FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT is a generative, JavaScript-based work by Maya Man that borrows from the bubbly language and pastel aesthetics of text-driven Instagram graphics to scrutinize the promotion of wellness, self-care, and confidence on social media.
The work derives from an algorithm custom-written by the artist to collage together text manually sourced from existing graphics on Instagram. The generated output mimics the original graphics’ cheerful tone and design with language that often veers into absurdity. The project manifests in a range of forms including a live-generated projection, “gift shop” installation, hardcover book, Instagram account, and public billboard displays.
Online, these types of posts survive on likes, comments, and shares. What do I believe? becomes What do I want to appear to believe? Fake it till you make it! Maybe your dream life lives here: In a digital, fantasy world where the algorithm plays god and loving yourself feels like looking into the light of your screen.
fake_it_till_you_make_it_lol
BOOK
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT (The Book) presents the generative art collection of the same name by artist Maya Man.
Every image featured in the book was generated with a custom JavaScript-based algorithm written by the artist. The book acts as an ode to the Art Blocks Curated collection, showcasing all 700 editions in glossy detail along with essays, discord logs, poetry written with the output, source code, feature analysis, and a carefully curated selection of large-format spreads. It features contributions from Ann Hirsch, Sofia Garcia, Biz Sherbert, Terry Nguyen and is edited by Adina Glickstein.
Available through...
Metalabel
The New
Museum
MOCA Los Angeles
Heavy Manners Library
GIFT SHOP
FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT: GIFT SHOP
Maya Man
Heavy Manners Library
February 8 to March 3, 2024
A book launch and exhibition celebrating the release of artist Maya's publication FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT based on her generative art collection of the same name.
Inspired by the tourist gift shops in LA and NYC that sell a wide range of goods featuring printed text, this exhibition includes a variety of items for sale that act as physical manifestations of algorithmically generated output from the FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT collection. Think kitschification, medium is the message, relationship between mass production pop culture and art. Think SHOPPING. Come by and find your valentine the perfect gift.
BEHIND THE CODE
This interview features a behind the scenes look into the process of making this piece. Features a deep dive into work's source code.
LANGUAGE
The generative language algorithm deployed on chain lies at the heart of this software system. In order to highlight the cultural influence of social media's persuasive self-care rhetoric, language is designed to be the primary focus of the program's output.
All words and phrases included in the project were manually sourced from existing text graphics on Instagram (nothing was simply made up). These found words and phrases are collaged together at random. This strategy works best for producing output that mimics that familiar cheerful tone, but ranges from sounding vageuly cliche to totally absurd.
The system contains a list of 250 phrase structures as well as lists including 145 nouns, 194 adjectives, 213 adverbs, and more. All phrases and words were found via scrolling and saving graphics of this style on Instagram, then typing up this found language to create a collection of arrays labeled by their word class for the program to pull from.
There are 80,202,368,730 (over 80 billion) possible phrases that may be generated.
AESTHETIC
By wrapping these phrases in the sugar cookie aesthetic world of girl power positive vibes boss babe kind of media, the piece imitates the graphics designed to catch your eye as you’re scrolling through your feed.
Visual variables include: color palette, text size, text style, background style, and text layout, as well as other decorative elements such as stars, hearts, flowers, and sparkles.
TEXT
Given all output is rendered on chain, the project uses the core serif web safe font to ensure universal system support and future maintenance.
Text is always rendered bold and uppercase. Italicization is an optional variable. Text on a busier background option includes a drop shadow.
Some text includes sparkly accessories calculated to be rendered in response to the letters in each line and their position on screen.
BACKGROUND
There are seven distinct background type choices. Select samples below.
LAYOUT
In addition to the core text layout, there are six additional layouts that are possible. Select samples below.
PRESS
DazedKunstforum
Bookforum
Outland
Animal Blood
MORE LINKS
- Mina Le's video essay on confidence
- Euphoria's “Love Yourself” scene
- Laurie Penny on the false idols of self-care
- Amanda Montell's Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
- NYT Opinion: The Empty Religions of Instagram
- My are.na channel on the death of the “girlboss”
- Instagram Infographic Industrial Complex collection
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Maya Man is an artist focused on contemporary identity culture on the internet. Her websites, generative series, and installations examine dominant narratives around femininity, authenticity, and the performance of self online. She has exhibited internationally at the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC; bitforms, NYC; SOOT, Tokyo; Verse, London; HEK, Basel; and the online platform Feral File. She has been invited to speak on her work at The New Museum, NYC; The V&A and Tate Britain, London; and MOCA, Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in Art in America, Document, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Dazed among other publications. She organizes a curatorial project called HEART, previously run out of her studio in SoHo. She is online at mayaontheinter.net.