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Thursday, October 14, 2004
navel gazing, art making and art writing
Maybe a short history first: In 1996, I started a small personal zine of public trust that I called Trustworthy. I cobbled the contents together from my own experiences and observations, from the solicited ideas of people I admired and enjoyed, and from total strangers in the mail. My first foray into personal writing about issues artistic, political, and other was successful from my perspective. It lasted about 20 issues, gained a gaggle of readers and garnered a bunch of feedback, it grew my confidence as a writer and as an artist, and I liked to think that the folks that found a copy of Trustworthy had at least 20 minutes of enjoyment. I would get great letters and I know my little comics and stories made some strangers laugh, think, look around a little. When I started painting with a frenzy it was because I needed to. I had something to learn from and say with color and form. I'm still figuring that out and I guess I'll always be able to paint the reasons I need to paint better than I can say them (or I could just get off my ass and write a coherent artist statement or spend more time painting). Below is a sketch I made in New York a few years ago when I couldn't stop thinking big city slow down big city slow down big city slow down... I've been thinking a lot about the purpose of this blog, of the reasons why I tend to make my own soapboxes to stand on, of the things that can be learned and can be taught through vehicles like this. Like a lot of the other art bloggers I know (like Tyler and Anna for example) I was glad to see Todd's survey. I learned a thing or two (artists and art people read art blogs...well, ok). But you know, there's a great freedom in not knowing exactly what your reader wants to know. Maybe you out there don't give a crap about my mundane daily existance eeking out a living in a small museum in a midsized city in a sleepy part of the country or maybe you don't care at all about which emerging or emerged artists I think are rewarding to look at...I do care what you think but I'm simply going to continue to make what I want to make and write what I want to write. Today I spent some good time trying to figure out why people seek out arts education for themselves or their children and how arts ed programs can find those people, and I spent time watching wet leaves curl, and some time drawing sculptures and watching college kids walk around a museum filling out forms. My whole life revolves around art and my whole art revolves around my life, so I'll just keep up here on this soapbox, tying to listen more and help more and make more and... big city slow down big city slow down big city...Now all that said, I will take care to add more blog and art links soon, but I'm going to bed now. take care, Rachael
Posted at 11:22 pm by balduffington
 | | | rachael
October 18, 2004 10:16 PM PDT
Thanks for all the comments everyone. It really has helped me get my confidence high again to blog what I wanna blog. Oh, and Anna, I'd love to see your sketches...
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| | | Mr Zip
October 18, 2004 06:46 PM PDT
I found my way here via Marja-Leena. I think it's vital that you write in your blog whatever you feel like writing about. Once you start to define what it's about, you'll lose interest, I'm sure. Keep it open and free.
Works for me anyway. I intended to write mainly about my art, but I find that all my other interests want their space too, and I'm pleased to give it to them. They are all part of what makes me tick. | |
| | | Marja-Leena
October 16, 2004 01:56 AM PDT
Anna sent me here too, though I do visit regularly! You have brought up some thoughtful points on artists blogs and I was inspired to write such a long reply that I decided to post it on my own, so come visit! Keep writing and soapboxing and being yourself, and take care! | |
| | | Alanna Spence
October 15, 2004 03:16 PM PDT
Hi, Anna sent me here to add my two cents (Thanks Anna!). The subject of why I make art has been burning on my mind so here goes!
On why I paint.
I have always been artistic but at a pretty young age (13) chose to follow a career path that was more financially stable. I have never regretting this decision but started regretting that my career was taking over all other aspects of my life.
I started painting seriously after spending 12 years in the computer industry, devoting my personal and professional life to the companies I worked in. I started realizing that my efforts had no lasting effect or personal connection to others. I also found that all my hard work was typically thrown out within 6 months to a couple years time. How sad to watch all your hard work rust away before your eyes. I used to complain that my life was all work and that I had no personal life left. I was worried I was going to wake up one day and realize I had wasted my entire life working for other people and have nothing to show for it. It was this realization that eventually brought me to painting. It is something so deeply personal, that will last me through my whole life and that I can share with the world. A good painting can be like a song that touches you. You share an understanding with the artist and it can give your life more meaning. We all want to be validated as thoughtful, passionate human beings, art can be that validation for both the artist and the viewer. I really like that. I want to have something to say about the world I live and and art is my vehicle.
On my weblog.
For me it's a little different. My weblog was never meant to me an artist's blog, it just started turning into that. My art is my life. It is a reflection of me and my human experience. Because of that, I end up writing about art in my weblog a large percentage of the time. I have always kept a journal and am not really interested in keeping different aspects of my life separate in my journals. Being that it is a public forum, you get feedback from people who want you to do more of this or less of that. You've got to make a decision who your audience is and what you want out of writing. My friend told me once, "you write about your dreams too much, maybe you should write about other things instead". At the time I was having really vivid dreams. Should I have not kept a record of all these incredible dreams because it was boring my audience? That would have been terrible for me.
So for me the choice is easy. I love that people enjoy reading it but ultimately my weblog is for my benefit more than anything. I am creating my own tiny history. If people find that interesting, great. Some people think the essence of art comes from awareness of your self and the world. I find that my blog really helps me understand myself better and my art inproves because of it.
Thanks for listening. Keep up the good work! | |
| | | Anna L. Conti
October 15, 2004 01:38 PM PDT
Hi Rachael,
Thanks for the link. I look forward to your blog entries and wish they more frequent (but I understand, really.) I think your instinct is right - listen to what people want, but go ahead with your own plans.
I have a similar internal conflict about my blog. I keep reading snarky comments here and there that lead me to believe that people don't want to hear about personal things in my blog. So I've been trying to avoid it. But I'm rethinking that issue for two reasons:
First reason - the recent blog survey indicated that the majority of bloggers and blog readers are young men. Is it possible that that's where the "nothing personal or too emotional" attitude comes from? But the same survey also indicated that my readers are skewed toward the older female demographic. Could this mean that the occasional personal entry wouldn't scare off too many of my readers? Besides, my main reason for blogging in the first place was to make some kind of connection with my collectors and potential collectors. I may be getting sidetracked by paying too much attention to the opinions of other bloggers that I admire, but don't need to emulate.
Second reason - my personal life has an enormous impact on my painting, as well as my blogging. Right now, one of my best friends is dying, and next week she will be coming home from the hospital (to my house.) This drama has been going on for some time now, and probably accounts for the "dark feeling" some people have noticed in my paintings. But even from a strictly practical point of view, I will not have the time or ability to go out and do those interviews that everyone (including me) liked so much. At least not not often, and not for awhile. Nor, will I get much chance to go out to shows. So, what to write about....??? Gotta put on my thinking cap... maybe start posting sketches? Or (gasp) get personal?
Anna | |
| | | Kie
October 14, 2004 11:29 PM PDT
neat idea for a blog.. cool stuff :-) | |
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