Yesterday I traveled 3 hours outside of Amsterdam to Valkenburg to visit the Christmas Market. I found this great blog post about it that includes video.. . I'm not going to write about this because frankly it fucking sucked. I was so annoyed! Though I was happy to get out of Amsterdam on a day trip at least. So take this woman's opinion instead of mine. And I was suppose to meet a bunch of people at the train station but I couldn't find them, then I couldn't get in touch with them, then the station guy told me to get a bus instead of a train but then ran after to me to put me on the right train after he realized his mistake (very sweet!) and then I ended up wondering around alone, which is fine but not how I pictured the day.
I studied graphic design in high school and set out to study it in college as well, but got captured by a political science class and ended up graduating with a International Political Science degree instead. For me being creative is one of those things that strengthens the things I actually do well, it's not the focus but I wouldn't be good at anything else if I didn't nurture my art. And if I can't draw, photog, or write at this moment, I'm going to talk about artists. One of my favorite things about artists is how they interpret their own artistic talents. I don't have many talents so I'm always fascinated by people who can switch from one craft to another effortlessly. This is what today's Sunday Gumbo is about: famous artists who can switch into other mediums unexpectantly . . . to me. Because in the end it's all about me, honey.
Jared Leto: Jordon Catalano. I loved him in high school. I mean the hot boy in a band who couldn't read. I love me some young and dumb. It was too brilliant a storyline and one of the main reasons My So Called Life was so successful. Well, Jared Leto is no one trick pony. He has taken on some really interesting acting parts since his days as Jordon Catalano, (Girl, Interrupted, Fight Club, Chapter 27) but what I find incredibly fascinating is his music career. Because I've been sick all week, I've watched a lot of fucking television trying to go to sleep. Did you know that tv is NOT helpful when trying to go to sleep? Hmm. Anyways, MTV was showing one of his concerts and I was kind of mesmerized. Mostly because I can't separate him and Jordon Catalano. I just can't and I refuse to! 30 Seconds to Mars is pretty rock hipster not weepy hipster, it's actually not that horrible but its so fucking different than Jordon Catalano's 'Big Red' song that was about his car and totally not about Angela.
Samual L Jackson: I'm still obsessed with T.I. and in the song On Top of the World he has this great stanza (?) about people's perspective of rap music and black artists. "Order Singapore and lobster. Celebrating coming from nothin to winning Grammy's and rappers winning Oscar's. And they say rapper's shouldn't act, nah suckers, We see Samuel Jackson like what's up mutherfucker!" Seems that Samuel L Jackson hates cross over artists. He stated in 2002 that it is not his job to give credibility to rappers that are trying to be actors. Snakes on a plane!
Yoko Ono: I don't really understand the whole Yoko thing. I get it, The Beattles ended not too long after Yoko entered the picture. You call people that get in between artists and their successful art groups Yoko. I wasn't there, I don't really care about why The Beattles broke up or even that they did break up. Not my battle.
But Yoko is amazing! I just think her life is so incredible and I'm completely fascinated by it and her. In 1964, Yoko, a celebrated performance artists and musician on her own right, created a piece where she sat on a stage with a pair of scissors next to her and invited audience members to cut off all her clothing. She repeated the piece 6 or 7 times in the years that followed. The latest was in 2003 in an effort to help mobilize the peace movement in the volatile years after 9/11.
I'm not a big performance art person, but this is really interesting to me. I recently saw an interview with her. The interviewer asked her what she thinks of about all the outrage and interest in her life and her art and how the public reacts to her. She said people's views of an artist's work has nothing to do with the art itself. She doesn't confuse the two about her own work. I love this comment. Not too long ago I adopted the mantra, People's opinions of me is none of my business. In art though, the purpose is to get attention and reaction, but I love the understanding that people's reactions isn't really in direct consequence to the work itself. It's like the public's reaction to Yoko is its own art that she has inspired.
Steve Martin: Who doesn't love The Jerk and this SNL original born in Waco, TX (not too from Klein, Texas . .. LL birthplace!) Steve Martin is an amazing comedian, but he's also a great writer (Shop Girl) and I'm kind of in love with his new album.
I think one of the reasons why creativity is so interesting to me is its fluidity. I often hear from people that they are not creative or artistic, but creativity is a trait of being alive. It just manifests itself differently in everyone and culturally we only celebrate it in certain ways (music, movies, painting etc), but building climb systems, successfully executed logistics, negotiating with a corporation are nothing more than a string of creative moves and ideas. For me studying a Chicano drawing helps me to build a system that allows a campaign to flow more freely and efficiently. That's what I meant when I said, "I wouldn't be good at anything else if I didn't nurture my art".
Ciao.
Renee Claire
P.S: Brilliant
No comments:
Post a Comment