We wouldn’t ever have thought of a television as having much to do with art in the past. In fact, many have long viewed TV and other technological luxuries as an artist’s worst enemies — earlier versions of what Inc. termed the “digital distractions” that are “killing creativity” in modern times. This negative stance makes a good deal of sense, particularly when applied to smartphones (which were the primary focus of the Inc. piece).
On the other hand, a TV today is not what it has been in the past. And particularly when we look at smart TVs, there’s actually a good argument to be made that they can be quite helpful for artists of all kinds — whether they’re focusing on visual art, music, writing, or anything similar.
For those who may not have made the leap to the most modern televisions yet, or who may not be familiar with their capabilities, a Groupon buying guide to smart TVs puts it all in simple terms. A smart TV allows its user to “instantly access online content” through built-in Wi-Fi. This essentially means that in addition to functioning as an ordinary TV, a smart TV becomes a full-fledged streaming mechanism — in some respects a supersized tablet of sorts, all without the need for an external device (like a gaming console, Apple TV, etc.).
Naturally this brings about a lot of convenient options with regard to everyday entertainment and recreation. But as mentioned, there are also excellent perks for artists of all sorts.
Broadcasting Courses – Online courses for artists seem to be getting trendier by the day. Many of these exist through social media platforms and YouTube, where artists can get paid via ad revenue for broadcasting instruction to large audiences. We also see individual artists of all kinds setting up their own subscription courses on their own sites. And GQ recently profiled some of the best courses offered by the Masterclass program that helped to start the trend (such as instruction on writing from Margaret Atwood and Annie Leibovitz photography lessons). All of these courses are available online, but a smart TV can help an industrious artist turn them into more engaging, almost cinematic experiences and make it all the more fun to learn.
Engaging With Music – For artists involved in music — either directly or through editing, production, songwriting, or even video production — a smart TV can also be an excellent tool for engaging with the medium. It provides a way of streaming iconic live performances, tutorials from artists, singer/songwriter channels, and more. There’s even something of a music video comeback occurring, as we’ve covered by highlighting recent work from Nothing But Thieves and others. Any of these types of videos and streams can serve as inspiration and education for people working in music, and all are wonderfully accessible with a smart TV.
Watching Film & TV – Film and TV seem like recreation to most of us, but it’s worth noting also that to countless people who work (or aspire to work) in writing, production, acting, and more, these are artistic mediums. And for artists in film and television, watching material is an essential practice. Clearly this can be done through any number of devices, but a smart TV puts everything in one place, and provides the easiest way for people to stream and engage with the greatest possible variety of content.
Supersizing Social Media Expression – Social media as an artistic medium is still relatively new, but it’s something people are taking more and more seriously. From short stories, to music, to wildly creative videos of all kinds, social media users (and particularly young people) are really producing some of today’s most interesting and innovative art on a day-to-day basis. DigitalArts have even noted that there’s something of an illustration trend emerging on TikTok in recent years. There seems to be no end to the creativity of social media users, and a smart TV allows anyone interesting in this medium to stream content and enjoy it on something larger than a phone screen. Broadcasting social media feeds on a television makes it all the more immersive, and can help to inspire an artists to create their own content.
Altogether these make for a lot of interesting possibilities and benefits. So, while it’s certainly true that modern technology can be distracting for artists, we’d push back on that idea with regard to TV. In some cases at least, a smart TV can be a very helpful tool for a modern artist.
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