Archive for the ‘Process’ Category
Originally uploaded by love not fear I finished the prototype last night. I’ve never approached making art in this way — making a prototype. Typically I go with first draft=final draft. But this series is important enough to play around a bit and figure out what works and what doesn’t. I’ll explore below what I’ve learned logistically during the process thus far. I generally like the way it turned out, but there are some obvious imperfections. I’m anxious to make another prototype to see how what I’ve learned from this one can be applied. Visually it looks good. I know I need to do a few things:
I’ll learn more about the process as I do it, I’m sure. A few questions I’m asking myself need to be worked out. The inclusion of paint comes from a suggestion that another artist gave me as I explained the idea to him, and I like the idea. I’m interested in what others have to say about how to execute this series. Please share any ideas in the comments.
It used to be that I’d do it once a year, and I always dreaded it. I had five of those CD binders because I’d thrown away all of my jewel boxes. I traveled a lot, and this was in the days before most of my music is digital.  I’m talking about, of course, the sorting of the CDs. Mine were sprawling out of their cases and scattered all over one of the shelves in my living room and generally contributing to a look of disaray. I loaded up iTunes with two episodes of This American life and set to work. One good thing, I told myself, is that I’ve since consolidated CDs to get rid of three out of the five binders, so the sorting should be less. I got all of them at least placed in the correct alphabetical piles, but actually alphabetizing them is for another day. Meantime, I found a handful of mix CDs that I haven’t listened to in years. I’ll load ‘em up in the car stereo and give them a spin over the next few days, but I thought you might appreciate some of the titles (not all mine). Do *you* have any good mix CD titles? Let me know in the comments.
photo by ChadBrooks on Flickr
Originally, I was shooting for a list of 100. I’ll experiment more with lists of 100 later, but for now, this is a good start. And no, I won’t just add to this list. If you want to donate anything to help me achieve any of these projects in 2008, please fell free by clicking the PayPal button below. Even a quarter would be great. Thanks, and have a great weekend. Yes, I realize blog references are excluded, so the list of 36 is incomplete. It was a brainstorm for cryin’ out loud.
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I’ve been thinking about an art project of snippets of old letters under stacks of sandwiched glass mounted on wood. Details aren’t worked out yet, but here are some initial sketches of how the glass might be laid out, along with some notes. More as I progress on this. Doing data mining tonight.
when no one is talking and all is silent…
you can hear the crickets in the yard
rubbing their wings together to fill the uncomfortable silence…. [poem from an IM back in 2005]
Day of the Dead found a home in Missoula back in 1993, when one of my favorite Missoula artists, Mike deMeng returned to Missoula from a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, a community, which, like Missoula, is rife with artists and an appreciation for the arts. The idea that death is a new beginning resonated with deMeng. The idea that death can be cause for celebration in addition to grieving is not new. The brash funeral parades of New Orleans are an American example of this phenomenon. DeMang was determined to infuse Missoula with this tradition. He returned to Missoula and recruited fellow university of Montana teacher and artist, Bev Glueckhert to help him, and the tradition has continued to this day. Day of the Dead in Missoula is even mentioned in the Wikipedia article about Day of the Dead. (Interestingly, Day of the Dead almost didn’t happen this year in Missoula.)
Because Missoula’s incarnation of Day of the Dead was founded by a couple of artists, it’s no surprise that the arts hold an important part of the celebration of Day of the Dead in Missoula. What I’ve always enjoyed about the Day of the Dead celebration in Missoula is the steamroller prints. This year was the first year that I’ve been able to go and watch the prints being made, and it was quite impressive. University of Montana printmaking professors Jim Bailey and Elizabeth Dove’s printmaking students spend about a month carving the print plates.
The steamroller prints have been such a popular part of the parade every year that the process of printing them has been expanded. While those who were included in the creation and printing of the steamroller prints used to be mainly the printmaking students at the university, the program has been extended to students at some of the local high schools. Students work in teams of up to five. It’s easy to tell the difference between the high school kids’ prints and the university students’ prints, not by the quality of the carving, but by the size. The high schoolers’ prints are only about 4′x4′ while the university students’ prints run about 4′x8′.
Each student makes a print for himself, so that everyone who contributed to the project has one. The prints are traditionally displayed in downtown Missoula for about a month before their respective owners take them home and display them in their houses. The plates? Well, I was saddened to hear that the plates are destroyed. Part of the reason for this is that they are so huge — where could they be stored? But destroying the plates also adds a special quality to the prints that do get made, and that is part of why they are so popular.
What may be the highlight of Day of the Dead for many Missoulians is the parade, which occurs on November 2nd around dusk.
But the parade isn’t the only celebration in Missoula for Day of the Dead. It has evolved into a time for people to express themselves not only publicly, but also to reflect privately about loved ones who have gone before them. The Missoula International School is at the forefront of Day of the Dead activities, and invites families to come and learn about the rich history of Day of the Dead, through traditional Day of the Dead arts and crafts, storytelling and other activities.
Also at The International School, people who have recently lost a loved one can come to express themselves through creative movement and interactive dance that, organizers hope, will ultimately help to celebrate death while grieving it through the celebration of life and the promise of continued emotional and spiritual bonds with the deceased. The workshop features live percussion.
Finally, The International School invites everyone to join together to build a community shrine comprised of photos, candles and other mementos honoring those who have died. The shrine project includes dramatic performances and music by the Sentinel High School jazz band. University of Montana drama students create a portable backdrop for the shrine, which often finds its way into the parade later.
Day of the Dead celebrations culminate with the parade and the resulting performances at Caras Park.
Click the image below to view all of the steamroller print photos from this year.
We Are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.
–Kurt Vonnegut
“You were Superman last time,” my cousin said to me as the sunlight streamed through the open screen window, letting in the summer warmth.
“But I don’t WANT to be Batman this time,” I said, knowing that choosing the right character was half the fun. Who wanted to be a guy who ran most places and had to drive in a car to get anywhere? I wanted to fly.
And so it went, when we were kids, pretending. We always chose carefully and pretended with everything we had.
That’s one of the ways I came to be an artist. I pretended I was one. I never had any training. I’ve always wanted to be an artist, since I was a kid. I tried to pursue it in college, but for one reason or another, it didn’t work out. Then, one day, I decided, Hell yes, I’m an artist. And one thing that artists do, besides make art, is have shows. So I started having shows.
The first year I showed was back in Ohio, and I showed only once, at a local coffee shop. From there, after arriving in Missoula, I showed only once the first year I was here, and I wasn’t even present for the opening — I was on the road. Upon my return, I showed officially only once that year. Then, I had access to framing tools and a place to frame, a studio of my own, and I went crazy. I had four shows in 2006, with different original work for each show. I sold enough work last year to pay my rent four months in a row, which was good because my dayjob couldn’t figure out a way to make payroll in a timely fashion, but that’s another story best told over beers.
For a while, now, I’ve had dayjobs that either are unfulfilling, or pay little. The one I currently have is so mentally draining and morale is so low among the troops as to be unhealthy. Something’s got to give. Someday everything will be beautiful, nothing will hurt. Not sure how to make that happen yet, but am starting to think of myself as a Professional Artist. I guess I have been thinking of myself that way for a while.
Does that mean that the art that I make pays the bills? No. And for now, that’s OK. I’d like to build towards that. In the meantime, the dayjob, at least the one I have now, is a means to an end. I’ll continue to pretend I am a professional artist, sans the training, sans the consistant paycheck, and I will become him. So it goes.
What do you pretend to be? What do you want to pretend to be?
Every day most of us are challenged to use our creativity in some fashion. Maybe we need to become a magician and meet an impossible deadline, or figure out how to make six rolls of sod cover an area that needs eight rolls. Or maybe we’re staring at a blank computer screen, a new text document page open, cursor blinking, awaiting our fingers to touch the keys in a stroke of genius to write that winning proposal, that amazingly heartbreaking poem, the next great American novel or a Grammy Award-winning song. The blank canvas awaiting paint. A glob of clay awaiting shaping. A difficult conversation with a spouse or mate. Whatever creative challenges we each face during our daily lives, sometimes we get stuck, find ourselves in a rut, and allegedly unable to get to the next level. We are uninspired. How do we inspire ourselves?
Recently, I received an email from a friend asking that very question. “How do you find inspiration to create?” he wanted to know. He was embarking on a new project and had hit a wall. I thought that it was courageous of him to ask someone like me, an unknown artist on the other side of the country, for advice. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I’ve talked with other musicians and artists and asked them where they find their creativity and inspiration when they’ve got a block. I’ll focus this How to Find Inspiration article towards artists, but it can be applied in many different walks of life.
1. Deep Observation. Of self, of your surroundings, your thoughts, goals, successes and failures. I like to start outward and work in. Grab a notebook or sketchpad and head to a place that inspires me. Sometimes it’s out in nature, near a river or up in a mountain. Other times, it’s as an unnoticed face in a crowd as I people-watch. I write down thoughts and ideas as they come to me, and I go back later to reflect on the initial bursts of idea in more depth. I think about how the external themes I’ve recorded may apply to me, and then eventually ask myself how those themes can be expressed with intimate personal depth but still apply as a universal truth.
2. Other Artists. When I feel uninspired, I go to the library and sit on the floor with art books sprawled around me. I always like to choose some favorites, and a few that are unfamiliar. I keep a notebook of ideas that sometimes includes rough sketches of an idea, but always a line or two about a project I want to start. Sometimes, it isn’t the library, but the Internet where I look at inspiring artwork. Drawn!, Flickr, DeviantArt, PhotoJojo, a random Google search, The Wooster Collective, or even a place like Bighappyfunhouse. In the case of my friend, the musician, I’d try head to the record store and browse via the headphones music with which he’s unfamiliar. Ask friends to make mix CDs of new music that they’ve been listening to with which you may be unfamiliar (so that you can use it as a jumping-off point for your own creativity, of course, not to pirate music. And, if you like the stuff on the mix CD, go out and buy the original). Go see some live music of bands or genres with which you aren’t familiar. Always explore the unknown genres of art, music, whatever when finding yourself uninspired.
3. Other Types of Art. If you are a visual artist, go listen to some live music or see a play. Watch a ballet. Check out some performance art. On a budget? Check your weekly independent newspaper, often there are many free cultural events happening around town that you can take in and help fill your creativity cup.
4. Collaboration. Nothing fuels creativity like collaborating with someone else on a piece of art or a project. The major challenge when collaborating is to let go of all expectations, and allow the process to create the art along with you. It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever tried, but when it works, it’s a lot of fun and also very rewarding. One of the big problems for many folks when collaborating, including myself, is not only letting go of expectations, but also of ego. When you collaborate, you have to be humble and open to new input and the ideas of others.
5. Experimentation. I work a lot with collage and abstract paintings. A while back, I was tired of the art on my walls that I’d made, and tired of what I was producing. I had some huge canvases that I’d gotten for free, some time on my hands, lots of paint, and no ideas. I decided to try something I’d never done. They reason I think that the paintings were successful is that I gave myself permission to fail. Sometimes in life you may think that you do not have that luxury, but, as James Joyce said, “A man of genius makes no mistakes, his errors are volitional and the portals to discovery.” By experimenting and playing, I found some things that worked that I knew I could apply in the future, and things I didn’t like so much that I likely won’t try again.
6. Deadlines. Sometimes, there is no way around it. You have to git-r-done and you have a specific cut-off point that if you miss it, you could die. Figuratively, of course. The death might be one of public embarrassment, missing a deal at work, or closing doors in the future. Last year, I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to make art, so I created for myself a deadline. I agreed to do an opening in June with a very short notice. I pulled it off, and the June show lead to a July show, which led to an August show that bled into September. With each show, I learned something about the process of putting a show together, but I also found myself feeling more creative and making more art.
7. Money. There is no way around it, Shakespeare’s got to get paid, Son. There will always be rent or a mortgage to make, car insurance, utilities, groceries. A person needs money to live. And sometimes when I know that I can make money by making a certain piece of art, that motivates me to make the art. If, after I’ve made it, I think it has any less passion or is in any way inferior to my other work, I don’t continue down that path. But money can be a strong motivator and inspiration.
8. Nothing. Sometimes there is absolutely no way I can get motivated or inspire myself. It’s at those times that I “just show up”, as was suggested in The Artist’s Way. Show up at the page. Write. Paint. Collage. Sing. Whatever your chosen art, show up at your specific “page” everyday and make your art. Practice makes perfect, and repetition breeds habit. Habits breed lifestyles, and if you are an artist, it is a lifestyle choice. I met Garrison Keillor once at a reception in Akron, Ohio after having heard him speak, and, at the time, I fancied myself a writer specifically. I was not focused at all on making visual art. I asked him, “What advice do you have for an aspiring young writer?” He said, “Write.” That’s it. Do it every day.
This list is, of course, not an exhaustive list. It’s a jumping-off point and can easily be added to. I invite you, especially artists, to share in the comments what inspires you to create, and how you become and remain inspired.
Donate and Support the Artist
If you found this article useful, please consider making a small donation. I accept donations in any amount, none are too small or too large. All donations and gifts will be used to further my artwork. Donations are easy to give online, via Paypal or if you would like to work out any other method of supporting your local arts, please contact me directly via email.
Home Resource pulled off another great SponCon this year. I arrived at around 10AM to deliver some remaining pieces of art for the silent auction. Then, they put me to work. I got started immediately, drawing twenty-eight 10′ x 10′ boxes on the closed-off street. The squares would become workspace for the teams who were competing to create the found art sculptures. As the morning wore on, the boxes became more and more approximate. I never realized how long it takes to draw 28 10′ square boxes. I worked as quickly as I could, for the competition was to begin at noon.
After I finished drawing the boxes, I dissapeared for a bit to run some errands. I made it back in time to see the opening chaos after Matt Heisel announced the rules and participants ran rampant through the yard, gathering supplies. I wandered the yard, providing help to the Home Resource volunteers as needed, but also watching participants figure out how to communicate with each other as they built their masterpieces.
It was incredible, really. So many people, all with different visions of how the final project should look once completed, and all dependent upon materials that they found in the yard. One of the challenges that they faced was letting go of their expectations, and allowing the art to reveal itself. The process was the important part, not the finished product. Or so they had to believe in order to continue working.
But the finished product was also important. There was to be a judging of the completed works by an independent panel, with awards for “most wearable” art, “most functional” art, and other categories. And, of course, there would be a live auction at the end.
The teams were pretty diverse, ranging from friends to co-workers, to families. It was great watching people work together in a spirit of co-operation and fun. Smiles abound as the hot sun pounded down on everyone and some of the pieces began to take shape. What interested me most, thought, was watching families with young children work together. Fathers patiently showing their sons how to drive a screw into a piece of wood. Mothers showing their daughters how to detail a piece of plastic that might need painting. A young boy listening to his dad ask, as they waited in line to have some wood cut by a volunteer, “Now, you’re sure you measured this correctly? Remember, measure twice, cut once.” This day was, for many families, something that they would always remember.
Besides the actual spontaneous construction, there was plenty for folks to do to keep themselves entertained. There was a silent auction of work that had been previously created by a variety of artists. The proceeds from work that these artists donated would be given to Home Resource. Some artists chose to give 100% of the proceeds, others chose to give 50%. Either way, if the work sold, everyone won.
Children (and some adults) were having fun painting doors in a tent to the side of the stage were a variety of musicians played all afternoon. Other kids, mostly younger kids, were busy painting un-glazed tiles to be included in a large window that would later be auctioned off as well. And then there was the “community growth sculpture”, to which anyone throughout the day could add to as they wanted.
There were some amazing finished pieces at the end, and even a couple of bidding wars during the auction. When night fell and the beer flowed, we were all tired but happy that we had been a part of something so empowering and creative, as well as beneficial to an organization that is doing so much to give back to the community and keep building materials out of the landfill.
Hope to see you next year.
