What are YOU going to make today?
This artist has been all over the news lately being interviewed about her successful new book: And it is with good reason! This book is followup to an incredible TED Talk last year that described her fundraising process for supporting her musical projects. She was shooting for $50,000 and ended up with $1.2 million! Her philosophy is to not "make" people pay for her music, but to "let" them support it. When given the chance, people will support artists if they just...ask. Her book speaks to the heart of the artist in more ways than financial, though. Being a local girl (from Winchester, MA) her story is told against a backdrop of familiar places and events, packed with honest tales of artistic and personal survival when faced with living the challenging life of an artist. She is a genuine character with character, and her book is a really inspiring, fun and thought-provoking read. Highly recommended!
What are YOU going to make today?
0 Comments
Talk about a marriage of personality "quirks" / "syndrome" / "disorder" (no insult intended!!) and the need to create, with a whole lot of love thrown in the mix, too. I would love to do this in my house to let the cats go above the birds, and let them feel a bit safer when they are around them! My construction craftsmanship is nowhere near that of this man, thought. Hey...is he married? What are YOU going to make today? What did you make today? Was it "Art" with a capital "A" or was it something else? Is there a difference? I believe that everyone has an element of creativity within their personality. Maybe it is a mechanical creativity, the ability to take a toaster apart in five minutes and build a robot. Maybe it is an "environmental" creativity -- the ability to furnish and decorate one's interior space to be visually engaging. I do think that not everything we make IS "Art," but that doesn't lessen its value at all. When I watch kids draw highly schematic, symbolic images and see that they are sincerely proud of themselves, I can not deny the value of what they've done. The energy of creating is self affirming and confidence building in all of us. I think today is a day to make some intriguing, unclassified objects -- from bird feathers. Will they be "Art?" Not sure! There's a cool tutorial on how to do it below. Now, go make something!! Happy Birthday, Yves Tanguy! The fascinating Surrealist painter would have been 115 today. He is known for creating crisp, beautifully rendered abstract landscape scenes similar in tone to those of Dali. As part of the Surrealist camp, though, he created using a variety of styles and methods during his art career. An exhibit and explanation of the "Exquisite Corpse" drawing game he played with his artist friends can be found here. While his art is fantastic, his hairstyle is even better! (Image source: http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/t/fotos/tanguy.jpg) Art can be like medicine. As someone who takes many medications to stay physically functional, I can tell that spending an hour unwinding with beads and thread makes me literally feel better. Maybe it is the baby step accomplishment, maybe it is being able to sit still and let my hands take over from my very busy mind. Whatever the reason, it helps. Some people with my medical issue (Rheumatoid Arthritis) have some good days and some bad days, without it causing major life changes. In my case, most of the the "good days" are physically not so good, and the bad days are plentiful. Life has changed considerably since the onset of RA twelve years ago. I am blessed to work in a field I love with amazing people, and live with a fascinating array of fur and feathered friends at home, but the ability to produce art at the rate I had before becoming ill has most definitely gone. I've wrestled with the thought that slow production makes me "less" of an artist -- no new large bodies of artwork, less exhibitions, less publications. Yet every day I think about what I want to make and do my best to move in the right creative direction -- isn't that what being an artist is all about? My art college trained brain equated artistic success with "looking like a professional artist," with frequent shows, sales, and all the trappings. Maybe there is something more meaningful to be found in the bare bones process itself. Arts and Healing Network offers a variety of interesting resources for artists including art challenges, information about classes and workshops, grant opportunities, and more. Art as therapy (physical and mental) is certainly not a new concept, but for me focusing on artmaking as a way to feel better, every day, is. "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" -- Frida Kahlo, who was plagued by illness and immobility but kept on painting.
(Source: http://www.liberalamerica.org/2014/10/20/42-frida-kahlo-quotes-you-need-to-read-today/) How many hours do I spend trawling Facebook and the Internet? Too many. The Internet is a candy shop for the curious...but too much candy isn't good for anyone. An interesting site about current global internet use is here. It claims only about 40% of the world population has access to the Internet. So what are the other 60% doing? Only 21.8% of this group are Americans (North and South), and Europe is at roughly 18%. China takes the cake at around 48%. I imagine that those not facing the Internet daily are living very different lives -- are they spending more time with family and friends? Cleaning their houses? Writing that elusive novel or making artwork? Or sitting in city cafes sipping expresso? Maybe even reading a real book?
If so, I feel bad for them. So many ways to enhance an aritst's life are available on the Internet that it is impossible to see them all. Tutorials on YouTube, virtual museum visits (to places I could never go in reality), online classes, and endless photographic resources have become essential tools in the artistic toolbox. I am happy, however, to be faced with the challenge of wrangling "too much joy" in the curiosity department. Learning is exciting and opens new windows of creative thought. Yes, I should be cleaning my house more, and will be working on the next big artwork, but the thought of clicking my way around the world and through a database of information never before available to human beings is too compelling to ignore. What's the harm in taking a moment to see a baby cockateil hatch in Australia along the way? Better than chocolate. Those of us who practice creative arts know the value of the time and experience art making provides. But did you know you may be actually changing your brain for the better when engaging in some studio based habits? Art teachers all over the world rejoiced with the publication of a recent study that looked at the way specific types of art education impacted the brain. They compared two groups of seniors studying art history and studio (hands-on) art making. The results are inspiring! As a middle school art teacher I am interested in the implications of art practice on the young person's brain, and at least hope the benefits are as numerous.
A good summary of the research can be found here, and a more technical abstract is here. Enjoy! Day 1 of the new year comes with a surge of creative energy and the willingness to try again. Try again on art projects that have been put aside, and trying again on shaping this thing called life into a rewarding experience. It is a challenge to keep going in a 24/7 culture with so many demands on our all too human capacities. What happens when we make sure we take time out to be creative and produce something every day? It's been proven that meditation is beneficial to one's health. Being a non-meditator (despite being a great napper!) I have found that taking time to make artwork, to get lost in the process, is centering, stress relieving, and beneficial for me. The challenge is finding time...but isn't 15 minutes available to everyone?
Happy New Year! |
AuthorAmy Ropple is an artist and art educator who believes engaging in visual art can make life happier and more meaningful. This blog is a daily journal of creative habits and interests, as well as reflections on living with chronic autoimmune disease. Archives
January 2017
CategoriesDisclaimer: Yes, there may be parrots on this site. I live with five of them and they tend to work their way into everything I do!
|