If you don’t do it yourself, will it get done right? Probably not. This is sort of, kind of a sentiment behind the DIY, or do it yourself, movement. While not totally sharing the same aesthetic, it’s like what the PBS channel Create and Etsy are all about, except that it is has been the hugest shaper of contemporary, progressive art over the last decade.
“Cool-shmool,” you may say, “I prefer that someone else mow my lawn or scrawl an ‘urban’ image on my Nike dunks.” Alas, you may change your mind and decide to flex your own creative muscle after watching the movie, "Beautiful Losers." This documentary takes a look at a movement that began through the collaboration of outsiders in the '90s and has expanded to influence almost every area of media out there.
The subcultures involved in the DIY movement aren’t limited to crafty, artsy sorts, they also include the lifestyles of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop and graffiti. In what way these athletes and artists are losers remains a mystery, except in that they flourished outside of the established art world. The movie isn’t some sort of guide to becoming cool, more it lets you know what’s been going on out there. Who knows, maybe you can use it as inspiration to return to your inner, crayon-loving child.
The film is showing today for free at The Standard Miami Beach as part of the hotel’s new Arthouse Film Series. On the first and last Mondays of each month at 8 p.m. you can learn a bit about the minds, lives and creations of the most influential artists of the last century.
For more of Liz Tracy's Miami missives, visit her blog, Miami, bro.
