Monday, October 27, 2014
Hugely influential
Dirty Beaches are making a big impact on my style and thinking lately. The drifter vibe hits just the right spots for me and makes me think about how I'm living my life,like good art does.
the story goes...
Feeling stuck in a rut with my current abilities I started watching tutorials and decided to really up my game. Since I'm starting a day job I feel a little less pressure to create commercially viable work immediately, which means I can practice and apply to personal work.
But how can I incorporate all of the things I want to learn into personal work? What's the place of motion graphics and graphic design?
Here's what I have now - a body of illustration work with little context and fan art type stuff that was done so I could hashtag it and get attention online. A just started comic that I want to pour all of my ideas into, making it feel loose and unstructured. But maybe my illustrations can be snapshots of the world that I'm building with the comic. Maybe I can create a world where people are reading that comic and I can use motion graphics to animate this world and even create entertainment and corporations that exist in this world.
To use some previously mentioned themes - I want this narrative to take place in the future, but resonate a sense of nostalgia. Image are like old photographs from the future. The lives of people shown in different ways. Snapshots, videos, the comics they read, the music they listen to. It's all set to a blurry soundtrack, wistful and echoing.
It makes you want to pull up your roots and drift around - this place is populated with lost souls. It's Last Exit to Brooklyn, 20 years from now in a multimedia landscape. (Note to self: reread some Hubert Selby Jr)
As long as it's part of this world my projects will fell inspired, cohesive and, more importantly to me, create a larger narrative about the lives of people.
But how can I incorporate all of the things I want to learn into personal work? What's the place of motion graphics and graphic design?
Here's what I have now - a body of illustration work with little context and fan art type stuff that was done so I could hashtag it and get attention online. A just started comic that I want to pour all of my ideas into, making it feel loose and unstructured. But maybe my illustrations can be snapshots of the world that I'm building with the comic. Maybe I can create a world where people are reading that comic and I can use motion graphics to animate this world and even create entertainment and corporations that exist in this world.
To use some previously mentioned themes - I want this narrative to take place in the future, but resonate a sense of nostalgia. Image are like old photographs from the future. The lives of people shown in different ways. Snapshots, videos, the comics they read, the music they listen to. It's all set to a blurry soundtrack, wistful and echoing.
It makes you want to pull up your roots and drift around - this place is populated with lost souls. It's Last Exit to Brooklyn, 20 years from now in a multimedia landscape. (Note to self: reread some Hubert Selby Jr)
As long as it's part of this world my projects will fell inspired, cohesive and, more importantly to me, create a larger narrative about the lives of people.
Filling in
I just wrote a lengthy entry on music videos and realized not only that I have a LOT to say about the subject, but that it spawned a web of other ideas for writing. Turns out I'm obsessed with creating narrative - tying into my thoughts on nostalgia as well. We can create a better story from a photograph in our own minds than from experiencing something directly, where it's harder to fudge the details.
I'm thinking about how this would apply to my work - it's so important to know what to leave out of an image or a story, to know what to leave up to the subconscious fillers. This might be why I'm not much into using text in my work, as much as I try to include it in my practice, to get a grasp on typography.
I think a music video works perfectly here; with only a few minutes to squeeze in your images, the viewer creates a story in his/her subconscious mind to fill the gaps. This is why they work - a viewer is inserting their own feelings into those cracks whether they realize it or not.
I'm thinking about how this would apply to my work - it's so important to know what to leave out of an image or a story, to know what to leave up to the subconscious fillers. This might be why I'm not much into using text in my work, as much as I try to include it in my practice, to get a grasp on typography.
I think a music video works perfectly here; with only a few minutes to squeeze in your images, the viewer creates a story in his/her subconscious mind to fill the gaps. This is why they work - a viewer is inserting their own feelings into those cracks whether they realize it or not.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Haunted
Nostalgia has been on my mind lately. Not for any certain point in my life, to be honest there's no time in my life I'd like to revisit, the present always seems better than before even when things aren't going great. But I love old photographs, home movies from the 60s and old films and songs that seem to echo through time.
I love the idea of nostalgia, a longing for things lost. I love that I feel it for something I never experienced - I create this image of a better time that never existed. Why does a picture of my grandparents looking cool and beautiful make me feel that they had something I never can? Why do the weddings I attend in my life feel like cheap imitations of the ones from 2 or 3 generations ago?
It's strange how the things before me seem artificial when things long past are processed to me as a more genuine experience. I could say that culture is more cynical today, and it is, but cynicism has always existed. I don't think that if I life 60 years earlier I'd be any less of a discontented brat. Hell, maybe I'd indulge in a whole other kind of hedonistic lifestyle appropriate to that era.
But there's that weird nostalgia creeping in again. As is living in another era I'd be this cool badass staring out from the photograph. Not giving a shit.
I recently uncovered hauntology, this idea where the past is always here no matter what. I gave it a lot of thought and it's become a bit of a theme in my thinking. From wikipedia: "The idea suggests that the present exists only with respect to the past, and that society after the end of history will begin to orient itself towards ideas and aesthetics that are thought of as rustic, bizarre or "old-timey"; that is, towards the "ghost" of the past."
I see a lot of this in today's fashions, but also a lot of forward thinking aesthetics. I don't view either negatively, and often fluctuate between a love of the new and the comfort of the classic. Oddly, I find myself relating this to fashion as I write - picturing new runway looks opposed to the classics - yet the new is still recalling the old in that world too. I read many designers referencing the archives this year while trying to twist them into a new idea.
I think something I'd like to achieve in art right now is a feeling of nostalgia applied through the thought that the present is coexisting with the past. The present doesn't really exist does it? The feelings that we channel through select moments are what lasts. Take that picture, let it grow old and let it take on new life through new eyes. The story of that photo is different for every viewer.
I love the idea of nostalgia, a longing for things lost. I love that I feel it for something I never experienced - I create this image of a better time that never existed. Why does a picture of my grandparents looking cool and beautiful make me feel that they had something I never can? Why do the weddings I attend in my life feel like cheap imitations of the ones from 2 or 3 generations ago?
It's strange how the things before me seem artificial when things long past are processed to me as a more genuine experience. I could say that culture is more cynical today, and it is, but cynicism has always existed. I don't think that if I life 60 years earlier I'd be any less of a discontented brat. Hell, maybe I'd indulge in a whole other kind of hedonistic lifestyle appropriate to that era.
But there's that weird nostalgia creeping in again. As is living in another era I'd be this cool badass staring out from the photograph. Not giving a shit.
I recently uncovered hauntology, this idea where the past is always here no matter what. I gave it a lot of thought and it's become a bit of a theme in my thinking. From wikipedia: "The idea suggests that the present exists only with respect to the past, and that society after the end of history will begin to orient itself towards ideas and aesthetics that are thought of as rustic, bizarre or "old-timey"; that is, towards the "ghost" of the past."
I see a lot of this in today's fashions, but also a lot of forward thinking aesthetics. I don't view either negatively, and often fluctuate between a love of the new and the comfort of the classic. Oddly, I find myself relating this to fashion as I write - picturing new runway looks opposed to the classics - yet the new is still recalling the old in that world too. I read many designers referencing the archives this year while trying to twist them into a new idea.
I think something I'd like to achieve in art right now is a feeling of nostalgia applied through the thought that the present is coexisting with the past. The present doesn't really exist does it? The feelings that we channel through select moments are what lasts. Take that picture, let it grow old and let it take on new life through new eyes. The story of that photo is different for every viewer.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Mexico
I did some location sketching on the trip, but haven't used it since, but I rediscovered it recently while cleaning and think I could do well making a habit of location sketching more often. Sketching like this is great meditation and when traveling leaves a really nice impression of a place. Working with this makes me want to carry around 2 sketchbooks; one for filling with nice drawings and more polished work and another cheaper one for half baked ideas and sketching out concepts (rarely a pretty final product from that)
I've returned to DF since and have another trip coming up. It's a great city to get inspired in, but in a very mellow fashion. For me, a place where things feel a little slower and chilled out is the best place to be creative. I've never thrived in fast paced high pressure environments - my ideas need to incubate and change and evolve. If I could get the cash to spend 6 months there I'd buckle down and finish a graphic novel.
Besides Berlin it's my favorite city, followed by Tokyo which is overdue for another visit. New York is home and always will be, even if I move away but there are cities out there that support my spirit in a bigger way.
Friday, October 24, 2014
On Anxiety
I'm very likely beginning a new day job on Monday, but the first bad sign to rear its head is that they haven't contacted me about salary information like they promised to 2 nights ago. I'm a superstitious person and I see signs in everything so I try to brush it off and not overthink it.
I interviewed for a graphic design job - low level stuff like making power point presentations for products. Nothing that required too much creative effort. As my interview (which was going great) came to a close, the owner of the company walked in unannounced and started asking me a series of questions unrelated to any design work, he seemed to be feeling out if I'm an organized and functional human being.
Two days later I'm offered a job - not as a designer, I had too much experience for the design position they had open - but as some kind of executive helper (assistant?) Seeing as unemployment insurance has dried up this year I tentatively accept, waiting for an exact salary and some more information. Still waiting and wondering if this is for the best.
2014 has been an interesting year for me professionally. I was laid off from a job that I was miserable at at the end of December 2013 and ended up trying to get by on freelance and unemployment. I was ready to go full on freelance, I brushed up on my skills, got better at drawing, got better at coloring, took some unpaid gigs to get myself out there. I worked in film as a set dresser where I ended up just being an on set graphics/illustration man, it seemed for a moment that this might be a new career path. My film production jobs went downhill shortly after 2 great experiences; a story that will require another entry.
With the aid of these occasional gigs I was able to collect unemployment until the end of September, when I was suddenly left with absolutely nothing coming in. It felt like I blew it. This was my chance to make it happen, I was going to thrive on storyboard work, illustration, film work. And it just didn't come together. All of these avenues were showing promise over the summer, but it got to the point where I needed any job I could get by October to pay the bills.
So here I am starting again and trying to be positive about it, but there's something about accepting this gig that feels a lot like failure. I wasn't able to build that dream within the time allotted. If things go anything like they did at my last office job, I'll be a zombie after work every day, too stressed out and drained to focus on upping my creative game.
So my mission is this: go to work, do what needs to be done, and find a way to keep energy levels up so I can keep making things. The upside here is that my making things no longer has to be a money game. It makes no difference if my art is marketable, I'm going to populate a body of work filled with things that I simply want to make. Its so much harder than it needs to be - mentally unlinking your art from its commercial prospects, so this may be an uphill battle. It's one I've been fighting for years and it hasn't gotten any easier.
Beneficial habits will be to stop being envious of those who have found success that I haven't. I know I have skills and now they're completely mine. Write in this blog every day. Use my sketchbook every day. Make music.
I know I can make it all work, and if this new gig goes nowhere I need to not feel that I'm wasting my time. I'm still burned from working the last office job where I was actively stifled by atrocious management. I need to let go of my bitterness from that experience if I want any chance of building the life I want. The life I want doesn't include commuting to midtown every day to crunch numbers and schedule meetings, so it's time to build on the things that are working for me.
I interviewed for a graphic design job - low level stuff like making power point presentations for products. Nothing that required too much creative effort. As my interview (which was going great) came to a close, the owner of the company walked in unannounced and started asking me a series of questions unrelated to any design work, he seemed to be feeling out if I'm an organized and functional human being.
Two days later I'm offered a job - not as a designer, I had too much experience for the design position they had open - but as some kind of executive helper (assistant?) Seeing as unemployment insurance has dried up this year I tentatively accept, waiting for an exact salary and some more information. Still waiting and wondering if this is for the best.
2014 has been an interesting year for me professionally. I was laid off from a job that I was miserable at at the end of December 2013 and ended up trying to get by on freelance and unemployment. I was ready to go full on freelance, I brushed up on my skills, got better at drawing, got better at coloring, took some unpaid gigs to get myself out there. I worked in film as a set dresser where I ended up just being an on set graphics/illustration man, it seemed for a moment that this might be a new career path. My film production jobs went downhill shortly after 2 great experiences; a story that will require another entry.
With the aid of these occasional gigs I was able to collect unemployment until the end of September, when I was suddenly left with absolutely nothing coming in. It felt like I blew it. This was my chance to make it happen, I was going to thrive on storyboard work, illustration, film work. And it just didn't come together. All of these avenues were showing promise over the summer, but it got to the point where I needed any job I could get by October to pay the bills.
So here I am starting again and trying to be positive about it, but there's something about accepting this gig that feels a lot like failure. I wasn't able to build that dream within the time allotted. If things go anything like they did at my last office job, I'll be a zombie after work every day, too stressed out and drained to focus on upping my creative game.
So my mission is this: go to work, do what needs to be done, and find a way to keep energy levels up so I can keep making things. The upside here is that my making things no longer has to be a money game. It makes no difference if my art is marketable, I'm going to populate a body of work filled with things that I simply want to make. Its so much harder than it needs to be - mentally unlinking your art from its commercial prospects, so this may be an uphill battle. It's one I've been fighting for years and it hasn't gotten any easier.
Beneficial habits will be to stop being envious of those who have found success that I haven't. I know I have skills and now they're completely mine. Write in this blog every day. Use my sketchbook every day. Make music.
I know I can make it all work, and if this new gig goes nowhere I need to not feel that I'm wasting my time. I'm still burned from working the last office job where I was actively stifled by atrocious management. I need to let go of my bitterness from that experience if I want any chance of building the life I want. The life I want doesn't include commuting to midtown every day to crunch numbers and schedule meetings, so it's time to build on the things that are working for me.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Beginnings
I'm starting a more personal blog to explore writing, ideas and images that are meaningful to me. My first thought was to incorporate this into my tumblr, but something about that didn't seem right. This is public, but the social nature of tumblr made me apprehensive about it, as well as the feeling that I'm suddenly exposing myself to an established group of followers. Here it can be a fresh project that can grow organically and have a life of its own. I even opted not to just start a new tumblr so I can avoid the cycle of reblogs and just browsing my dashboard.
I'm looking forward to shouting ideas into the void regardless of wether or not anyone is listening. Maybe I'll work out some thought here and then tear it down when I feel I can apply to some art. Regardless I'm going to try to make an entry every day. A fresh thought, not a reblog or a work in progress (maybe some works in progress). All very much personal. Let's see what's in there to let out, if anything.
One reason for moving over to blogger is that the tumblr world is starting to make me feel like my art needs to be a certain thing. Maybe it's time to think outside comics, think outside of making money from it, think outside of where my comics fit in within the world of comics (that's been a big one, I'll explore later)
Maybe I'll transfer some things over to my tumblr if I feel they'll fit. I've even thought of deleting all my posts and starting a blog like this, but it just feels like its become a creature of its own.
My goals are the following:
Thomas
I'm looking forward to shouting ideas into the void regardless of wether or not anyone is listening. Maybe I'll work out some thought here and then tear it down when I feel I can apply to some art. Regardless I'm going to try to make an entry every day. A fresh thought, not a reblog or a work in progress (maybe some works in progress). All very much personal. Let's see what's in there to let out, if anything.
One reason for moving over to blogger is that the tumblr world is starting to make me feel like my art needs to be a certain thing. Maybe it's time to think outside comics, think outside of making money from it, think outside of where my comics fit in within the world of comics (that's been a big one, I'll explore later)
Maybe I'll transfer some things over to my tumblr if I feel they'll fit. I've even thought of deleting all my posts and starting a blog like this, but it just feels like its become a creature of its own.
My goals are the following:
- Writing - expressing with words in a way that I'm not comfortable doing publicly. Forcing myself to be verbal.
- Photographs - My own photos, things that provide meaning and feed the soul.
- Sketchbook work, more personal drawings. No fan art or sci fi comics, that can all stay on tumblr.
Thomas
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