2. Table of contents Painting with words: small works in progress (or how I learned to stop worrying and enjoy the free write) 2) Where does creativity hide? (answer: where you last left it) 3) Synectic seedlings: new beginnings
4. poetry? what’s that? I’ve been told I’m a good writer – but I don’t think so. I have always written academically – not with the same imagination and candor I treat my “other” art form. In enrolling in this institute I hoped not only to share my belief in the importance of visual literacy, but to also begin to approach writing in a way that was more pleasure and less assignment. Put in another way I wanted to begin painting with words.
5. My experiences with non-academic writing are extremely limited. Because I was both a band geek, art nerd, and journalism kid I never had room in my schedule for anything other than strict (research-based) composition classes. You guessed it. No literature. No poetry. No creative writing.
6. The institute opened my eyes to many of the things I have missed - and inspired me to tap into short, succinct, writing – the equivalent of verbal sketches. The perfect anecdote to the verbose monstrosities I’ve gotten all too acquainted with in graduate school. The writing samples I’m including here are just that – short, unpretentious, dips of my tippy toes into what will hopefully become another “media” in which I dabble.
7. This is a copy of my first free write – fresh from the the page! I remember feeling this immense pressure to get the phrasing just right being in a room of such articulate folks! I edited way too much (as I later learned I shouldn’t have - being an implied example of Nick’s) and realized how intimidated I have become of composing on the page where I can’t just “delete” my mistakes. Despite the fact I didn’t share it I do like how it turned out.
8. Miss Ellie Levine, millinery queen perches among her empire of prized possessions feathers, brims, veils, and bows her majesty’s crowning creations
9. chromatic gables vibrant architectural starts humming city below specks of life shimmering from perspectives unseen
12. I’m always making excuses for not creating – which oftentimes leaves me feeling this odd combination of guilt and being an imposter of sorts. I’m supposed to be an artist! I’m supposed to crave my studio and my craft … I have create tattooed on my wrist for god’s sake!
13.
14. The mess often keeps me away. I ossicilate back and forth between wanting to be bombarded with things that inspire me and also being repulsed by visual clutter. creativity = clutter
15. During this course I resolved to stop making excuses and find where my creativity was hiding. Not suprisingly, it was where I had left it. Perched blissfully among my previous messes – containing seeds of ideas ready to take root and be given a chance to grow. Here are the stories of two of the seeds I nurtured during MWP.
16. Initial inspiration = books! Art + writing combined perfectly. But not just any books – books you can wear. Books that become necklaces or… booklaces. I’ll make one for everyone!
17. What form? What materials? Shouldn’t I use what I already have? What could I use that would be unexpected? Should I do custom books for everyone? How should I combine image and text? Should they be able to be personalized? How big? Will boys want one?
18. creating = endless problems to solve thinking on paper with words and images works in progress – switched gears – trial and error
20. The process continues… I decided to use formica samples (free at lowes!) for the covers. A splash of bright paint (and later spray paint) livened them up…
21. The “story” or “text” of the book was created with photoshop then lovingly cut out and folded by hand to form the content of the “booklace.”
22.
23. My hope is that the final products are as beautiful and unique as their intended recipients (and that guys will just think they are a cool book if they don’t want to wear them).
24. Secondly, I began working on a painting with embedded text (on multiple levels) as a way to voice my (sometimes silenced) view of hope in these chaotic times. I wanted to pay homage to the wonderful visual and verbal texts of the WPA and WWII posters and appropriate/infuse them with contemporary meaning and personal sentiment. Thinking about and working with writing with different image and typed texts was just the inspiration I needed to begin.
25. This is the altered print ground (1 of 2 canvases) that the elongated painting will be created upon. The embedded text includes recent headlines and old text.
26. This is a rough digital “sketch”/mock-up of what the final composition will entail.
28. Its been such a pleasure to get to be a student during the institute and dive head first into so many interesting lessons. The following projects are examples of “seedlings” – projects I began in class as models of or beginnings of potential larger products/projects/solutions.
29. Graphic Narratives Breaking down the moment of the arrival to the “Rusty Ruins” into sequential frames. In the end I chose to combine a few of these (closure!) to make the following image.
30. Though I’ve taught graphic narratives – I’ve never actually created one myself. This exercise is one frame from a potential graphic version of Scott Westerfield’sThe Uglies. The experience was especially interesting as I attempted to translate (“realistically” via photoshop) the world I’d imagined first as a reader, not an artist (unusual circumstances for me)!
31. Self Portraits: Creating with purpose AND Dual identities I chose to use digital work (again) partly due to the speed in which I could convey a realistic idea in many layers. These three panels investigate roles that I have currently or have had – and the lingering questions I have embedded in those personas. I also found it fascinating that a relationship with one person (or creature, such as my dog, Zoe) that you have many additional roles and identities. This is a theme I definitely wish to continue in future art and writing.
32. Am I a…. Best friend? Girlfriend? Future wife ?
