Here's my problem, I'm surrounded by important people. I won't bore you with the details, because in reality, they're not important. What's important is the fact that most of the people in my life are important--in very socially acceptable, measurable ways.
I, on the other hand, am an artist.
And while people at parties often find the notion of me being an artist "interesting" it isn't really viewed as being an important job; it's not like I'm curing cancer or saving the world before bedtime. For the majority of my artistic career I've accepted the fact that what I do isn't ever going to be important, and on the off chance it is, it won't happen until after I'm dead. So when it comes to talking about my art to my non-art people I gloss. I give them just enough that translates into "I'm working" but I don't go any further. Then I listen to them talk about how they're saving the world, or about to be saving the world as soon as their dinner digests. Honestly, I don't know what to say back when they expound such loftiness. Somehow I think responding with "Oh good, you're gonna save the world. That's nice. Me, I've been experimenting with a new shade of blue." would not be appropriate. I am of course, exaggerating a bit here. But you get my point.
Recently, one of these very important people with an important job made an off-hand remark to me about how proud I should be because a friend of the family wanted to hire me to tutor their daughter in art. It really bugged me. I know this person meant no offense--in fact they were trying to be complementary, and yet it took up residence in my craw. All I could think was really?? Everything I've done, everything I've accomplished--the gallery shows, the installation shows, the teaching, the retreats, all my articles published, my incredible job for copic and tutoring a college kid in art is my high point?
In a moment of anger I experienced clarity--all my glossing hasn't done me any favors. I'm already socially relegated to cheap seats by dint of my profession, if I just sit there meekly, I really am screwed. Here is the truth; all those important people will never care about my art the way I do until I stand up and say "hey, this is important!" And even then, they probably STILL won't really care the way I do. And that's ok, because I can't really care about the whole saving the world thing the way they do. But I have to start setting the bar higher. If they can't grasp it, well they can all just go to perdition.
They're saving the world? I make new worlds every day in my art. So there.
While thinking about all of this I made this journal page:
I used a ton of Washi tape--
Retro Cafe is now carrying it, much to my delight. I used the block letters, black dots, pale pink, and graffiti script. The brown dots were from a set they also carry--these are more like stickers and come in a tin.
Here is a close-up of the little flags that I made with paper-clips and the tape, along with the washi border so you can see the patterns more clearly:
I stitched some twine down the edge on the border above. I actually did that on the other page as well. I really love how the interplay of the textures work with the raised twine and stitching. There's something about the stitched twine that simultaneously plays on the expected while being surprising.
See, what I just did up there? I sat that bar high. I can do it. Baby steps.
Off to make a new world. Night all.
