A Beginning

First published on Tumblr July 2 2023

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Writing is hard. Like really really hard. And it doesn't help that I'm terrible at it. But I want to use this space to start writing about my work more. 

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“Art is a line around your thoughts,” so said Gustav Klimt. For me, my art is how I make sense of the world and I hope that these words can be a way for me to try and make sense of my art. I think that'll lead to either unearthing some hitherto unknown revelations about myself or the world, or these ramblings will just be a cheap, crass analysis of my work.  A diluted copy of a copy. Like a VHS recording of a ballet performance.

 

I very rarely consciously draw Klimt's lines around my thoughts. Especially not during the creation process and neither after I'm done. I usually just power on through to the next thing without taking the time to look back and reflect. This way of thinking can be a great way to build upon momentum and consistently put out work. But I'm afraid one day I will open my eyes an old man looking back with blurred vision, struggling to remember how I got here.

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I'm a bit nervous to do this. When displaying my art, I've never really cared if people don't like it or criticise it. Writing on the other hand;  I've always hated writing. Even coming up with names for my pieces is a pain in the arse. Sometimes I'll just choose the name that first comes to mind. That's why I have a piece called "Mince Pie". Writing makes me insecure. Writing makes me vulnerable. Or maybe it's not the act of writing, but the honesty and clarity of showing my feelings, even to myself, that makes me feel vulnerable. Like all the ghosts of all the people I've ever known watching over my shoulder suddenly knowing who I really am. 

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Aside from that, we celebrate artwork from people that don't have the formal background or training of an artist. We call it naïve art. I'm not aware of there being any naïve literature. It's just considered shit literature. That's why writers have editors; people who go through the work and polish the diamond.

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So more than likely, doing this will reveal me as a self important, self indulgent wanker. But I feel like it's important to push myself into uncomfortable situations. Life would be boring otherwise.

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I don't plan on doing this very often. Maybe once or twice a month. Just enough breadcrumbs for that blind old man to find his way back home.

 

tokyo_nomad_