Sensible blathering…

So, the whole purpose of this blog is to make myself get off my keister and keep being creative. I sometimes forget that one creative thing I enjoy doing is writing. One of the many things I wanted to be as a child was a writer! I loved it and still do. Lately, though, I have shoved it aside and focused more on the idea of making artwork (I would say doing artwork, but I haven’t been doing much these past couple weeks) and beating myself up for procrastinating.

Writing certainly makes my head work and when my head is working, ideas always come to me – including ideas for visual works. So…I’m writing. I had thought about making yet another blog strictly for “Sensible Blathering” but, honestly, I have too many blogs. Way too many. Since I’ve been using “It Does Art”, I haven’t posted to the others, so there is no point in creating another one that will eventually be neglected. I’ll just blather here because it’s tied to being creative!

A little known fact about me: I have started writing 3 books in my life. One was started when I was still in high school and the other two were started in my early 20s. Note I said started instead of completed. Yes…procrastinator. I like the idea of going back to them, but out of the 3, 2 will not be picked up where I left off because I’m not the same as I was then. However, I can still take the ideas and form them around who I am now and the similar messages I want to convey. I think about them often and I think about how much motivation I had when I started them and how I just became overwhelmed with life in general, not the writing. I think about how I am now and there are still aspects of me that haven’t changed much – the main one being my attention span and how frustratingly short it is. It’s something I work on and as long as I’m doing something to keep my head working in a creative manner, I’m okay with it.

I keep reminding myself that there really isn’t anything I’m incapable of doing. That includes finishing books, creating serious/ridiculous artwork, or even going outside when I’m just too afraid. It’s the same for you. Not a “if you dream it, you can do it” message – more of a “break things down into their simplest forms so you can see how non-complicated things can be”.

I want to make a candle holder out of paper-mache/papier-mache – I realize this would be along the lines of ridiculous artwork. Woohoo fire!

Messing around with sculpture…

It has been quite some time since I posted. For a few months, I’ve been gradually spiraling downward in depression. It hit and it hit hard, but yesterday and today seem okay for the most part. I’m certainly not feeling my norm, but I’m hoping I’ll get back there soon. Anyway, I’m feeling well enough to do artwork and, really, that’s all that matters.

Not ready to get back to that large painting I posted about earlier and not in the mood to work on a drawing I started, I decided to try to create something that has been stuck in my head for years. Several months ago, while pondering this idea, I figured out what materials would be best to use to create it exactly how I want it. Flour, water, and newspaper (or some other kinds of paper). Yes…paper mache. Or papier-mache if you’re too cool for paper mache 😉

I’m notorious for my snobbery when it comes to supplies – not to other artists and their choices, but to my own. And not all the time, either. Just once in a while, I’ll turn my nose up at an idea I have as the words “Well you’re not an artist, then” float through my head (not said by me, but to me…more on that later). Certain things/people make me doubt my abilities, but then I remember the images that float through my head (and sometimes stick for years) and my ability to put them in physical form. And then I consider the fact these people that enjoy telling me what I am or am not are not able to do this. The satisfaction I feel when I remember that not all of me sucks is good and also acts a a giant middle finger to those naysayers. “You can say that, but look what I can do!”

Knowing these things about me, I sort of feel like I’m having a sordid affair by using paper mache. It feels good, though. I love messy and I love getting my hands thoroughly involved in what I’m doing. Paper mache lets me do that. I get to enjoy the feel of sculpting at a much cheaper cost than clay!

Here are a couple progress photos taken on June 16th :

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Back to work today – I took more photos yesterday that I will post later. My original intention was to keep the fingers and wrist flexible, but while working on it yesterday, I decided against that and formed the hand into a position that I found attractive.