Monday, October 15, 2007
Old News & Modern Art
Today was a writing day. I managed almost 1,000 words on a new story, the last in my Greenville series. Because I was busy with that, today I'm presenting you with some old news. Last week, on my birthday, my husband, Young Son #2 and I took a trip to Blanchard Dam. I had never been before and neither had Young Son. I was wholly impressed with the dam, the Soo Line trestle bridge (which is now a recreational trail) and all of the graffiti. Now, I know there are lots of people out there who can't standing graffiti, what with its defacement of public and private property, but that aside, I can truly appreciate the artistry presented. Especially when you think about the pressure the artists must be facing to get their tagging done before they are caught.
Labels: art, artist, blanchard dam, graffiti, greenville, husband, short story, writing, young son
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Graffiti Train
I was waiting for a train this morning and enjoying the well-executed graffiti on the boxcars. And I wondered . . . instead of fighting graffiti artists, why don't the companies that own railroad cars hire them to completely decorate a fleet of boxcars? With the traditional speed of graffiti artists, the boxcars would be done in no time, plus it'd be much harder for other graffiti artists to tag them. Also, the trains would be killer cool to watch.
Labels: art, artist, graffiti, railroad, train
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The Dreaded Writer's Bio
Have you ever been asked to write a short biography? Maybe an artist's bio, or a writer's bio, to go with some event or publication or presentation you're making? This drives me nuts on so many levels. First of all, who cares? Who cares who I am and what I've done in the past? Can't my work just speak for itself?
My writers' group had a public reading in May and I was asked to write the Dreaded Writer's Bio. I refused. Yes, it was snotty of me, and completely not kind to the MC. She took it well and introduced me as someone who didn't want a big introduction. Part of my squeamishness about being introduced with a bio is that I'm always introducing myself during presentations at work. I'll just say my name and my title and launch into my topic and people can judge for themselves whether I know what I'm talking about. My other problem with writing a bio is that each audience is different and I can't divine what each wants to know about me. Do they care about my education, my accomplishments, my interests, my family? It's complicated and a four to five sentence bio doesn't do anyone's life justice, so why bother?
On the other hand - and there's always another hand, isn't there? - I enjoy reading author and artist bios. Even if they are only a few sentences. The bio, along with the work itself, always lead me to more questions about the artist or writer, which I think is a good thing. It means I'm interested.
Maybe it's just that I have difficulty with self-promotion. It seems so self-serving. (Well, duh, that's what it's supposed to be!) But, as a kid I was taught not to be boastful, and writing a bio feels a hair's breadth away from boasting.
So, then, Dear Readers, have you ever been in the position of writing a bio? What do you think of the experience? How do you get through it? What do you want to know about your favorite artists and writers?
P.S. And, yes, I did write the bio for this blog, but I felt the way I've just described while doing it.
P.P.S. I suggested to the writers in my group that next year we trade names and we'll write each other's biographies, rather than do it ourselves.
My writers' group had a public reading in May and I was asked to write the Dreaded Writer's Bio. I refused. Yes, it was snotty of me, and completely not kind to the MC. She took it well and introduced me as someone who didn't want a big introduction. Part of my squeamishness about being introduced with a bio is that I'm always introducing myself during presentations at work. I'll just say my name and my title and launch into my topic and people can judge for themselves whether I know what I'm talking about. My other problem with writing a bio is that each audience is different and I can't divine what each wants to know about me. Do they care about my education, my accomplishments, my interests, my family? It's complicated and a four to five sentence bio doesn't do anyone's life justice, so why bother?
On the other hand - and there's always another hand, isn't there? - I enjoy reading author and artist bios. Even if they are only a few sentences. The bio, along with the work itself, always lead me to more questions about the artist or writer, which I think is a good thing. It means I'm interested.
Maybe it's just that I have difficulty with self-promotion. It seems so self-serving. (Well, duh, that's what it's supposed to be!) But, as a kid I was taught not to be boastful, and writing a bio feels a hair's breadth away from boasting.
So, then, Dear Readers, have you ever been in the position of writing a bio? What do you think of the experience? How do you get through it? What do you want to know about your favorite artists and writers?
P.S. And, yes, I did write the bio for this blog, but I felt the way I've just described while doing it.
P.P.S. I suggested to the writers in my group that next year we trade names and we'll write each other's biographies, rather than do it ourselves.
Labels: artist, biographies, blog, boasting, dread, promotion, writers
Saturday, April 28, 2007
About Yesterday's Post
Been thinking about yesterday's post, rolling it around in my mind, developing a theory that makes me sound not quite so mean. Here's what I've come up with . . . reading trash talk about Dave Matthews Band is humbling, especially if you're an empath. It's like this. If a hugely popular, incredibly talented band can have detractors, then so can any artist, writer, musician, creator . . . literally anyone with a viewpoint. That means that no matter what I write, someone out there is going to hate it. You could probably graph the love/hate relationship of an author on a bell curve. You'll have a small percentage of people who love your work, and a small percentage of people who really hate it. Everyone else is in the middle - those who like it a little, those who dislike it a little, and then there are all those people smack in the center who are completely indifferent to your work. They could care less. Hmm. At least those who hate it are having a reaction, right?
Labels: artist, bell curve, dave matthews band, love hate, music, trash talk, writers
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Lovely Sentiments
I'm still making my way through Julia Cameron's "Letters to a Young Artist." I ran across a couple of lovely sentiments while reading last night.
From page 107: "It's a gread deal like the question of love. Either we can worry about being loved "enough" or we can focus on being more loving. Only one of those choices will make us happy."
From page 113: "I do believe that we encounter the consciousness of an artist through his or her work. Sometimes some of my liveliest relationships are with people whom I may never meet at all except on the page."
The first is self-explanatory. The second makes me wonder if this is why we become so enamored with famous people. Their work precedes them and we get this lovely snippet of the best of them - the nugget of gold inside upon which we build our ideas of them. If / when we meet these famous people or continue to watch their antics through the media, our ideas of them evaporate because we eventually discover their human qualities. The gold is still there, but it's been sullied. Meeting them on the page, or through a song, or in a movie and building our ideas of them through the prism of our hearts and minds creates the ideal relationship, one that cannot be fulfilled in real life, unless our imaginations are willing to accept their humanity.
From page 107: "It's a gread deal like the question of love. Either we can worry about being loved "enough" or we can focus on being more loving. Only one of those choices will make us happy."
From page 113: "I do believe that we encounter the consciousness of an artist through his or her work. Sometimes some of my liveliest relationships are with people whom I may never meet at all except on the page."
The first is self-explanatory. The second makes me wonder if this is why we become so enamored with famous people. Their work precedes them and we get this lovely snippet of the best of them - the nugget of gold inside upon which we build our ideas of them. If / when we meet these famous people or continue to watch their antics through the media, our ideas of them evaporate because we eventually discover their human qualities. The gold is still there, but it's been sullied. Meeting them on the page, or through a song, or in a movie and building our ideas of them through the prism of our hearts and minds creates the ideal relationship, one that cannot be fulfilled in real life, unless our imaginations are willing to accept their humanity.
Labels: artist, books, fame, humanity, idea, julia cameron, love, reading
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Letters to a Young Artist
I was at the library the other day and replenished my reading supply. The book I'm reading now is Julia Cameron's Letters to a Young Artist: Building a Life in Art. Ever since Rainer Maria Rilke wrote his Letters to a Young Poet, there's been an explosion of Letters to a Young So-and-So (insert what you like to replace So-and-So). Letters to a Young Lawyer, Letters to a Young Catholic, Letters to a Young Mathematician, Letters to a Young Contrarian. Google "Letters to a Young" and you'll see what I mean. In fact, there's even another Letters to a Young Artist, this one written by Anna Deavere Smith.
I've never read Letters to a Young Poet as I've never considered myself a poet. I attempted Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens, as I am something of a contrarian (Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary), but can't recall whether I got through it. I am flying through Letters to a Young Artist, however. Julia's writing is a breeze, so conversational and easy. If you've read her book The Artist's Way, the information she imparts in Letters to a Young Artist will be familiar, however the change in format is a pleasure. (Not that there was anything wrong with The Artist's Way - I loved the book . . . it sits on my shelf . . . but the difference between the two books might make them appealing to different audiences.) It's definitely inspirational and worth a read if you've reached a creative slump.
I've never read Letters to a Young Poet as I've never considered myself a poet. I attempted Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens, as I am something of a contrarian (Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary), but can't recall whether I got through it. I am flying through Letters to a Young Artist, however. Julia's writing is a breeze, so conversational and easy. If you've read her book The Artist's Way, the information she imparts in Letters to a Young Artist will be familiar, however the change in format is a pleasure. (Not that there was anything wrong with The Artist's Way - I loved the book . . . it sits on my shelf . . . but the difference between the two books might make them appealing to different audiences.) It's definitely inspirational and worth a read if you've reached a creative slump.
Labels: anna deavere smith, artist, books, christopher hitchens, contrary, creativity, julia cameron, library, poet, rainer maria rilke, reading
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Placed Expectations
When you have children, you try your darndest not to screw them up too badly in raising them. (For example, you'd like them not to leave cracker crumbs all over the computer keyboard, which is the current state of my keyboard, thank you very much.) I think one of the ways we subconsciously mess with our kids is by pigeon-holing them, placing expectations on them based on what they show us. Our oldest son showed a particular artistic genius early on, creating realistic drawings replete with foreshortening and correct perspective when he was five or six years old. He has so consistently shown this ability that he's been pegged as an artist and, of course, we brag about it. Our daughter is gifted with money managing abilities that would put most adults to shame. She's sensible and responsible, not only with money, but with many other things. Our youngest son is energetic and physical and has a sparkling personality that acts as a magnet and attracts people to him. He started talking when he was seven months old and has a magnificient gift of the gab. Innocently enough, and by following their original leads, we've come to expect these things of our children. We don't want to lock them into these molds, but it has happened without our quite realizing it. When I attended my youngest son's conferences and his art teacher said that he was really creative, I was pleased as punch, and thought, why, of course he is, but, honestly, I hadn't really attributed artistic creativity to him as much as I had to his older brother. This is silly. Traits can be mixed and matched between children and our kids can share qualities such as creativity. Sharing is good. I have noticed that all are good writers and interested in science and history. All are creative, but each expresses it differently.
This thought process makes me wonder if siblings from other families that appear to be diametrically opposed to each other in interests and personalities were shunted along these lines by the parents' placed expectations. It makes me want to try harder not to do this.
This thought process makes me wonder if siblings from other families that appear to be diametrically opposed to each other in interests and personalities were shunted along these lines by the parents' placed expectations. It makes me want to try harder not to do this.
Labels: artist, children, creativity, daughter, expectations, money, parents, personality traits, son
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Oblique Strategies
I was reading the new Wired Magazine, which has an article devoted to our snack culture (serve our media up in little bits, along with our food, please), and ran across a mention of a deck of cards created by musician/artist Brian Eno. The deck, which Brian designed with friend Peter Schmidt, is called Oblique Strategies. As artists, Brian and Peter discovered that they had strategies for overcoming obstacles encountered in their work. As they developed these strategies, they wrote them as aphorisms and eventually bundled them together as a set of cards. The first edition was released in 1975, with two other editions following within the next few years. A fourth set was created in 1996 as a private project for the Peter Norton family. (Please don't ask me who Peter Norton is.) Even though the original decks were printed in limited quantities and are hard to come by, the aphorisms are listed on the web on the site devoted exclusively to them, as well as on several other sites. One site acts as a random generator, serving up oblique strategies as you need them.
For the list of aphorisms in each deck (they changed a bit over time), see the links below:
1st edition
2nd edition
3rd edition
4th edition
The Oblique Strategies site points people to Brian Eno's official store to purchase a copy of the deck (5th edition).
For the list of aphorisms in each deck (they changed a bit over time), see the links below:
1st edition
2nd edition
3rd edition
4th edition
The Oblique Strategies site points people to Brian Eno's official store to purchase a copy of the deck (5th edition).
Labels: aphorisms, artist, brian eno, cards, creativity, musician, oblique strategies, peter norton, peter schmidt, wired
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Superhuman Abilities
Several of my writer friends are aware that I have written a story where synesthesia figures prominently. I just found this posting via reddit that shows 8 Diseases That Give You Superhuman Powers. One of those listed is synesthesia. The post details a couple of the ways it can manifest. The list also mentions epilepsy. Epilepsy has been linked to a high artistic ability. Strangely enough, my grandpa had petit mal epilepsy through a portion of his life and was a prolific landscape artist. The final disorder listed is hypergraphia, something you writers out there might wish for. It's the overwhelming urge to write. Of course, to have this disorder, you'd also have to put up with mania and epilepsy.
Labels: artist, disease, epilepsy, grandpa, hypergraphia, reddit, story, superhuman powers, synesthesia, writing
