A Moment of Eternal Noise is an intermittent appendix. Sidelines to making art. The title relates to the never-ending stream of sounds, images, and words we immerse ourselves in, both from the internet and the world around us. It has gone through several stages, which are outlined on the post page: soundscapes, writing projects, exquisite corpses with other artists, interviews, and radio shows.

I now use the blog rarely, primarily because I struggle to find the time. Time and attention may now be our greatest assets, perhaps even more than money. Corporations, individuals, family, and the world all vie for our attention, so it is crucial to spend it wisely. This blog was set up in 2011, just after Facebook and before Instagram and TikTok, at a time when self-publishing seemed like a utopia — an almost free voice that could reach out and touch the entire world. However, over the last two decades, blogs, along with optimism about the internet, have almost disappeared from public consciousness. We have grown accustomed to the two-second hit from likes on a post or a video that aligns with our views.

I personally feel that blogs offer a much richer way for people to express themselves. They are more similar in structure to a diary entry or review, existing outside limiting corporate designed formats, less addictive, and more democratic. Blogs are not as laborious as long essays but are long enough to express something considered. If nothing else, they provide a space for self-reflection, which is, in my opinion, an important part of daily life. I am a decades-long journaler and have three journals: day-to-day experiences, writings on creativity, and one solely for fiction. I have a backlog of scribblings that, once knocked into shape, I think people might find engaging and a good use of a valuable five minutes.

Instead of being related to sound, Eternal Noise will be interpreted as the often challenging noise of daily life: thoughts that haunt and nurture, ideas about the struggle to make art, make ends meet, and other people’s works that inspire. So, for the next few years, I will be posting some short observations. They will be rare, yet hopefully valuable. Subscribe if you want, or drop in once in a blue moon if you can.

Richard Nik Evans, June 2024

www.richardnikevans.com