Elsewhere Focus

Defining Art...

...what is art and why must we create?

This post is something I wrote a couple years ago to help define some thoughts and feelings I had about art and the creative process.

Art is Communication - it is a form of expression. Art should be created to be viewed and shared by others.

Art is Exploration - in its purest form, it allows us to explore the calamity of the inner world. This art may not always be communicated with others, but when it does...

Art is a Leap of Faith - art that is both an exploration of self and then shared with others is a leap of faith; not in a religious sense, but by that in which we create and express and let go of outcomes. We do not know how it will be received, we do not know if it really conveys truth from within. So, we take a leap of faith each time we create because no matter how proficient and how much 'mastery' we might attain, art is absent of controllable absolutes. 

Art has no mastery - art cannot be flawless. As artists we understand that a perfect piece is unattainable. This does not mean we shouldn't strive for it. True mastery is the path of mistakes. To make mistakes is to embrace art. This is how we learn and grow. The artist who is master - that flawless expert, is not an artist at all. This ties us to the leap of faith - with art comes risk, with risk comes passion and intensity. Without such risk, without a leap into the unknown, we are devoid of all emotion.

Art is logical as it is emotional - art is the realm of academic guidelines, there are formula that we use to express that which we intend to. However, without emotion, without imagination the decision making process that occurs when we create would be wholly predictable; static and lifeless.

So then, I believe that art is an exploration of self, communicated to the outside world through a decision making process that is both logical as it emotional by taking a leap of faith into the unknown over and over again. Why? Because we have to. As artists we are each driven by a multitude of belief systems, but at some base subconscious or superconcious level what gets us to keep creating is a certain something something that is so powerful that it becomes painful to ignore. Consider writer's block or any of the excuses that keep us from creating: the feeling this swells up within us is pain. When we separate ourselves from the excuses and just go to the page or the canvas or the screen or whatever, that pain disappears - we are creators, artists all. When we experience this pain we are reminded that we are artists. When we do not feel this pain we are creating art.

What does art mean to you? How are you creative and what are some of your beliefs about art?

Start Slow...

...and build momentum.

In one of my first posts, I wrote about my challenge to form a habit. The undertaking I chose was to meditate in the morning each day. Here I am on the 49th day in a row that I've been able to keep the daily meditation going.

How did I get to this point?

One thing that I neglected to write about in that post on habits was what my strategy to meet this challenge consisted of. Let me fix that. My solution is going to seem simple, I think, to many of you - but it's what I discovered and what I've found to work on this task.

Here's what I did:

    1 - determine the challenge
    2 - break it down
    3 - create a plan of action
    4 - take action on that plan

Determine the challenge. Determine the challenge that stands before you. Define the exact positive habit that you would like to form. I decided that I wanted to meditate each day for 20 minutes. Using the habit forming research as I touched on in the forming habits blog post as a guideline, I would continue this meditation for 66 days. I also wanted to see if I could even form a habit at all. By pairing the two goals I wanted to achieve something that I felt would help out in managing some of my ADHD symptoms. The meditation would allow me to maintain focus longer and the habit forming would become a tool that I could use to activate other skills that have been hindered by ADHD.

Break it down. Take the challenge that you have defined in detail and break it down into smaller steps. Design this break down in such a way that there is a reasonable acceleration from a little step to the max of the positive habit you want to form. I defined a goal of meditating each day for 20 min. I would do this for 66 days. To make sure I met the 66 day mark, I started at a smaller amount of minutes. Over the first month I went from 3 to 5 minutes and then from 5 to 10 minutes and finally from 10 to 20 minutes.

Create a plan of action. Create a plan of action that includes your defined challenge and the smaller steps you will take to make it work. Here is where I took everything I wanted and specified the 'how' of meeting the challenge. I made an appointment for myself to meditate each day for 20 minutes at 9 am. As a reminder, I downloaded an app on my phone (Alarm Clock Extreme) and set it for that time. I use the timer on the app so that I can meditate without having to look at the clock. Once the meditation is completed I go to my calender and physically mark and 'X' to confirm. I have the calender set up already, noted to show the acceleration from day one at 3 minutes to the max of 20 minutes which happened around day 30.

Take action on that plan. Take action on that plan that you created. Even if you can't do the actual habit at the moment - at least take immediate action to set things up that you defined in the plan. What I did was download the app and set up the calender. I came up with the concept for my positive habit in the evening. Even though it was over 12 hours until my 9 am start, by taking action right away and setting up all the little details, I assured myself that I was serious and I had everything in place to follow through with the positive habit forming.

It's worked so far!

Truth and Justice...

... one of my favorite paper and dice rpg's.

You read that correctly. Paper and dice. RPG (role-playing game). Yep. I play Dungeons & Dragons and other games of the like.In 4th grade I was introduced to gaming and I still play when I can.

Truth and Justice is one of those games I play. It is a superhero genre rpg. My friends and I have had a lot of fun playing. The mechanics are pretty simple. Each player creates a superhero using certain guidelines. A superhero is defined in the game by qualities and powers. These attributes are given a rating that helps determine effectiveness in game when tested in a challenge. Dice are used to add the element of surprise and randomness to a challenge. 

Our games always had a little egde of humor to them. Although serious games can be quite successful, the superhero genre is great for adding some laughs. Truth and Justice as a rule system compliments this as the concepts are easy to pick up and conflict resolution is pretty fun and fluid. I've introduced a number of new gamers to paper and dice role-playing through Truth and Justice.

In the most recent game I've run, the characters (under the tutilage of the super-sorceror Magis-T) had to race against time through a busy city to prevent 3 different catastrophic disasters from occuring. These disasters were brought upon by a secret group of villains. An abundance of wonderful absurdity befell our games.

One of the last games featured a villain who was about to bring a tsunami down along the coast of the city. As the heroes rallied to face the threat, one hero thought to call in some help. For you comic fans out there, this would be like a street-level hero calling in the Avengers from Marvel for assistance. I wanted to keep the challenge to the players so I informed them that the secretary of the cities pros said that they were unavailable at the moment. I'm not sure exactly how it started but as an accident, the group of us decided that one of the 'big guns' was called the Dehumidifier. You might be in a tad bit of trouble if the pro in the area is the Dehumidifier and he is unavailable at the moment.

OK, maybe it was for the best he was unavailable. The players managed alright.

After the game I did a drawing of that character just for kicks. Here is the Dehumidifier. He's pro.

A Work in Progress III...

Remember that goblin pic I was working on? 

Well, I decided to scrap that piece and do something a little more dynamic. I used that same character - the goblinoid with the Juggernaut-like helmet. The way I see it is that the former piece led me to this current one. It served as a stepping stone. It got me back into painting as the majority of my art lately has been cartoon or comic style.

I am really excited where this painting is going and I wanted to show a preview of my progress. This has taken longer than I thought it would, but I am OK with. Since I've entered school, I have noticed a considerable increase in how fast I am able to complete a project. Confidence and repetition play a big role in that. The purple and yellow lizard-bird-man-thing arrived into the picture almost by accident. I love it when something comes together nicely and that you didn't expect.

Medication Woes...

To help treat my ADHD and depression I am on a few medications. Recently I’ve had a medication change. In the past, I took Lexapro to manage my depression. Now I am in the process of transitioning over to Cymbalta.

Unfortunately I’ve run out of Lexapro, and due to financial concerns I’ve been unable to properly step down from it as I switch medication. The result is a sudden stop of Lexapro, which is not recommended. I’ve experienced this halt before and it’s not fun. It conjures an ill mood, one that is hard to shake.

I feel like the Cymbalta is helping, but I am not at full dose yet.  I hate being so medication dependent. I hate having to go through this transition. I am not at ease with the negative thoughts and storm of emotions. I hope I can get through this soon and see some positives.

I was also hoping this blog post would be an optimistic one. My intention was to write about the change and how this will be good and so on. Yet, as I write this I have to admit how difficult this is. I am trying to stay strong. I am fighting the darkness as best I can.

My allies in this fight are my support systems and being honest about what is happening. I will continue to blog about what I am going through and try to be as straight forward as I can.

Iconia Tablet Test Post...

...in which I test out creating a blog post on typepad by using my Acer Iconia tablet. Exciting. 

No really, it is. 

You see, next month I am getting married. For our honeymoon we are going to Disney. When it comes down to it, my dear lady and I are just big kids. This is going to be awesome. Unfortunately, I do not perceive having the time to lug my laptop down there and setting up to post. This tablet is convenient and it should manage.

I would like to continue with the blog while on the trip. I could upload some pics of the places we go. I also have an app (sketchbook mobile) that allows me to draw on the go. Here is a quick example of what I can do. hmm. I'll need to practice. 

Like an Alien with a Wristwatch...

...I feel out of place with time, unable to properly judge the significance of moments and months; unable to measure the minutes that tick by on equipment whose purpose is difficult to comprehend.

I am not oblivious to time. Time is a joker, a friend, an enemy and a disciplinarian all in one. It likes to sneak up on me. Other times it hangs back, just out of the corners of my awareness, nagging for attention. Time and I go way back.

But. This is not the space for time. Not here. Some other post, maybe? 

For now I would like to take a moment to announce the suddenness of one of time's little tricks. You see, yesterday it felt like a long time still until I get married. Again. Confused? I am.Yet, today is the 11th and in one month from now - the 11th that resides in February - it is my wedding day.

OK. For those romantics among you, let me be clear in saying I am not in anyway drawing any connection to aliens and my wedding. Rather, I am expressing my shock at the date coming so near, dressed in a gown of all-of-a-sudden. I don't have cold feet. I have been looking forward to this. Perhaps I am having trouble ascribing the right feeling to it - I don't want to miss a moment of this wedding. Time has had a way (in the past) of dropping me off in front of big days without notice, leaving me unprepared.

I love my fiancee. She is my equal. I want everything to be perfect. I want to enjoy every moment. I want to be present - not on some faraway world. 

Facebook Games...?!!!

Blarg!!! I haz been sucked into dem agin. fail.

Yes, I prefer games of a higher calibur and sophistication, but sometimes...

sigh

Year of the Beard...

...as chronicled by a picture a day over the course of 2011.

My friend took this challenge and I edited together the images. Here is the result:

 

 

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