Hello there… I hope you have a had a great week as you wrap up the last week of January. Here are a few things I thought were cool this week.
1. Isamu Noguchi (…and the landscapes within)
During trips to the library I will often pick up several books for my boys to read and look through. One book that recently caught my eye was about Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Born in 1904, Noguchi’s artistic career spanned 6 decades and he is considered a critically acclaimed and significant sculptor of the 20th century.
The book I picked up was titled “A Boy Named Isamu; The Story of Isamu Noguchi” and artfully shares about life through the eyes of a young Isamu. Paying careful attention to the beauty and symmetry found in everyday encounters like fruit and leaves, this short story about provides insight about his inspiration.
Looking into his life and art work further, I came across this quote of his;
“We are a landscape of all we have seen” - Isamu Noguchi
That quote reminds me of thoughts I have had of my own about the deep well we all carry within us of inspiration. All of our experiences, memories, emotions, dreams, challenges, limitations, interests and so much more are like an inner cave or “landscape” that we explore and excavate as we create. Whether through writing, drawing, sculpting, cooking, dancing, or any other creative endeavor - perhaps we are just trying to understand the terrain and landscape within.
2. Seneca and Stumbling
I recently came across this great quote by Stoic philosopher Seneca:
“Don’t stumble over something that is behind you” - Seneca
How often do we get tripped up by things behind us? I know I do. I am all for reflecting and trying to learn from the past but there comes a point where you have to learn from it, let it go and keep moving.
Or if it’s not something of the past, we can just easily get tripped up over things we haven’t even encountered yet - things way off in the future that are tripping us up in the now. Seems like we would do best just staying put in the present and enjoy the ups and downs of right now.
3. A Good Morning in Tiny Town
This week I finished up another one of my Tiny Town series. This one I was trying to keep pretty minimal as you can see from my Post-It note sketch below (which I typically tape on the back of the panel.) More images and information can be found here: Good Morning Tiny Town
4. WTF? or WTH?
Awhile back ago I came across some artistic advice in which was the suggestion to always have some pieces in process that could go in a category called WTF? (or WTH?) I’m sure most people are aware but WTF simply translates as “What the _____” and you just insert your preferred word that starts with the letter “F” (or any word works too - like “What the Heck? - WTH?” - which is a bit milder and friendly for most audiences.)
Regardless of letters - the idea is the same - the creative artist should have something they are working on that pushes the boundaries of what they normally do or the lane they most commonly drive in. The “WTF?” work is creative work that opens up opportunities to explore and experiment into new directions. For me, this most often happens in my sketchbooks but there are times where I will push a larger piece like a painting into the designated “What the ____ ?” terrain. It’s a place where anything goes and as Sister Corita Kent has said:
“Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win, no fail - just make.”
This type of creative freedom and play is one of my favorite ways to make my art.
For example: the image below is something I had been working on for a few weeks and just finished up. It’s a hodgepodge of found imagery from old student work I had collected like the “ROSAS,” the “23” and “3:45” (which was the designated end of the school day.) and much more.
The top right has a white rectangle of a small note I had found that says:
“Can we be friends? Yes or No
Answer: No (circled) “because you’re really weird”
5. Eavesdropping
I recently finished a book titled “Writing Radar” by Jack Gantos that shared suggestions on paying attention to the things of life in order to use them creatively. Which is right up my alley of my creative ethos. What caught my eye about the book was cool little drawings of a skull and crossbones on the cover as I come to find out it was written for ages 9-12. Anywho…
One thing I did pick up from the book was to always have your ears tuned for eavesdropping in order to pick up some interesting material. This material can eventually turn into creative work at some point. I’ve decided to start paying closer attention to little snippets of conversation, rants, and more throughout my days. Simply keeping my antennae out for anything interesting. Even writing them down in one of my notebooks or sketchbook.
Some recent eavesdropping snippets:
“You look like an elf on the shelf”
“Tell your dad he is stupid”
“Bro, you gotta know your “why?”
This week, as you roll through your days - I want to encourage you to keep your “eavesdropping antennae” up and scoop up a few random sentiments from those you encounter or simply pass by. Feel free to share your findings in the comments if you want.
Well - that is all for now. Thanks for reading and following along. Until next time - take care!