“Studio Practice” Episode #4 Looks at Super Anti-Zero 12

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The Studio Practice YouTube show and channel continues to take shape. Episode 4 is slightly longer form, clocking in at three minutes and thirty eight seconds. In this episode Elliott Earls discusses the manufacture of Super Anti-Zero 12 (Chromed), tours his machine shop and plays a hockshop version of the Hobbit Theme on the tin whistle. Twitter […]

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Professional Failure – A Rumination

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Cranbrook Designer-in-Residence Elliott Earls discusses some of his more high profile failures in his 2014 Artist-in-Residence Lecture. Entitled Good Luck, Bad Luck, Chance and Failure Earls attempts to reconcile the role “failure” has played in his development. Earls discusses being hired and subsequently fired by Rudolf de Harak at the age of twenty-three, the perils of being […]

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