completely subjective thoughts on everything that passes in front of me
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Creative Ink
I've just discovered Sharpie, the pen of choice when writing notes on your arm for later memory, has it's own blog. A really fun and simple site that suggests all the things you can utilise this pen for. In the below pictured article, the author suggests old used or thrown away encyclopedias and other books, for kids to be as creative as possible with: cutting, colouring, folding, tearing. Her only instructions were "DO AS YOU LIKE!" And so they did to great results. Kids love this kind of freedom. It's thinking outside the box that gives us great ideas and artists a like. It's only when we are at play that we are able to be truly creative and transformational.
Justin Van Genderen is just one of the growing number of talented artist, who have taken the middle man out of the equation. A freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in Chicago, who also has a keen eye for photography. Whether he's slicing up the John Hancock building or making his own interpretations of planets from the more recent Start Wars saga, his work is always to the highest standard. The name of his website 2046 Design may give some insight as to the balance he achieves between skill of technique and a respect of classic design and retrospective elegance, blended with rich vibrant colour. The ability to apply new technology, without the compromise of simple and stylish aesthetics, with a kick. You can also view his work on Flickr where you can purchase his digital and screen prints.
Who could resist these eerie and beautiful visual slices of earth and it's few remaining inhabitants. Lucie (French) and Simon (German) bring together a unique and yet familiar feeling of desertion and abandonment to their images of life on planet Earth. Saturated in colour and texture you can wade through, they use scale and perspective to make you feel overwhelmed by your surroundings. From wild countryside to concrete jungle, the figure is always singular even when sleeping in bed. In "Scenes of Life" the focus is on the human presence as we observe how still life can be. While in "Earth Vision" we take the perspective of an outsider, exploring the planet's landscape, from the metropolis to the great outdoors as it's inhabitants sleep. Both bodies of work are beautifully crafted like a renaissance painting and executed with a calm of knowing their vision and achieving it.
It's been a while since I've been here and what better way to mark the occasion than with the celebration of an animal with apparently excellent memory. The Elephant Parade London was an amazing event raising awareness on saving the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild. The charity Elephant Family is behind the grand display of 258 elephants, decorated by artist and placed all over central London. Check out the website below where Lee & Emma trek all over London to find ever elephants, including the elusive Cloudia. If you missed the hunt, but still want to show your support, you can hand paint your own miniature elephant at Selfridges or The Elephant Parade Shop.
My senior thesis instructor told my class we should treat our art (photography) as a job. That we should dedicate a set number of hours, even days aside each week to our art and regard it just like the job that paid our rent. If you don't put in the hours, how do you expect to improve, get recognized and finally paid for it. Today, I came across this great stopmotion video 2 guys put together about 1 street in their home town Toronto on photographer Chase Jarvis's blog, which simplifies this perfectly. If you have an idea, no matter how simple, get out there and do it. Creativity is like any skill or tool, it takes time & energy & lots of practice to make it work well. Instead of making the same new years resolution as last year, to put more hours in at the gym, why not put more hours into creativity. I assure you the results will be more rewarding.
How appropriate that the first Ted Talk I watch of the new year should be an explorer, a creative thinker, a pioneer of what is possible. The new year is a time when most of us make decisions to start a fresh or to firmly commit to something we have always wanted to achieve, but never seem to have the time to. Bold statements are made with friends as witnesses to help us with that first step towards a new. May be it's because Bertrand Piccard comes from a long line of inventors that he makes the impossible seem so attainable. The impossible always being denied its existence and merely not yet conceived. His enthusiasm and creative thinking are contagious as he makes his case for non-dependency on fossil fuel a call to the masses. Pointing to the past for examples of overcoming the unthinkable, then turning to the world for support and a call to arms. The amazing feets we have and continue to achieve have occurred because someone thought outside the box and took a chance. Had an idea, then slaved away until sleep was not an option, then eureka! We think nothing of video chatting with someone on the other side of the world, or the information a scientist can pull from a single hair strand and some with the available funds have already booked their flight into outer space. So may be non-dependency on fossil fuels is just another adventure out there, waiting for someone to stubble upon and share with the world. This year don't join a gym you'll never use. Look at yourself and see what is necessary, what excess you can jettison from your life and help others achieve the impossible.
