A Digital Wake
There is something magical and terrifying about having a digital wake in the Internet stream. People can track your entire life’s journey from birth to death, especially since Social Media has spiraled out of control. We see both accomplishments and failures of most individuals. For the historian, the genealogist, the scholar, and others, this scenario is a dream come true. Scanned newspaper articles and many other publications facilitate my research concerning paint companies, theatre productions, and Masonic activities from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
I am able to track scenic artists in census records, immigration documents, birth certificates, public announcements, and more. Every month, more and more information is uploaded and individuals are pushed into a river of data that will slowly swirl downstream into a permanent lake of documentation.
I have always been very aware of my online identity and knew it could not be easily erased. Be careful of what you say, as there is always a line of people ready to point out the falsehood that you shouted from your Facebook soapbox. Every once in a while, I search my own name, as I am curious to see what pops up. Am I leaving a good wake behind me? I honestly want my digital contribution to be something that I am extremely proud of in the coming decades.
In a Google search for “Waszut-Barrett,” all of my scenery restorations immediately pop up for all to see. They are found in the form of Masonic publications, websites, newspaper articles, and a plethora of other public forums. If you do scenery restoration, you can’t hide your work, whether it is good or bad.
For those of us who specialize in scenery restoration, we understand one thing: people find it fascinating, especially the press. The individual or venue that hires someone to restore their painted scenery always wants good media coverage. It supports their cause and spurs community support. There has not been a single restoration project on which I worked where a reporter didn’t show up within the first week.
Just think about this digital wake as I wind back to the May 5, 2017 Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center website article that presented their current restoration team.
The article states, “Lead Scenic Artist, Kimberly L. Lawler, was brought in to assess, stabilize, repair and install the collection. Her 30 years of experience creating and restoring theatre sets and scenes ensured the absolute integrity of the project.”
Where is the digital wake validating 30 years experience restoring scenery?
To be continued…
