#0856 All Earth
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Down to earth.
Post on my visit to Wellington, process and insights and some links to artists follow:
Paradox
In two separate conversations recently the same ideas cropped up. That a core value of art is that it is directly from the self. And art is good if it is innovative, and taps into the zeitgeist of the now. Maybe there moments when those two seemingly opposite aspects come together. They need to be hovering close together.
#0853 Paradox
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Born Digital
#0765 Born Digital
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Had a great conversation with my friend Brian about the relationship between info and objects. He summed up an idea that has been bubbling in my blog posts with these words “born digital”. That is a central realization in the Thousand Sketches project. Art is either born physical, and then described or photographed to be digital, or it is born digital and made physical, it can have many physical forms.
One more image, followed by lots more and more TALK!
#0765 Born Digital
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Info Object
#0762 Info Object
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This is a reminder to get the conversation blogged that I had with Brian today.
Being heavily involved in printing it is no wonder that the relationship of the images and the objects is to the fore.
This is a sketch
#0757 This is a sketch
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See this on the web
Is this a sketch?
#0755 Is this a sketch?
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Thursdays conversation with Dan. I told him about my experience in Nevada with Shawn & Emily, Shawn looked at my sketches and said: “What is your question?” Dan responded with something I found right and affirming, “You have a question every day, you are questioning all the time.” Yes. So it was hard to answer Shawn. If he had asked “What is your question today?” no problem. Dan & I continued to chat away about decorative and digital, cyberspace, and matters psychological. One question of the day was “what is a sketch?”
Thanks Dan for suggesting this one! It got me started on a roll.
What I am reading, looking at…
Blogging on the Progressive Grounds in Bernal Heights. Lovely place.
Met with Eric Maisel here to talk over creativity coaching and such matters. I got some good tips for walks in New York. Art links:
Walter Benjamin “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” – On Josh’s recommendation.
John Molyneux with a post on Tracey Emin. Following on from a discussion about the YBA.
Emily Prince And More from Emily. We stayed with Emily in Alta.
The Creativity Coaching Association. Eric Maisel pointed me in that direction.
Books:
Loved this artist at DeYoung
Josh’s recommendation.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kMdpKJjFL._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
Just looked like it explored well the life drawing I have been doing. And found an old edition hardcover one of this across the road in the Red Hill Bookshop.
Which I was recommended at the San Francisco drawing group, and browsed art Emily & Shawn’s.
Been sketching here too.
Daily Painter’s Marketplace
This is a great blog. Lots of good art. I try to put something there most days, and with more time freeing up will do more of that.
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Interview with Eric Maisel
If you have read my recent posts you will know quite a bit about Eric Maisel, creativity coach and author, he is here now on Thousand Sketches on a tour to promote Ten Zen Seconds, one of his current books, yes he has three that came out this year.
The focus is on the tension between shadow & light, so if that is of interest, read on, and please join the conversation in the comments.
Walter: Hi Eric, thanks for visiting my blog on your world tour. How are your travels so far?
Eric:
Excellent! It has been interesting to see how each host has personalized the process. And the tour has helped to sell out the first edition of the book in its first month, which is unusual … and great!
Walter:
That is inspiring! A blog tour is a creative project, how did the idea originate?
Eric:
I put out a monthly newsletter and I asked my readers if they knew of any out-of-the-box ways to publicize books. One reader, a small press publisher, told me about the successful virtual book tour that one of her authors had recently completed, the idea intrigued me, I asked for details, and decided that I wanted to do the same.
Walter:
So the creative step is to connect with your readers. I hope you enjoy your virtual stop here with the Thousand Sketches project and being here (again) in Christchurch, New Zealand. As a psychotherapist also have a psychological blog but I think this is the right place for you to visit as you have such a focus on creativity, and the artist.
Eric:
Yes, much of the writing on creativity isn’t very psychologically astute. It tends to be more like cheerleading or spirituality-by-a-different-name. I’ve been interested in looking at the real processes that affect creators, like depression, anxiety, addictions, and so on, along with what really helps to deepen the creative process.
Walter:
What is Ten Zen Seconds all about?
Eric:
It’s actually a very simple but powerful technique for reducing your stress, getting yourself centered, and reminding yourself about how you want to live your life. It can even serve as a complete cognitive, emotional, and existential self-help program built on the single idea of “dropping a useful thought into a deep breath”.
You use a deep breath, five seconds on the inhale and five seconds on the exhale, as a container for important thoughts that aim you in the right direction in life—I describe twelve of these thoughts in the book—and you begin to employ this breathing-and-thinking technique that I call incanting as the primary way to keep yourself on track.
Walter:
Where did this idea come from?