The tag line of this blog: "Be Flexible. Be Strange." I like to imagine that as something of a life philosophy. My interests are wide-ranging. I like to think I can adjust to most situations. And the strange part? Well, that mostly happens without my attention or conscious effort. Mostly, I mean don't be afraid of being strange. Don't shy away from doing something just because it is not how others would do it.
That's not to say I don't learn from others. That's not to say that doing things differently from everyone else is the only valuable way to be. Trust me, I spend plenty of my life conforming. But sometimes it's wise, productive, and best to heed to that inner voice that wants to go its own way -- regardless of whether that way is different or strange.
Probably one of the most frustrating questions an artist gets is "Where did you get that idea?" (or possibly, "Why did you do it that way?"). I put it right up there with the most annoying question you can ask a performer: "How did you learn all those lines?" I guess the only way to really answer any of those is: it's just what I do. This time, anyway.
If you find these cartoons cryptic, know that you are not alone. I don't know what they mean. I don't know where they came from. I don't know why I did them this way. They are largely unplanned. Just ideas put to paper and then digitally processed. All along the way, I let my interest and sense of the appealing guide me. I break some "rules" here and there. But mostly they are what they are -- me playing around. Me stretching my abilities and interests. Me courting the strange.
Colorful, aint it?
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the dream up there is really good!
ReplyDeleteCourt the strange - absolutely! Well put. I dig your words as much as your art. I play a game with my own art where I like to interpret it after I have created it, over and over if I feel like. I think the best art (for me) is art in that spirit - that the creation of the piece is just the beginning, and invitation to explore further and further our perceptions and insights... and strangeness.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback. When I decided to take a whack at blogging again last year, I made two personal vows: (1) try to reign in the length of my posts, and (2) keep each post visually interesting.
ReplyDeleteI can't quite bring myself to post images without words yet. Sometimes the words lead, and I come up with an illustration. Lately, I've been doing more of what you suggest, Ajikas: interpreting or commenting on my own art after it's made (though rarely offering any "this is what it means" claims). All of it is a bit like alchemy or divination -- mix the pot and shit just comes together, hopefully into something coherent.