art + story
I have been helping out J’s band, Man Your Horse, a little with artwork before they head out for their West coast tour. My latest endeavor has been to turn a drawing I used for one of their posters into a t shirt design. We just went and picked up a batch today, and I would say the results were highly successful!
Language is important. The way we speak to ourselves, what we say, our tone. . . it all adds up. I try to be encouraging to my inner creative person, but it’s easy to get bogged down by ideas of being ridiculous, not talented enough, unoriginal, etc. etc. So I decided I needed some visual reminders to keep me going, which so far have been helpful. Making art around these two ideas makes them seem more important, and reminds me to play and experiment.
My wonderful friends just got married, so of course they had to receive a wonderful gift. Knowing that their wedding was going to be unique and DIY (while somehow still being super stunning) I thought they might appreciate an equally DIY gift – perhaps a cookbook? Being vegans, there were some helpful parameters to work within. Hope you enjoy the artwork!
I have just finished the poster for J’s tour kick off, which features a colour monster and some watery word balloons. Under a serious time crunch I probably borrowed a little more inspiration than I would have liked from other show posters that I’ve seen- it feels vaguely familiar- but it was fun to make. It was a great opportunity to play with simple shape filled with a more carefully drawn pattern.
I’ve also been using gift giving as an opportunity to play with watercolour and ideas. I made some cards for co workers, finally giving myself a good reason to use rainbow washes in lettering. I also made my dad’s father’s day gift out of a frame I found at the Sally Anne’s, which turned out to be the perfect fit for some water colour post cards.
So, here’s the poster for all these bands! If you’re in Vancouver, come join!
I am SO happy to have a new space to call all my own. Recently my boyfriend and I moved to a place with enough room for us each to have a studio, and it’s been heaven. I have room to organize all my stuff, spread out, close a door, and take deep breaths. I even did a little stretchy yoga today when I needed a break. This is a huge departure from our last place, where my ‘spot’ was in the living room. My desk and drawing table fit, but there was very little elbow room, and zero privacy. Sometimes you need to get a little space to yourself, you know? I heard a great TED talk on introverts by Susan Cain today, which I related to completely.
Needing some room to yourself seems to be especially relevant if you are waiting for creativity to strike. I’ve found that with the combination of the excitement of a new environment, and more and private space, I’ve had a new surge of creative energy. To follow up on my last post on dreams, I’ve been reading Jung’s autobiography, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections,” which has been inspiring. While I haven’t actually gotten too much out of it in relation to dreams specifically, I do like a lot of his general ideas. His trust in the unconscious images that come to us is pretty freeing. In terms of looking for inspiration it’s just what I need to hear. I can be guilty of trying to ‘push’ a good idea into being, or look at ideas too much from the perspective of other people, but Jung confirms that it’s ok to trust the value of imagery and symbols that come to you naturally.
I tried to apply this when it was time for my latest project- poster making. After many years together, I am finally making a show poster for my boyfriend’s band. I’m going to show just the main image I came up with, but will follow up with the finished product when it’s finished. I’m taking the hand drawing route all the way, as I really like the feel of hand drawn letters. Working on that part now.
For my next project I have been thinking about dreams. My brain has been stimulated by an awesome book called ‘Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain’ by David Eagleman. In it he examines how our perception is not so much a result of taking in information, but creating an internal model what we expect, and then moderating it with our perception when the world violates our expectations. Dreams are one example of this, in which he looks at what he calls ‘sleepvision.’ He offers the idea that dreams are what ourvision does when it is not anchored by the outside world.
I am interested in what dreams tell us about lots of things. What we have in common, what is unique to each of us, do different types of people (age, places, gender) have different types of dreams. . . essentially, what does our ‘sleep vision’ do when it is free to explore non reality? And what does this tell us about our minds? How do the symbols of Freud’s dream theory play into all this? Interesting stuff.
One of my first steps is to figure out how I am going to go about gathering dreams, because, as I didn’t mention, I want to look at dreams from lots of people, not just me. There are obvious sources, like forums on the internet, though I get a little tired of gathering all my info on the ‘net’. It doesn’t feel as personal, somehow, so I am looking for alternatives. One thought I’ve had is posting some sort of craigslist ad, or facebook note (still from the internet, but somehow feels more connected or personalized for the project. does this make sense?) . .The problem is, how do I make people anonymous when they reply to my request for dreams? People probably don’t want me to see their personal emails when they are telling me about the most personal inner workings of their subconscious. Another step will be to figure out when people are telling me fake dreams.
However, I will figure it out, and in the meantime welcome suggestions. I have some Freud to read.
When I busted a bike tire on my way home from work, I stopped in at the closest bike shop at Broadway and Vine and spotted a new Tanglewood Books. They have opened up a new spot and, lucky for me, they have a ‘local’ section featuring books by Vancouver folks. They are sweet enough to host ‘Lucy’s Tree,’ which is now living on their shelf. Also, they’re super sweet. Thanks guys!
First new painting/ drawing in a while. Watercolour and ballpoint pen on 9 x 12 in watercolour paper.
roz macLean 