Hello, I hope you are doing well. Here are a few things I thought were cool this week.
1. Last phone standing…
Getting gas recently I looked over and saw a relic from the past - a pay telephone! I was surprised to see one still out in the “wild” as I would have thought their use was now obsolete in the age of smartphones.
Just seeing one did remind me of being a teenager in the 90’s and using these to call home, phone a friend or make prank calls. Along with finding the loose change to make a call (I thought it used to be 35 cents?) it was necessary to have the number memorized or written down - which seem like two tasks almost impossible nowadays.
I wonder how long this phone will keep standing here… When and where was the last time you spotted a pay phone? Made a call on one?
2. A vacation any time you want one…
Earlier this week, I saw the quote above. I thought it was a good reminder of the power of laughter, humor and joy.
No matter where we are, what we are doing or what is going on - it’s important to look for laughter and enjoy an instant vacation even for a brief moment - and all the better if the “instant vacation” is accompanied by another person.
3. “Make Your Art No Matter What”
I just finished the book “Make Your Art No Matter What” by author and art consultant Beth Pickens.
The book is comprised of 12 chapters that take a look at themes and obstacles that artists often face at some point. Beth tries to help artists “move beyond creative hurdles.”
Some of the hurdles the book addresses: Time, Work, Money, Fear, Education, Isolation, Death & God, and more…
Beth states that artists are simply people that make art and further:
“Artists are people who are profoundly compelled to make their creative work, and when they don’t, their quality of life suffers.”
She also shares that making art helps artists:
Take care of themselves
Communicate and express themselves
Process life, experiences and information
Engage their spiritual interior
Strengthen their relationship with themselves and others
One of the chapters I enjoyed the most was about “Time” - which as Miles Davis put it:
“Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing.”
I often think that if I just had more time I could and would create more - if only I could get huge chunks of time to make my work. I was surprised to read that for many artists, large amounts of unstructured time or lack of routine is actually counterproductive. (I’d still like to try it...)
Along with reading this book, I have enjoyed listening to a few episodes of Beth’s podcast “Mind Your Practice”
4. Sketchbook from 2021
I just got around to filming a quick walk through of my 2021 sketchbook. A lot of the beginning of the book is notes, lists and stuff for classes. Some pages could have been developed further but I wanted to keep them under-cooked. There are no rules in a sketchbook - anything goes.
It’s always fun to look back on a sketchbook - much like a garden that has finally bloomed from all the random seeds of ideas planted.
5. Magnifier Fun
Still having fun playing with the Magnifier tool and inverted filter on my phone. It’s just fun to look at something familiar in a different way.
Creative homework: Try taking a picture of something and invert the image to see what happens (Magnifer >filters/“three little circles” > “inverted”
Thank you for following along - I hope you have a great week and be on the look out for anything you find interesting.