No Plot, Just Vibes.
My grappling with narrative and feel
Forewarning: I use a lot of () in this article and I don’t apologize. It’s my computer programming brain at work. It’s a fun little read. It also features “Some Leftovers vol.2”, an old beat tape I made back in uni.
“No plot, just vibes” is a hilarious term that I saw someone online use to describe The Pirates of the Caribbean. “Gun to your head name 3 characters that aren’t Jack Sparrow”. Go ahead and shoot. Pirates of the Caribbean is (for better or worse) a household title and everyone remembers the visuals and the protagonist’s…quirks but I’m still yet to meet someone who knows what the heck that movie was about (except my girlfriend. She grew up memorizing movies).
When I was 10, Avatar (or ”Avatar: The Blue People” as I like to call it) came out. The movie received so much critical acclaim and was known for its groundbreaking visual effects and character models. As an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, I knew which “Avatar” truly mattered. I took my stand as an unjust Avatar (the blue people) hater. When someone would praise the movie, I would simply ask them to name 3 characters and win the argument. The vibes in Avatar: The Blue People were so good, that people forgot the story.
This is a newsletter about appreciating vibes.
Aesthetics
Is there art you enjoy simply for how it looks? The work of Magdiel Lopez presents an aesthetic that I enjoy. His use of gradients, blending 3D and 2D elements, and his marriage of realism and abstraction do not need to tell a story before they are enjoyable. The same can be said about artists like Natasha Chomko, Itchban, Sampha, Ethan Tran, Lido, and myself of course (lol). Though these artists are great storytellers (one is still learning), they make visually (and sonically) beautiful things.
In 2021, I was enrolled in a Sound Art course. This class was all about using sound as a medium of expression—Music is Sound Art but not all Sound Art is Music. Sound Art can be the swoosh you hear in a movie or the silence of 4’33 by John Cage. The course was taught by an older, Black mad scientist of a man. Where we say we miss the old Drake, he says he misses the old Flying Lotus because his new music just isn’t as experimental anymore.
I agree with my old professor. Anyway, he had a crazy take: “We put too much value in the narrative”. This was a crazy take that I resonated with back then. Man was basically saying that we unjustly pay too much attention to the story when we analyze art. The stereotypic gallery-goer question of “What is the artist saying?” might be taking away from the other important observations. How does the art make you feel? Why do you enjoy (or not enjoy) what you see/hear? These questions are often more difficult to answer than those about the narrative. They don’t just ask what, they ask how and why.
Vibes as Story
My theory is, that the vibes are more memorable than the plot. It is likely that your favourite movie, though it has a good plot, holds its position in your heart because of the vibe. As a sensory being, I process and remember things like sounds, scents and sights deeply.
At times, I remember how I felt about an event more than what exactly happened. Try to explain the feeling of nostalgia in words and you likely will end up with a poem or song lyrics, the most vibe-driven styles of wordplay I know. Sometimes, vibes themselves are the story. They tell of the where and when.
In my creative practice, I pursued mastery in aesthetics and technical ability while struggling to figure out what my work should even be about. What is my story? The narrative became so much of a struggle that it even hindered me from making things. Going through university art courses, I excelled in conveying feelings through my art. I can express a sense of balance through line weight and colour combinations. I can convey joy through an illustration. My art learnings were more about vibes than plot but as much as people are impacted by feel, they are also impacted by good storytelling. I believe in a balance of both, but naturally, I lean more towards feel. I remember instrumentation more than lyrics and judge the book by its cover 99.9% of the time.
It’s enough for work to be inexplicably beautiful. When I create, even without a narrative in mind, something about me ends up on the page. My work tells of all the people that have influenced me. It tells of where I’ve been and where I’d like to be. It speaks to what I think is beautiful. It speaks to more than just me. That’s my story in the work. Your story will always come through. While I work on getting better at storytelling, I am also learning to not worry too much about the narrative and focus on creating things that make people feel.
This Part is For the Narrative Types
I want to speak to the people who are good at narrative and appreciate plot; the people who connect with the lyrics more than the beat. Narrative is important and makes for great art. There are incredible story-driven works that make their way directly to the core of the heart. Vibes exist through narrative too. A good plot is embedded with feel. Story is an incredible tool and art that expresses a clear message is invaluable.
Some Things I’m Enjoying Lately:
Pride and Prejudice. I didn’t think the day would come, but I started listening to the audiobook and I can say, it is really good. I would argue that it is definitely a good story that is memorable because of the vibe: the environment it’s set in, the character's mannerisms and interactions.
Ụlọ Radio vol. 1
I’m starting a curated playlist series called Ụlọ Radio for Master of Some. Ụlọ is Igbo for House or Home. I want to use this series to share the music I enjoy and hope that you can as well. Maybe I’ll do a new volume each month.
We rewatched Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse on Saturday. That movie to me is the perfect combination of plot and vibes. From a visual arts standpoint, 10/10 and 10/10 on the narrative side too.
Feature Work
The cover art for Ụlọ Radio is something I am really happy to have made. As a fan of good typographic designs, I was excited to see what could be done with a 3-letter Igbo word that uses tonal notation. This design was definitely inspired by Soulection Radio.
"My theory is, that the vibes are more memorable than the plot."
Pierre Soulages' ("the painter of black") work is all vibes for me. When I saw his work live in NYC I teared up because of the affirming feeling he gave me as an artist (and person) in love with black.