Progress
So I’ve made it very clear that Core Studio is the bane of my existence, but lately things have been looking up. I am with my other core instructor Rebecca Walz (who I’ve spent the most time with in core) and being in the state that I was in and being in her class just made me feel even worse. There was tons of pressure. But I’m starting to feel looser and more comfortable (probably because we are in the surface rotation finally. I will say that I have been lacking highly in confidence all year…). The past two critiques I have received really good feed back from Rebecca which means a lot to me because it’s hard to please that woman, and when she doesn’t like something she will tell you precisely why. And when she really likes something, it’s like the Gods’ shining their light upon us. And I’m glad to say that she has been happy with my work lately. And I have too. Things are slowly looking up for me. I’ve noticed my inspiration levels rising and it feels good. I think it’s because of the realization that freshmen year is almost over and there are just three years left to graduate. It’s time to start realizing what it is I want to make my art about. Which is why I’m going to soon be in the process of writing an artist statement, purely to get my thoughts out (and I’ll have it for whenever I may need it; which is a lot when you are in art school).
The past two projects have been good for me. The first one, we had to have a sewing component in the piece. I haven’t photographed it yet but I will soon and post it up. I got a great crit from Becca, and was generally well received within the class. Happy points. :] This piece really helped me in fleshing out my ideas.
The next one was a 25 drawings project. 25 drawings in one week. Sounds simple. But it’s not… It was a good exercise for me though, and I pulled it off. I scanned in some of them but others were too big for the scanner so I’ll post the ones I have below and post the others later. For the second week in a row, Rebecca really liked my collection of drawings and said that I was close to having a work of art the way I had them displayed (which could been more thought out). She even said she wanted to buy one of them haha. She pointed out things that I hadn’t quite noticed at first, like that all together there was some sort of narrative going on within the works. And that they seemed autobiographical, which is true. The crit was overall REALLY helpful, and I’m very happy about it. These drawings and the crit helped me form a vague idea of what I want my work to be about.
Here are some scans of some of the drawings (keep in mind though, that these drawings were all mostly done in a few minutes one after the other and that they all look a lot better displayed together on a wall):
More to come eventually… :]
Bodysnatcher.
I know I’ve said I’d post work up on my blog but this entire semester I’ve been making the shittiest artwork ever. I dont know exactly why but I cant find the inspiration. I think one reason might be because winter here is so long and depressing that it has affected my mental state. This apparently happens to many people here because all my friends have experienced a similar feeling. However, spring is trying really hard to kick winter’s ass to next year and take over the city. I’m rooting for it. Because Chicago’s spring and summer are so beautiful.
I’ve thought about this a lot lately. I was more inspired when I first came here when it was bright and fresh and the skies were blue. Another factor that weighs in on my being uninspired and not motivated is all the shit art school feeds my brain. It’s hard but I realized that even though you should come to art school with a fresh and open mind, you need a strong barrier against…. well.. Art World Bullshit. There is a certain amount of information that the artists brain should take in I believe. When it gets too much to handle, you lose a great deal of what makes you an individual and unique artist. This is exactly what has happened to me. I may sound as if I hate art school, but that’s not the case. There is just a certain way of dealing with art school that I believe a freshman should make use of. Know what you love, know what you like, know what you hate. Make your work regardless of what your professors tell you. And retain your individuality.
If I could go back in time to tell myself this, I would. But to make myself feel better, I’ll tell this to my friend Nancy who will be an incoming freshman at SAIC next semester.
GOOD LUCK NANCY! It’s challenging but I’m here for you. :]
In other news, I learned (kind of) how to hand sew. Big fucking deal. It’s pretty easy and kind of meditative. I’m using the sewing method in a piece I’m working on currently. It’s totally experimental, but we’ll see how it turns out. It’s for my favorite class! Core Studio! (sarcasm!)
<3
Here, Radiohead describes quite precisely what I have been feeling lately.
Warhol on the line for GaGa.
A short essay on Warhol’s influence on Gaga’s Telephone video that I found interesting. And I must say, I agree entirely. Click the excerpt to read it all.
<3
Stunning art!
I dont know who the heck this individual is, but their videos and music are so fantastic!!! Here is an example:
Hello world.
She left me speechless.
<3
from Lady GaGa’s official website/youtube channel
Behold…
Yayyy!
I wanna see this movie. It looks cute and epic at the same time. I’m not sure many animators have achieved that yet. Up definitely did though. :]
Eh, Eh, Nothing Else I Can Say.
I want my life to look like this. Now.
Summer is too far away.
A little Fantasy.
