Click for a better image:
Sometimes I could tell you a list of all the things that I want to do with my art, all the things I am doing with my art, and all the things I should be doing with my art. These three categories reflect three very different things. To synchronize these things is my ultimate goal. Its difficult to define these things because they are always changing.
Accepting where I’m at now with my work is important. Realizing that what I’m creating in the moment is what is important is sometimes hard for me. Returning to a “primitive” state of creation is difficult. Art school has given me a new visual world view, but over the past years has taken away some of the raw spontaneity and playfulness in my old drawings. Its starting to return and that is exciting for me.
My drawing process(es) seem to be more natural and intuitive than before. I have a stronger grasp of how things interlock, connect, and are constructed. My lines are stronger and more confident in nature. Socially I have a better idea of who I am as an artist, my strengths, my weaknesses, my purpose. Each act of creation in my life is part of a larger drawing that illustrates my artistic thoughts.
Most of the time I post images of my work that I think are overall successful. I think it is important to ask what makes a work successful, and also what makes a work a failure. One of the things I dislike most about American culture is the negative attachment to the word failure. Everyone is trying not to make mistakes, which is like carrying a sieve full of water up a mountain. Mistakes are supposed to happen and they have a purpose; they are the growing pains of learning. I have found that you need to fail in order to succeed. Like many things in life going the “wrong” direction actually brings you to where you want to go.
While success may feel better, you don’t learn as much from it. The fact that I want success and don’t want to fail is something I am trying to reverse. I should want to fail and I should strive to put myself in situations where things are difficult. My life should be a triple scoop of failure and a cherry of success on top. Learning (just like positive and negative spaces) is about learning what to do and what NOT to do. The drawing above, for example, taught me many things about color that I should NOT do. Failure breeds accidents, malfunctions, errors, etc which can be some of the most lucrative idea sources out there.
Good luck people, go fail today!
Somehow I got out of work this Thursday, which is exciting because I’m going to go check out MAM’s new exhibition and see Stacey. I’m also really eager to hop onto Acid Pro and my new MIDI keyboard. Piers gave me a simple clue: Experimentation.
I am finding the term Experimentation (Research Included) to be a resoundingly recurring word in my art world lately. This is good. I like to think of it as a city building video game, you send people out to explore, like probing tentacles, then make a move based on what you discover. Another way I like to think about it is that there are an infinite number of gems in an infinitely large mountain. If you explore, experiment, and create you will find lots and lots of bad rock, but occasionally you will find a gem. The longer you mine the more gems you will find and the easier it will be to find them. One important thing to keep in mind is awareness. You must be aware of your exploration and its direction. Otherwise you won’t learn from it. Experiment. Explore. Grow. These are the echoes of John Cage’s words.
More on the subject of experimentation is fearlessness, impermanence, and a love for process. I’ve been reading about buddhist views on relationships, both intimate and non. One thing I have discovered in my readings and my own practice is that the acknowledgment and realization of impermanence is a powerful asset. First you must realize that all things MUST change, then learn to not only accept but to enjoy this. Go with the flow. Ride the tides of change, fighting it will result only in stress. On relationships clinginess causes suffocation and kills a couple. The same applies to a work. The fearlessness to change a work, even one that is ‘finished’, basically enables your creativity to explode. Explosions are good. Explosions are caused by a willingness to experiment. Experimentation is fueled by creativity which to me is a way of thinking that is loose but directed (like flow).
Step 1 – realize that everything must change. Its mandatory
Sept 2 – learn to accept and enjoy change
Step 3 – jump in and make your own thought full changes not only going with the current, but accelerating in it, like Windhorse.
Current Talk