We Talk About Fast Fashion and Fast Furniture... Now Let’s Talk About Fast Art

Disclaimer: I have a feeling that the following is going to be a long and yappy essay, so you may want to get comfortable.

I’m an insufferable cliché in many ways: cat-loving introvert, film snob, chronic procrastinator, and perhaps the most cliché of all… an art school dropout 😅 However, I will defend myself by saying that leaving art school has been one of the better decisions I’ve made in adult life - the wankiness was rather tiring. That being said, I did learn a thing or two…

As someone who’s always loved photography, for my final-year project I examined how smartphones and social media have fuelled the bastardisation of photography as an art form. What was once a celebrated medium has become a mere tool used to market oneself online. Take the bathroom selfie as an example: before social media existed, the concept of taking a photo in a bathroom would’ve seemed utterly bonkers… all the important elements of portraiture such as lighting, composition, and a connection between the subject and their environment are sidelined in favour of simply looking hot for the gram.

Similarly, with the rise of generative AI and online tools such as Canva, we’re starting to notice that the landscape of digital art (how it’s created and the intentions behind it) is rapidly shifting.

Nowadays, the sheer ease of churning out digital assets has devalued the medium to the extent where packs of 100 or so downloadable prints are sold for just pennies. The venture has become less about artistic expression and more about leveraging automation tools to generate passive income. The sellers who succeed are rarely the most imaginative or technically skilled, but instead the ones who gain the system through clever SEO optimisation.

Here, the red thread is that the emphasis is on speed, volume, and marketability, as opposed to craftsmanship, originality, and longevity. Rather than generating fresh new ideas, fast fashion/furniture brands focus on trend analysis to rapidly produce cheap products designed to satisfy immediate consumer demand. In parallel, many digital art sellers create images based on trending search terms such as “Espresso Martini”, “Matcha”, and “Aperol Spritz”, etc., rather than a genuine artistic vision.

The goal is not to create something original, but to manufacture a product that is likely to sell. What we’re left with is a cycle of imitation, where successful styles are endlessly replicated until originality is replaced by familiarity. This is the reason why so many homes these days feel incredibly homogeneous.

Not to mention, there seems to be an expectation that an entire gallery wall should be created instantaneously with a pack of downloadables, a home printer, and a handful of Command Strips. Gallery walls, in essence, are supposed to be eclectic; a collection of mismatched artwork acquired over time. The exercise of throwing together a gallery wall in just one afternoon feels rather ironic.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “what’s the harm?”, but the question should be, “what’s the point”? What’s the point in even hanging art in your home if it’s devoid of any meaning or sentimental value? If it doesn’t benefit artists, and in fact, may diminish their profession?

A huge interior design ick of mine is faux exhibition prints. There’s something so uncanny about a print that commemorates an exhibition that never actually happened. Considering they’re often whipped up on Canva and sold for a fiver, by going down this route you’re actively choosing to support an algorithm rather than supporting artists by attending real-life exhibitions.

This is such an easy, affordable way of supporting creativity, authorship, and the continuation of someone’s artistic practice. Sure, a limited edition print may cost £80 as opposed to £8, but it carries the creative expression of a real person who’s made a commitment not to flood the market with regurgitated imagery. It encourages the age-old concept of quality over quantity.

Here’s a hot take - art should be expensive. It should be something you save up for and invest in. Unlike “fast-art”, an original painting often represents years of developing an artistic practice, which truly is a labour of love. A high price point helps sustain artists, empowering them to continue creating work that contributes to culture, rather than churning out only what is immediately profitable. When art becomes too cheap, it gets treated as a disposable decorative commodity - much like a cheap Shein outfit purchased for the sake of matching a certain “aesthetic”, only to be discarded once the trend inevitably shifts.

Furthermore, as someone who paints, I can testify that even a small artwork can take days to complete. If I were to sell a painting for anything less than a few hundred pounds, I’d be making far less than minimum wage, and essentially giving away something I’ve poured my heart into, for pennies.

If you’re really strapped for cash but want to decorate a blank wall - this is my top tip. I’m so often blown away by the beauty, attention to detail, and impressive techniques present in many of the old oil paintings I find at charity stores. Not to mention, they often come framed, so that’s one less thing you have to worry about.

I absolutely love a sip-and-paint night: invite a few friends over, provide a vague theme that can be interpreted in many ways, drown them with alcohol, and see what everyone comes up with. Swap paintings with friends, and hang artwork created by your children or your nieces and nephews. Art created in this vein will never cease to make you smile, and will remain 10,000x more valuable than any generic cocktail print you’ve downloaded from Etsy.

I do this all the time! Why wouldn’t you want to be reminded of a special holiday abroad? Or of the time you and your mates crammed into a tiny photobooth on a night out? Or of your Grandma’s beautiful cursive handwriting? Decorating your home with these kinds of sentimental memorabilia will never fail to make it feel full of love and warmth - and it costs nothing!

Much like fast fashion and fast furniture, there’s always the temptation of instant gratification - to decorate an entire home with ‘trendy’ mass-produced prints, as cheaply and quickly as possible. However, as someone who truly cares about art as both a profession and a hobby laden with meaning, expression, and emotion, I strongly encourage people to think twice before going down this route. And remember - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with leaving a wall blank while you patiently wait for the perfect piece.

Thanks for tuning in! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below x