It has been said that giving a superhero the flaws of an ordinary person could only lead into inevitable disaster. The concept stems from the old adage “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” as superheroes tend to be in positions of great power. Arguably, any protagonist that exhibits human flaws is going to find himself subject to great scrutiny. People will always see him as being someone who must never exhibit weaknesses and flaws. Flaws and traits like social anxiety, status anxiety, mental health disorders, and psychosis can all have immense impact on a hero's actions, which in turn can affect countless others. The “flawed” hero, while an interesting avenue to take in the realm of fiction, can also become a walking disaster, with the level of damage only varying on how badly things go.
Frodo Baggins, from Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings” saga, can be taken as an interesting case of both status anxiety and performance anxiety. Presented with an all-powerful, all-corrupting object of pure evil, Frodo is made to embark on a journey to destroy the said object. It is made clear in several passages that Frodo does not want the ring and the inevitable burden of having to carry it and disposing of it. His status anxiety plays out in the subtle hints that he is willing to pass the burden on to just about anyone, if only it would let him get back to his normal “status” in his home.
However, he also exhibits mild hints of performance anxiety in that he is unwilling to undergo the long and dangerous journey to be rid of the ring in the first place. Even if he felt inadequate for the task, he slowly came to realize that pawning the ring off to someone else is merely going to delay the inevitable. However, in the end, he comes to realize that the “One Ring” is a burden he has to bear, and faces up to the task. He is corrupted near the climax by the promise of power, but by that point, he has finally accepted his fate.
Another instance of a combination of problems similar to Frodo's comes in the form of Paul “Muad'dib” Atreides, from Frank Herbert's “Dune” saga. Atreides, like Baggins, has the deadly cocktail of status anxiety and performance anxiety. However, unlike the aforementioned literary character, Paul's actions could have had more long-lasting effects for all of humanity. Paul, gifted with the ability to see the future and thus enable plans to ensure his visions occur, foresees what he claims is “The Golden Path” of humanity. However, he also sees that while his vision assures the continued survival of humanity, it also means that he would have to sacrifice his humanity to achieve it.
His performance anxiety comes into play when he realizes that he does not want to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure that his vision becomes reality, as he is too attached to his humanity to abandon it. However, his position as ruler of a galaxy-spanning empire places pressure on him to rule. His unwillingness to let go of his position echoes of status anxiety, as he feels that he must remain Emperor. Yet, by remaining Emperor, he effectively is playing right into the hands of his fear of losing his humanity. In the end, however, he find a way out of his own conundrum by distorting the very faith that made him Emperor in the first place.
However, both Frodo Baggins and Paul Atreides were permanently scarred by their actions. Frodo's emotional healing never really purged the trauma he experienced during his time with the “One Ring.” In the end, the stress and anxiety of the journey forced him to leave his home and his friends forever, as he felt he could no longer be part of “their” world. In the case of Paul Atreides, years of twisting and warping his own image such that he made himself a “god” had taken their toll on his mental health and how he viewed himself. He had become a hypocrite by enslaving the people he claimed he wanted to free, using religion rather than force to subdue them. His opportunity to make up for his mistakes and have some semblance of emotional healing came when everyone thought him to be dead. Changing from Emperor to a blind wanderer, he then began working on repairing the damage he had wrought by attempting to dismantle the religion he himself crafted.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
How to Start Your Own Small Business
Opening your own business can be a real big gamble. If you do not do your research well, you will wind up like most small businesses, and that is out of business in less then 6 months.
The most important thing to remember when opening up new business is the location. When doing your research for your new business you want to make sure you are the only business of your time in the area. If you are opening a video store you do not want to open near another video store. Remember if you are exclusive to the area, you will automatically get the business of those living in that area.
The next most important thing about opening a small business is you supplier. Do not have just one place to get supplies from, you should have several. By having more then one you can assure yourself that you are getting the lowest prices from them. And if they know about each other they will try to outdo each other to get your business.
Make sure that the products or services that you will be offering are desired, do not just decide to open up a store with out doing any market research is like playing craps, dangerous unless you really know what you are doing.
Advertising is important. Remember just like a casino you are trying to make money and not lose it. By spending some money on advertising you will increase your sales from your opening day. It is best to have a professional help you with your advertising rather then dong it yourself, there is no point in spending money on advertising if no one in your target demographic is going to see it. An example of this would be like using facial expressions to bluff in a poker game against blind players.
When picking your stock it is sometime better to have a better selection of items and maybe not so many of each item, this way you can see which items sell best and order more of those more popular items, and less of the less desired ones.
In business you should not try to open a business unless you already have experience running a related business. You may think you know how to, but to do it correctly you really need experience, after all if you were in a casino and looking to play poker you would not want a roulette dealer who is trying to figure out the rules as he goes would you? Chances are you would want an experienced poker dealer.
Depending on the type of business you are opening try keep your staff as small as possible, and if it is possible try to get friends and family to help you out. This will allow you to keep your costs low until you can really get a good idea of if you are making money or not. Once you are making money you can go out and hire people.
The most important thing to remember when opening up new business is the location. When doing your research for your new business you want to make sure you are the only business of your time in the area. If you are opening a video store you do not want to open near another video store. Remember if you are exclusive to the area, you will automatically get the business of those living in that area.
The next most important thing about opening a small business is you supplier. Do not have just one place to get supplies from, you should have several. By having more then one you can assure yourself that you are getting the lowest prices from them. And if they know about each other they will try to outdo each other to get your business.
Make sure that the products or services that you will be offering are desired, do not just decide to open up a store with out doing any market research is like playing craps, dangerous unless you really know what you are doing.
Advertising is important. Remember just like a casino you are trying to make money and not lose it. By spending some money on advertising you will increase your sales from your opening day. It is best to have a professional help you with your advertising rather then dong it yourself, there is no point in spending money on advertising if no one in your target demographic is going to see it. An example of this would be like using facial expressions to bluff in a poker game against blind players.
When picking your stock it is sometime better to have a better selection of items and maybe not so many of each item, this way you can see which items sell best and order more of those more popular items, and less of the less desired ones.
In business you should not try to open a business unless you already have experience running a related business. You may think you know how to, but to do it correctly you really need experience, after all if you were in a casino and looking to play poker you would not want a roulette dealer who is trying to figure out the rules as he goes would you? Chances are you would want an experienced poker dealer.
Depending on the type of business you are opening try keep your staff as small as possible, and if it is possible try to get friends and family to help you out. This will allow you to keep your costs low until you can really get a good idea of if you are making money or not. Once you are making money you can go out and hire people.
How To Start Your Own Art Collection On A Budget
It is amazing how the art world seems to have taken a hold of general society. Many more individuals are inclined to forgo reprints and posters and start collecting their own unique art pieces for their homes and offices.
Are you interested in starting your own collection of original art? If you do not have thousands of dollars to spend on famous original artwork then you may wish to consider some other ideas and sources for your art pieces.
One avenue to consider, especially if you have not spent much time cultivating your tastes, is to rent art from a local gallery. You can have an original piece from local artists for a fraction of the cost of purchase. You can also trade in your selection for new pieces which may be refreshing in a business environment, or even a smart way to select art for personal enjoyment if you are not sure which pieces will suit you long term.
Another avenue is to go to local art schools or check your paper for shows by student artists. Here you can buy original pieces by up-and-coming artists for much less than established artists. It also allows you to invest in the growth of local talent, and possibly make an investment that will appreciate enormously in value should the artist truly excel in their field.
If you have an artist's community in your area - studios that are rented by local artists, you may also find that they hold open houses during the year. You may find artwork on sale as they promote themselves through this avenue. It also gives you a chance to speak with the artist and get a real history on the work you select.
Often art collectors are interested as much in the career of the artist as they are in their work. Finding an artist that moves you may cause you to consider collecting from a single artist rather than creating a diverse collection. Following the career of a new artist may give you a more valuable, as well as meaningful, collection down the road.
You may also finding interesting pieces in antique shops, markets and consignment stores. Always keep your eyes open for artwork that appeals to you and do not be too concerned with the value. Art is always subject to individual interpretation and only you can decide if a piece is worthy of your investment.
Do enjoy immersing yourself in your art collecting. Whether it is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an ongoing passion, art is an extension of our imagination that is one of the few truly human pursuits - it fills no need other than emotional - and yet has an impact that intrigues and fulfills us like no other.
Are you interested in starting your own collection of original art? If you do not have thousands of dollars to spend on famous original artwork then you may wish to consider some other ideas and sources for your art pieces.
One avenue to consider, especially if you have not spent much time cultivating your tastes, is to rent art from a local gallery. You can have an original piece from local artists for a fraction of the cost of purchase. You can also trade in your selection for new pieces which may be refreshing in a business environment, or even a smart way to select art for personal enjoyment if you are not sure which pieces will suit you long term.
Another avenue is to go to local art schools or check your paper for shows by student artists. Here you can buy original pieces by up-and-coming artists for much less than established artists. It also allows you to invest in the growth of local talent, and possibly make an investment that will appreciate enormously in value should the artist truly excel in their field.
If you have an artist's community in your area - studios that are rented by local artists, you may also find that they hold open houses during the year. You may find artwork on sale as they promote themselves through this avenue. It also gives you a chance to speak with the artist and get a real history on the work you select.
Often art collectors are interested as much in the career of the artist as they are in their work. Finding an artist that moves you may cause you to consider collecting from a single artist rather than creating a diverse collection. Following the career of a new artist may give you a more valuable, as well as meaningful, collection down the road.
You may also finding interesting pieces in antique shops, markets and consignment stores. Always keep your eyes open for artwork that appeals to you and do not be too concerned with the value. Art is always subject to individual interpretation and only you can decide if a piece is worthy of your investment.
Do enjoy immersing yourself in your art collecting. Whether it is simply an occasional hobby or becomes an ongoing passion, art is an extension of our imagination that is one of the few truly human pursuits - it fills no need other than emotional - and yet has an impact that intrigues and fulfills us like no other.
How to start learning to play the guitar
It is not hard for a newbie to learn to play the guitar, the guitar is among the simplest instruments you can learn to play, know that 65% of the American people know how to play the guitar. If you are unaccustomed playing guitar then it can look a little bit overpowering, but take it from me when i tell that it is pretty well to do and if you are able to get past the learning curve it is truly a great deal of fun to play guitar.
What are the pits a starting artist have watch out for when they learn to play guitar? the 1st thing is that in the beginning it Is not much fun and since the fingers are not accustomed it they'll start to hurt, and that's enjoying when you're learning to play the right cords, getting the right cords in the beginning can be hard and discouraging from time to time, but there's no pleasure without pain and this is something that all new guitar players will have to go true in their travel to learn to play guitar.To assist you in your pursuit to learn to play the guitar I've mad a list of the things you should keep in your mind.
Tip 1, Buy a good guitar
Learning to play guitar will go better when you've a good guitar, this is truly significant, naturally you'll be able to buy yourself a guitar on the flea market for under the $200- but that does not make your efforts to learn guitar playing a any better, if you're serious in studying how to play guitar then you need to make a investment in a good guitar, it does not have to be the best and the costliest guitar in the market, but do yourself a favour and do not buy one from the flea market,The right guitar will give you comfort and a healthy sound and will keep you propelled to do tip two
Tip 2, exercise, exercise, exercise.
As you know the expression goes "practice makes perfect" and that is also on-key when you're learning to play guitar, try to practise as much as you will be able to, you'll see how much quicker you're improving and it will keep you propelled, keep in mind that you can merely learn to play guitar by practicing, leaving the guitar in the corner of the room does not make you a guitarist.
Tip 3, studying guitar playing by yourself.
This is also a serious tip i want to give, get the basic learning curve done by yourself, it's fund that folks that begin to learn to play guitar have a lot less pressure when they're on their own figuring out the first view cords, I'm not stating that you never should use a teacher or somebody to help you i just want to point out that it would be advisable if the student would knew some basics before taking group classes.
It all comes down to getting cracking and work your way true the basics, and then you'll see that learning how to play guitar is really well to do and when you have reach that point you'll discover that there's nothing so smashing as playing your own music on your own guitar.
What are the pits a starting artist have watch out for when they learn to play guitar? the 1st thing is that in the beginning it Is not much fun and since the fingers are not accustomed it they'll start to hurt, and that's enjoying when you're learning to play the right cords, getting the right cords in the beginning can be hard and discouraging from time to time, but there's no pleasure without pain and this is something that all new guitar players will have to go true in their travel to learn to play guitar.To assist you in your pursuit to learn to play the guitar I've mad a list of the things you should keep in your mind.
Tip 1, Buy a good guitar
Learning to play guitar will go better when you've a good guitar, this is truly significant, naturally you'll be able to buy yourself a guitar on the flea market for under the $200- but that does not make your efforts to learn guitar playing a any better, if you're serious in studying how to play guitar then you need to make a investment in a good guitar, it does not have to be the best and the costliest guitar in the market, but do yourself a favour and do not buy one from the flea market,The right guitar will give you comfort and a healthy sound and will keep you propelled to do tip two
Tip 2, exercise, exercise, exercise.
As you know the expression goes "practice makes perfect" and that is also on-key when you're learning to play guitar, try to practise as much as you will be able to, you'll see how much quicker you're improving and it will keep you propelled, keep in mind that you can merely learn to play guitar by practicing, leaving the guitar in the corner of the room does not make you a guitarist.
Tip 3, studying guitar playing by yourself.
This is also a serious tip i want to give, get the basic learning curve done by yourself, it's fund that folks that begin to learn to play guitar have a lot less pressure when they're on their own figuring out the first view cords, I'm not stating that you never should use a teacher or somebody to help you i just want to point out that it would be advisable if the student would knew some basics before taking group classes.
It all comes down to getting cracking and work your way true the basics, and then you'll see that learning how to play guitar is really well to do and when you have reach that point you'll discover that there's nothing so smashing as playing your own music on your own guitar.
How to Stage a Home Properly
One of the most daunting aspects of selling your home yourself is the staging of the home itself. It is possible to hire professional stagers that are trained to showcase the strong points of your home, but with a little time and effort you can stage your home yourself. The first thing to understand about staging a home is that you must attempt to disconnect yourself from the home on an emotional level. This is easier said than done, but it is necessary.
A good idea is to start with the most visual aspect of your home. The exterior. We will go into greater deatail about the interior in a moment. Cleaning up the facade of your home is an absolute must. ensure that lawns are mown and trimmed. Clear away any rough edges along the walkways and driveway. Also weed the gardens and plant some new flowers. Make the entrance to your home as welcoming as possible. After all, this is the first thing a prospective buyer will see when they look at your home. You want their first impression to be memorable...in a good way.
Now we move to the interior. The first thing you want to do is remove the clutter! Homes always have some sort of clutter that is best removed to showcase the home. This means you will have to spend some time going over what you need and don't need. Remember that a minimalist approach is a good idea. It can be difficult for buyers to envision their possessions in another home, try it yourself sometime at a friends home. Look around and think about what you would move or change. Now do this at your own home. Time to get rid of a few things? This must be done for every room, clean out all the closets and cupboards too. Buyers are nosey, and justifiably so. Like you did before they are investing in their future and they will go through closets and such to make sure there is sufficient room for their things.
Now to ensure that viewers have a great experience when in your home there are a few things that you can do. Lighting can set a great mood in a home. Be sure to have appropriate lighting for the time of day. Temperature is another good thing to remember. Viewers are less likely to explore a cold home. Set the temperature for a pleasant medium. If there is a fireplace, light it. This will add to the ambiance and showcase one of the most popular assets of a home. The whole point of staging is to make guests feel welcome and at home. Try leaving out some refreshments or snacks if you are so inclined. It is up to you how far you will go in staging your home, but the more effort you put in the better your home will show.
A good idea is to start with the most visual aspect of your home. The exterior. We will go into greater deatail about the interior in a moment. Cleaning up the facade of your home is an absolute must. ensure that lawns are mown and trimmed. Clear away any rough edges along the walkways and driveway. Also weed the gardens and plant some new flowers. Make the entrance to your home as welcoming as possible. After all, this is the first thing a prospective buyer will see when they look at your home. You want their first impression to be memorable...in a good way.
Now we move to the interior. The first thing you want to do is remove the clutter! Homes always have some sort of clutter that is best removed to showcase the home. This means you will have to spend some time going over what you need and don't need. Remember that a minimalist approach is a good idea. It can be difficult for buyers to envision their possessions in another home, try it yourself sometime at a friends home. Look around and think about what you would move or change. Now do this at your own home. Time to get rid of a few things? This must be done for every room, clean out all the closets and cupboards too. Buyers are nosey, and justifiably so. Like you did before they are investing in their future and they will go through closets and such to make sure there is sufficient room for their things.
Now to ensure that viewers have a great experience when in your home there are a few things that you can do. Lighting can set a great mood in a home. Be sure to have appropriate lighting for the time of day. Temperature is another good thing to remember. Viewers are less likely to explore a cold home. Set the temperature for a pleasant medium. If there is a fireplace, light it. This will add to the ambiance and showcase one of the most popular assets of a home. The whole point of staging is to make guests feel welcome and at home. Try leaving out some refreshments or snacks if you are so inclined. It is up to you how far you will go in staging your home, but the more effort you put in the better your home will show.
How to Put Video on your Website: Processing and Uploading
It's time to start using video files on your webpages. It will help you rank well in search engines and will enhance the quality of your website's usability. By far the most time consuming and difficult factor, when you want to put video on your website, is the process of digitizing the video. Let's talk about some key concepts for processing video files before uploading them to your server.
First you need to find a high quality video to process. The higher the quality the better. Consider the size of the movie. Don't go for a full screen with best resolution. You don't want your website's visitors wait for ages before the video is ready to be viewed. Look for small, clear images that will still look good with compression.
Processing the video requires specific software and some editing skills but anyone can learn some basic editing procedures. There are expensive sophisticated software packages for video editing like Adobe Premiere or AfterEffects. Ok, Premiere is by far the most professional editing tool out there but it's among the most expensive tools too. (Look at my bio for a much cheaper quality software).
The above software packages will let you do whatever you want with the video files. Add several clips, slice them, insert static images, use filters and transitions, sync up audio files are some of the features that these packages offer.
Now let's talk about an element that is neglected by many people who use video on their websites. This element is sound. It's better to edit the sound of your video separately using an audio editing software. This way you can have a better idea of what people will actually hear when they watch your video file. Poor sound quality will definitely affect the quality of your video.
After processing your video file and paying special attention to your video's sound quality you need to take a final step before putting the video file on your website. And that final step is compression. Again, what you need is a video compression software that will let you balance the image and sound quality along with some other quality and size parameters.
And now the easiest part. Uploading your video on your web server. Make sure you have enough disk space on your server. Also make sure you are allowed to use enough bandwidth because video files are real bandwidth consumers. For example let's say you have a 1 mb video file. You will only need 200 visitors to exceed a 200 mb bandwidth limit!
First you need to find a high quality video to process. The higher the quality the better. Consider the size of the movie. Don't go for a full screen with best resolution. You don't want your website's visitors wait for ages before the video is ready to be viewed. Look for small, clear images that will still look good with compression.
Processing the video requires specific software and some editing skills but anyone can learn some basic editing procedures. There are expensive sophisticated software packages for video editing like Adobe Premiere or AfterEffects. Ok, Premiere is by far the most professional editing tool out there but it's among the most expensive tools too. (Look at my bio for a much cheaper quality software).
The above software packages will let you do whatever you want with the video files. Add several clips, slice them, insert static images, use filters and transitions, sync up audio files are some of the features that these packages offer.
Now let's talk about an element that is neglected by many people who use video on their websites. This element is sound. It's better to edit the sound of your video separately using an audio editing software. This way you can have a better idea of what people will actually hear when they watch your video file. Poor sound quality will definitely affect the quality of your video.
After processing your video file and paying special attention to your video's sound quality you need to take a final step before putting the video file on your website. And that final step is compression. Again, what you need is a video compression software that will let you balance the image and sound quality along with some other quality and size parameters.
And now the easiest part. Uploading your video on your web server. Make sure you have enough disk space on your server. Also make sure you are allowed to use enough bandwidth because video files are real bandwidth consumers. For example let's say you have a 1 mb video file. You will only need 200 visitors to exceed a 200 mb bandwidth limit!
How To Produce An Abstract Image II - From Anarchy To Abstraction
I want to go into a little more detail of the different ways you can approach the enigmatic task of producing an abstract. In this article we will look at the Anarchist and the Abstractist.
If you have an anarchistic attitude within you then abstract art is for you. You will never run out of ideas - in fact even if you had NO ideas then your temperament alone would find a most fundermental mood swing or dark (and maybe on more rarer occasions - light) moment to enrap you within its aggressive drama and painful colours. Willem de Kooning's "Gotham News" is a good example of anarchistic abstraction - just look at this picture - http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/sKooning.html. Wild movement mixed with such vigorous aggression.
Anarchists tend to be wildly demonstrative in their approach to ... everything! They have the potential to be able to utilize almost anything at hand that might provide them with contradictory ideas and totally original materials.
However, there is a big "down" side to what might be seen as the almost perfect abstract artist. An Anarchistic attitude tends to come from a tremendous sense of lacking in many areas. So things like confidence can be a very fearful barrier to the power of a creative flow. Therefore I believe that by working on some of the practical ideas written below obstacles like shyness and fear can slowly be weakened until finally the real artist begins to rise out from the depths of darkness or light in an increasingly "louder" manner.
The Abstractist is in many ways similar to the Anarchist. The difference here is that the Abstractist mind has a colder capability of "seeing" completely non-representative imaginings. And although both the Abstractist and the Anarchist generally produce work from deep within. The Anarchist cultivates a more physical "anti" approach, whereas the Abstractist appears to have the knack of actually visualizing dots, lines, and shapes when looking at every day objects.
Notice the similarities between de Kooning's "Gotham News" and Peter Lanyan's "Wreck" - http://www.ablot.com/wreck.htm Then take another look and seek to find any differences. "Wreck" is very anarchistic, but there are at least two variants. First the colours of "Wreck" give off an almost tangible "landscape" feel. And secondly, Lanyan seems to have made decisions when placing of lines and shapes. This is a classical abstract attitude. Another fine Abstractist example would be Howard Hodgkin.
OK lets practice. Get yourself a large piece of paper - any paper ... even newspaper will do. You will need plenty of Red, Blue, and Yellow (remember the practicals in Part I) acrylics or cheap powder paints will be fine. A one fairly thin paint brush, and one fairly thick. With the first attempt do not "think" of anything other then lines. Place the paints in easy reach for you to work quickly. Ready? Thin brush first - dip it deep into any colour then quickly bring the brush into contact with the paper - do not stop moving. Move in any direction. Paint faster. Paint one continual line. As soon as the brush starts to run dry dip it into paint - any of the colours. Keep doing this until you have filled the paper with a mass of scribbles. Try this about five or six times - not caring what is produced (you can throw it away - no one needs to see it ... or you might want to frame it!).
Now repeat the above practical only this time try using what is sometimes called "short stroke" - which is precisely that. Rather than one continual line, produce lots of short lines - you decide on the length. But make sure you are still acting as though it is one continual line - you are just lifting the brush at the appropriate time. Repeat this a few times.
Next decide which you felt more at home with. Produce another image in that way only this time look for shapes. When you see one, load your brush and paint the outline of the shape - very quickly. Finally get the thick brush and load it with a colour and roughly fill in the shape. Carry on mark making - even if it runs over any painted shapes.
Finally try again with line and shapes, and this time adding something else - you decide. If you really cannot think of anything try choosing any of the following: Screwing up the whole paper, then unfolding it and carrying on painting; rip or cut holes into the paper - and carry on painting; spatter (a well used favourite) paint onto the paper; find rice, spagetti, sand, earth, dust ... anything - pour it or sprinkle it - then carry on painting ... the list is endless.
Of course you might not be at home with this ... too messy you might say. Then, perhaps you might be a Surrealist - or maybe a Visionary ... that will be the next article.
If you have an anarchistic attitude within you then abstract art is for you. You will never run out of ideas - in fact even if you had NO ideas then your temperament alone would find a most fundermental mood swing or dark (and maybe on more rarer occasions - light) moment to enrap you within its aggressive drama and painful colours. Willem de Kooning's "Gotham News" is a good example of anarchistic abstraction - just look at this picture - http://www.albrightknox.org/ArtStart/sKooning.html. Wild movement mixed with such vigorous aggression.
Anarchists tend to be wildly demonstrative in their approach to ... everything! They have the potential to be able to utilize almost anything at hand that might provide them with contradictory ideas and totally original materials.
However, there is a big "down" side to what might be seen as the almost perfect abstract artist. An Anarchistic attitude tends to come from a tremendous sense of lacking in many areas. So things like confidence can be a very fearful barrier to the power of a creative flow. Therefore I believe that by working on some of the practical ideas written below obstacles like shyness and fear can slowly be weakened until finally the real artist begins to rise out from the depths of darkness or light in an increasingly "louder" manner.
The Abstractist is in many ways similar to the Anarchist. The difference here is that the Abstractist mind has a colder capability of "seeing" completely non-representative imaginings. And although both the Abstractist and the Anarchist generally produce work from deep within. The Anarchist cultivates a more physical "anti" approach, whereas the Abstractist appears to have the knack of actually visualizing dots, lines, and shapes when looking at every day objects.
Notice the similarities between de Kooning's "Gotham News" and Peter Lanyan's "Wreck" - http://www.ablot.com/wreck.htm Then take another look and seek to find any differences. "Wreck" is very anarchistic, but there are at least two variants. First the colours of "Wreck" give off an almost tangible "landscape" feel. And secondly, Lanyan seems to have made decisions when placing of lines and shapes. This is a classical abstract attitude. Another fine Abstractist example would be Howard Hodgkin.
OK lets practice. Get yourself a large piece of paper - any paper ... even newspaper will do. You will need plenty of Red, Blue, and Yellow (remember the practicals in Part I) acrylics or cheap powder paints will be fine. A one fairly thin paint brush, and one fairly thick. With the first attempt do not "think" of anything other then lines. Place the paints in easy reach for you to work quickly. Ready? Thin brush first - dip it deep into any colour then quickly bring the brush into contact with the paper - do not stop moving. Move in any direction. Paint faster. Paint one continual line. As soon as the brush starts to run dry dip it into paint - any of the colours. Keep doing this until you have filled the paper with a mass of scribbles. Try this about five or six times - not caring what is produced (you can throw it away - no one needs to see it ... or you might want to frame it!).
Now repeat the above practical only this time try using what is sometimes called "short stroke" - which is precisely that. Rather than one continual line, produce lots of short lines - you decide on the length. But make sure you are still acting as though it is one continual line - you are just lifting the brush at the appropriate time. Repeat this a few times.
Next decide which you felt more at home with. Produce another image in that way only this time look for shapes. When you see one, load your brush and paint the outline of the shape - very quickly. Finally get the thick brush and load it with a colour and roughly fill in the shape. Carry on mark making - even if it runs over any painted shapes.
Finally try again with line and shapes, and this time adding something else - you decide. If you really cannot think of anything try choosing any of the following: Screwing up the whole paper, then unfolding it and carrying on painting; rip or cut holes into the paper - and carry on painting; spatter (a well used favourite) paint onto the paper; find rice, spagetti, sand, earth, dust ... anything - pour it or sprinkle it - then carry on painting ... the list is endless.
Of course you might not be at home with this ... too messy you might say. Then, perhaps you might be a Surrealist - or maybe a Visionary ... that will be the next article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)