Drawing whilst listening

I have always have been a big fan of drawing whilst listening. Some of my favourite things to draw have been born out of attending my old University lectures, pen and paper in hand. Notice how I am not calling this ‘doodling’. That word, to me, is a bit lacklustre. It can be defined as:

1. Scribble absentmindedly.
2. Engage in idle activity; dawdle: “they could plan another attack while we’re just doodling around”.

I like to think my drawing has more of a purpose, an outpouring of something, a visual description of someone I am interested in, etc.

Sitting with pen in hand can make me listen better, and also can help me from becoming bored. It’s also one of my favourite things: productive. If I’m sat down, watching something, or someone – I feel much more at ease and able to relax if I’m keeping myself busy with something creative… of course I don’t do this all the time as there is a need to just sit and be sometimes, but I do notice myself enjoying it more if I’m creatively stimulated in some way.

This does come with a risk of becoming distracted by the drawing – paying it too much attention. Although that’s not really a problem in my eyes. I welcome that, especially as I am trying to put more value and importance on drawing.

This week I am volunteering as a Host Delegate at the International Conference on Culture Health and Wellbeing in Bristol, an Arts and Health South-West event. I am spending the beginning of this week ushering people around, telling speakers when they have one minute left of their talks, ticking people off lists, handing things out, being a friendly face, being a bit of a Bristol tour-guide and most interestingly, sitting in on lots of talks on a variety of subjects based around Health and Wellbeing, by lots of interesting speakers.

And I have been drawing.

Day 1.

  

Day 2:

A workshop on ‘The Cancer Journey’ and ‘Dying Creatively’ very interesting subjects, and I picked up a really interesting titbit: how we humans have so many ways of talking about death and dying, by getting it into conversation: ‘drop dead gorgeous’, ‘dead easy’, ‘dead set’, ‘dead end’, ‘dying to meet him’. A way of making it a softer subject? So that when we have to deal with it, it’s not something wholly new. We’ve been saying the words all along.

Lots of words and sayings in todays drawings: ‘Engaged in a collective endeavour’ (I forgot the U!) ‘Feeling is healing’, a suggestion to say “can we talk about what it’ll be like when you die” to the people around you, to prepare and engage with it. Another suggestion to ‘talk about death in a funny way’ – a coping strategy, and a good way to ‘be’ about it. The ‘What Ever’ is mine – no one said that! Onward to day 3!

  

 

Day 3: Too busy running about to draw. Boo hoo!

Advice to Myself

 

1. Do it now

2. Ask yourself – What do I aspire to be?

3. Ask yourself – What do I want to create?

2. Don’t Self Sabotage (something I’m quite good at) it’s what stops you from being the person you want to be (making the things that you want to make) Comes from being scared – “What do I gain from this?” and self sabotage usually leads to short term gain

3. Don’t waste time on guilt. Get on with it and resolve to do better.

 

A few good little things (big things!) I’ve already picked up from reading a great book called ‘The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life’ by  Twyla Tharp

End of Text Project

 

Officially the end of the Text Project. A recent studio clear-out confirmed that I don’t want to pursue the ‘Text Project’ no longer. Let’s chuck the leftover letters I have and make both the headspace and physical space for the new projects. Done! This is the last of it, lovely leftovers, cut out from the O’s. Bye bye!

Some old things

A comment on my artwork from 2008, which was good to see again

“Very charming! Your work seems so very honest and casual. It gives me feelings of positivity, optimism, light-hearted-ness (and such things) in yourself and others. Your art certainly makes me giggle. Your gallery seems lightly/subtley critic

 

And me, from 2006: “I HAVE NEVER CREATED A SERIOUS PIECE OF ART, AND I DON’T THINK I WANT TO. AND I DON’T THINK THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.”

Who influences my work?

Some creatives who influence my work include:

Jessica Stockholder, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Tuttle, Helen Frankenthaler, Jen Stark, John Cage, David Shrigley, Bobby Baker, Miranda July, Eva Hesse, Ian Davenport, Spencer Fitch, Anya Gallaccio, Joseph Havel, Mona Hatoum, Janine Antoni, Gaston Bachelard, Matthew Barney, Amanda Couch, Tara Donovan, Richard Long, Irving Penn, Nicholson Baker, Conrad Shawcross,Tim Knowles, Phydilla Barlow, Anne Bean, Cornelia Parker

“Found objects are massed and lyrically intertwined with vivid color” Stockholder

“Art is in the ability to make unpredictable associations and connections, making ordinary things seem extraordinary.” Unknown

“Even though I make discreet works, i like to consider the way in which everything works together as an ensemble so that there is an accumulative effect, so that not only the work will have a specific intention or construction or some specificity, but the whole group of things will build to one kind of idea” Havel

Little but effective creative thoughts

• A haiku a day for a fortnight
• Draw a telephone again
• Hand-painted wooden spoons for cooking with
• Making objects: shoes with strange laces
• An hour of ukulele
• A mini-zine made in 30 minutes

Noticing

When dogs look up at their owners whilst being walked on the lead

When people drive past you singing loudly

How much percentage of your laugh comes out your nose, and how much your mouth?

Text Project version 2

An idea, researching now, experimenting too.

The idea of being part of one of the Bristol arts trails next year, North, South or West, either. Showing and selling a series of repetitive works, the kind I love, the ‘serious stuff’, full of compulsion, happy accidents, flow, doing the same thing over and over and really boring myself, like a factory worker. I love the task ahead of creating a large body of work. To frame and exhibit and sell. Then I imagined the space and all this seriousness. There’s lots of beige and white.

I realise there is a bit of a schizophrenic within my artist self. One half the above and one half fun, fancy-dress, silly things to make you smirk, color and vibrancy. It would be good to see the two sides represented in an exhibition, but perhaps under another name. The things I want to make as this second half are usable, aimed at adults, for adults to play. And at the same time being things for the cool kids to have. Pop-up signs, elaborate wigs, old man masks, vegetable and weather fancy dress, fake poo’s in different colours. All of that and more.

So I’m starting with lettering, making words on sticks for people to spell out different words. I like the idea of them being 3D, but this is proving impossible to find on the internet. All I found was this one guy’s attempt: (see his blog here)

but as he says, the curved letters are near impossible, and it’s all very fiddly. More searching found me this…

A wonderful person made a font! Free and downloadable from here: at DaFont He’s got around the issue of the curves by making everything not curvy.

(This font is a set of cut-out layouts with which you can build 3D pixel style letters. They should all work. Just cut along the solid lines, fold along the dotted lines, put some glue on the shaded flaps, stick them together and there you go… If you want to use this for commercial projects, please contact me: tobias (dot) sommer (at) gmx (dot) ch )

No printer here, but I’m going to copy down the net onto cardboard and have a try myself, get that trusty old scalpel out.

Here’s what I’m trying to make, but in 2D version. I couldn’t find any thing stick-like in my studio, (and I just had the idea that using an actual stick, painted…Would be really nice) So I’ve used a dental mirror. I came across these at a strange market stall selling mostly nuts and bolts. They are extendable and have a tiny rounded mirror on them.

Resolutions 2011

• Seize creative opportunities. Film stills, faces, take photos.
• Remember: ‘my work is a translation of what I see in life, things that excite me’ and get on with it
• Fridays are mine for creating
• Social exercise: roller skating, long bike rides, hula-hooping
• Get really fit!
• Pursue beat-boxing as a hobby
• Productively steer Light Box with love and dedication. have fun constantly.
• A personal diary maintained – an output for cloggy thoughts
• Be proactive and regular in maintaining relationships. Keep in touch
• Plan a New Zealand trip for late 2011. an adventure, a catch-up and for creating/exhibiting artwork
• Up at 7. Note any dreams down and write in diary

Happy New year to you! And that’s the end of 2010. I feel thankful for this year, which has in truth been very hard at times, it has felt like a test. And I passed. Life is fantastic, I’m in a completely different place to where I was at the start of 2010, and enjoying myself hugely. Thank you friends, family, everyone.

Gross words/sayings

gutted
guts
chow down
simmer down
“I’ll see if i have some shrapnel”
kooky
Sophie Ellis Bextor sounds like Alan Partridge “it’s murder on the dancefloor, but you better not kill the groove”

“when you’re ready, enter your pin” when you’re already half way through entering it.

A list of things I thought about whilst in the supermarket

1) If there were chefs cooking in the supermarkets, they would seem a whole lot warmer. People could test out ingredients, trying new things.

2) I feel a little embarrassed when buying loo roll. “I’m going to wipe my bum with this”

3) I don’t think I’ll stop collecting lists left in the trolleys.

Listing

Ideas:

Things I cycled over on my way home:
– a flattened sardine tin

Cats I encountered today:
– this one
– this one (picture? Do cats eyes hurt with flashes?)

Strange things I noticed today:

Romantic things I noticed today:

Words I overheard today:

Lists lists lists are on my Mind. I like documenting my life, as a human sponge, I take everything in. I like the thought of noting down the same things every day, like stalking myself. Perfume. Lucy Ward is a friend of mine and she has been documenting every cup of tea she drinks: http://everycupofteaieverhad.co.uk/ I think I might get more into documenting like this, like how I want to photograph every hot meal I dinner this week. (for dinner tonight i had naughty home made treacle sponge, which does not count!)

Ok bye. I love you iPhone.

Vic and Bob

I have been watching ‘Bang Bang. It’s Reeves and Mortimer’. This was especially strange:

http://www.youtube.com/v/7eOYqR_Lz9w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1

And 2 things which pop up in my mind quite often:

http://www.youtube.com/v/k_CAs3q7G48&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1

The second, I can’t find online, but it’s from Dirty Dancing, when there’s an old lady, who also looks like a little girl, and she’s singing by the piano and she’s bouncing up and down in her chair.

No pics

My camera died and I feel like it’s not a real blog post if it has no picture.

Barfoot and Duggan have sent off 2 grant applications, for lots of money. Will we get it? Yes! We should hear anytime between now and March.

I took the carpet up in my studio, sneezed a lot. Found mouse droppings and brown patches. It’s not less granny’s lounge and more nice wooden floor. Thinking of putting down some latex flooring though, wipe clean.

I love Bristol, this is really my home now, I have met great friends, I have met my muse! And it doesn’t get much better than that.