As an offshoot of yesterday’s entry, I’ve been composing in my head several posts about stages of fandom and where I fit in that spectrum. Due to the wonky reply problem, I received an email that clarified for me the levels and transitions happening in ArmitageWorld. It also reminded me this blog was created to talk about my experiences in fandom in general in order to specifically discuss the burning question of several other blogs like Servetus’s and Frenz’s: why this particular fascination with this particular actor and should they be concerned? The short answer may startle and therefore probably isn’t helpful. The long answer might enlighten but I need to take the reader through where I’ve been before explaining what I see now.
I have a partial draft composed in January when I first started the blog. I’m finding it difficult to put my fandom experiences to paper because I’ve never done it before, and discussing the dynamics isn’t something fans usually like to dwell upon. It feels all at once terribly personal and slightly surreal. Things can be misinterpreted and misunderstood in the telling. So posts on this topic will require a great deal more thought and time than previous entries. My approach might not be as erudite, but I’ll give it my best shot.
Meanwhile here is a screencap of RA playing Monet who was fortunate enough to acquire fans in his lifetime.
RA as Claude Monet, The Impressionists, Courtesy Richardarmitagecentral.co.uk
I’m really intrigued. (As if I wasn’t before)
What! The comment box is still open? What fresh cooperation is this? 😉
I might have bitten off more than I can chew. But it’s taken you and Frenz a year to develop your theories so I’m giving myself time to roll this out.
i decided I was going to go for precision, depth, accuracy, honesty — all of which take a long time — as opposed to speed. My profession require(d/s) me to scoop others, to be the first with an idea, so I wanted to do a kind of writing that didn’t involve that, that was about reflection and something that would be good for awhile. I don’t always achieve that, of course. Take your time. The writing is for *you* — that’s the point, I think, and what my therapist would have said. Obviously we’re in a community of interest here and I want to know what you think, but in the end you have to live with what you say.
I’m looking forward to your contributions too!
Would love to hear your reaction. 🙂
I’m also intrigued. Every time I write about it, it seems to become even more elusive…
Yes, I think writing about it is elusive because it’s very emotion-driven. People react to whatever the actor/show/genre is doing but don’t really analyze what the heck it is they are doing. Also, there’s a sense that it’s okay for individual to be enthused about something, but not really okay but a bit weird if organized into a group of fans. And the dynamics of fandom can be tetchy, like sitting on a powder keg.
I’d be really interested in hearing why the latter is the case. I’ve noticed this too and gotten into messes I never anticipated. Why is it so tense?
I think because it’s so emotion-driven with degrees of fantasy that’s very personal to each fan. The stronger the infatuation, the stronger the personal investment in protecting it. It reminds me of sex and politics. People like to bask in the glow of their passion and they don’t want it remotely implied there’s something wrong with their judgment or that they are foolish.
As with all writing, and as is increasingly evident with blogging (or commenting), the send button beckons, though the thought is not completely thought through.
My own career demanded both tight research, analysis and writing deadlines (to be negotiated, once a bit of realism and a bit more confidence was gained), and also 15 minute calls to produce.
As a blogger, you are in control. There’s opportunity to set YOUR pace; to absorb comments from the community, who will bring diverse viewpoints and insights. And from which there is also the opportunity to learn and from which to expand.
You are right. Unfortunately the internet allows for instant gratification for mostly everything and I’ve been spoiled. But dealing with a big, potentially touchy topic like fandom does require a lot more consideration than some of the more mundane posts I’ve done.
I’ve written half an essay on one of your previous posts about “why this particular fandom”. I’m a notorious people watcher and am fascinated by group dynamics. As I mentioned before, I started blogging to avoid tensions and altercations within the fandom. I am to the point of asking myself why I stay involved and the reasons I come up with are that I really enjoy following this man’s career path, I like his work, and I like having discussions. What I find interesting is that in RL, members of this fandom and I are poles apart in many aspects of our lives. I’m not a writer, artist, historian, educator, musician. I’m interested in what motivates people to join a group and follow an individual who is a stranger. What motivates us to place this person on a pedestal when we all could be admiring a talented cardiac surgeon who saves lives, or a person who devotes their life to fighting injustice, or a researcher who finds a cure for an illness? Is it the actor or is it our need to be part of a group and a community? I don’t know the answer, but the more I think about the fandom, the more perplexed I become. Looking forward therefore to your thoughts 🙂