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Sunday, October 27, 2013

Quotes - Magic

Quotes - Magic

"There's a bit of magic in everything,
and some loss to even things out."
 - Lou Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013)

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Art - Blank pages

Art - Blank pages

Beginning art is paralyzing.  I know that from having lived as an 'emerging' or 'young' artist for so long.  Beginning ideas, putting words to thoughts, brush to page, or ink to paper is a paralyzing task.  It's a vulnerable proposition, committing.  I used to think of myself as being generally noncommittal, floating through life where the currents take me, but I've begun to realize that in fact to be a good artist, you need to have a sort of sense of stubbornness to you.

Beginning things starts with the simplest of things for me.  Sometimes I watch ink run down a page, or the interaction of people.  I scrawl notes on scrap paper, quick little ink drawings of gestures and facial expressions.  I concoct elaborate scenarios and scenes in my mind of how moments might have played themselves out.  The exchanges of people, the gestures, the way they look at each other, their worlds and what they see.

Pull back the camera, look at them, study their motions, imagine their home life, their relationships.

Their thoughts.

And then I throw it all away and ask them.

People are blank pages until you ask.

I'm no longer paralyzed by creating new things, there are no new things to create, only existing stories to be cataloged, imagined, and shared.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Life - Last Priority

Life - Last Priority

Here's the truth, if you treat other people like they're always your last priority?  You know the "Yeah if I don't have anything else I'll consider it..." the "Sure maybe, I'll think about it."

Eventually people catch on.  I'm not the sharpest social knife in the drawer, but I'm tired of being taken advantage of.  I think I cook a pretty damn good meal, and am a fun host.  I haven't had thanksgiving with my own family in 9 years.  Every year I try and have a little slice of thanksgiving for my friends who are without homes to go to, without family to make them a good home cooked meal, the orphans of the city where we are, us artists who can't afford sometimes to make a real meal.

I don't have to do this.  I don't at all, I get that.  But it makes me so angry when I'm the lowest priority on the totem pole for people.  The fallback.  The noncommital.  If we have nothing else to do, we can always join Lester's.

Well fuck you.

Thanksgiving is cancelled.  No turkey for anyone.