Audio Version of the Chapters is Here.
“You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.” – Heraclitus (ca. 540 – 480 BC)
Please, make your thoughts about you, tell stories about the chapter in ways that we can relate it to you, the art maker!
To begin… This chapter is full of wonderful ideas and thoughts. It is within the first page that I find one of the most insightful thoughts. “Your work tells you how it is when you hold back or embrace. When you are lazy, your art is lazy; when you hold back, it holds back; when you hesitate, it stands there staring, hands in pockets. But when you commit, your art comes on like blazes.” (49) Think of a particular work of yours that hits this last statement on the head. What is the work, where does it look lazy, where does it come out like blazes? Use descriptive words when talking about it so we can all paint a picture of it in our heads. This is a response, a story of yours…
Second… I enjoy the ideas captured on page 51 that discusses the ease in which we can talk about the finished work, but we struggle when it comes to talking about the process we went through to get there. Think back to the process of a recent work and consider describing the process you came up with in getting the work started and getting the work finished as well as all of the steps that went into the process of getting it to look ” just so.” This is a difficult process (one I try and get out of each of you during the critique), but one that is essential in the reflection process when we try to learn form our works.
Third… Think about the images that you see drive me (or other art teachers) nuts. The heart, the peace sign, the unicorn and fairies… you know the images. Those things that were popular in the past or from your childhood (I still can’t get it out of my skull, the Jimmy Hendrix and Peace sign that so many high schoolers find necessary to incorporate into their work. I dig his music, I am all for peace, but come on. I wasn’t from that era – neither are you. STOP USING THEM!) Use what you know. Use images from YOUR life, your times and society. While I would take my own eye out if I saw another iPod in an artwork, at least it is relevant. It is almost as ridiculous as the fashion that is being worn around in the schools, those “baggy pants” you all see me hassle about. These kids are not from the city, the inner city. If they knew the original story, if they were face to face with someone who was directly involved in the origins of “baggy pants”, they would probably pull their pants up to their necks and never let them down.
Finally… These are thoughts that are pulled together here but are from throughout the chapter. 1) “your art is not some residue left from when you subtract all the things you haven’t done – it is the full payoff for all the things you have done.” 2) “For most artists, making good art depends upon making lots of art, and any device that carries the first brushstroke to the next blank canvas has a tangible, practical value.” 3) “The hardest part of artmaking is living your life in such a way that your work gets done, over and over.” Find a way to make sure that it is EASY to get to making art on a daily basis. One that you don’t have to make sire you have a space that will need scrubbing down or setting up every time you step into the space to make art. 4) (from a bit earlier in the chapter and specifically about the concentration…) “New ideas come into play far less frequently than practical ideas – ideas can be re-used for a thousand variations, supplying a framework for a whole body of work rather than a single piece.”
Ok… what are your words? Consider making secondary posts, responding to others comments.
– FKorb
Art & Fear 
Every year I have one or two art works that I really work hard on because I start with an idea I am proud of. I try to do that every time I start to create something but it does not always work out that way. Some things fail or just do not turn out the way I want them to but the works that do turn out make me happier than I could ever be. In Sculpture I made a reproduction of an iconic symbol from my favorite video game and it is still hanging on my wall a year after it was made. I worked so hard on it and I am still very proud of it. I’ve had people comment on the things that are not the best about it but their words do not diminish the fact that I was happy when I made it and that I’m happy when I look at it. I have a piece I made in Ceramics that has the same effect on me as the one from Sculpture (I also feel like that when I hold/use the bowls I made because I love it when I can use something I made!). I made a t-shirt in Multimedia that I love and so on. This year, I have yet to make that ‘special’ piece but I think I might be close. As long as I stay committed to what I do, I do not see my works becoming ‘lazy’ or lack-luster. If I enjoy what I do, I do not have a problem with staying motivated.
Finding my work has been one of the hardest things for me to do theought my career as an artist. Mainly because I still have not found my work. I enjoy working with certain materials, creating certain compositions, and using different techniques, however, very little of my work could be grouped and called “similar”. I just have not found anything that I am that passionate about.
For me to find my work is hard I haven’t found a thing that’s my own art. I used to love to draw faces and then I stopped I used to love to draw eyes then I stopped. Then I started to use spray paint and that was my favorite thing but looking around and seeing what other people do it made me realize that I should go back to drawing and painting but its not what I like to do. I’m scared that if I don’t find my voice that I’m going to stop making art after high school. I wish I could find that one thing so I could be like wow, this is my art. I haven’t found it yet. I think that’s also why I’m so stressed this whole year I thought senior year would be fun since I have all these classes but its not fun at all its stressful. I think its so stressful cause I have high standards for myself and when I don’t make then I get on myself. Finding my art may not happen til I’m in my 30s, but its one of my stressors.
Art was never something I was truly interested in, I never cared. I never thought I’d be good at it, or get anywhere. When I was little I’d sit in my art class and space out until we were forced to draw. Later as I got older I became fond of cartoons, and semirealism, I had many idols that I was inspired by. As my idols were there I would try to recreate their work as practice, so I was able to pick up multiple different techniques and styles from them all. No, I cannot draw realistic but I could if I tried. Once I was in 8th grade I was known as, “The Artist.” I knew how to use certain materials, but I lacked the courage and confidence to draw on a larger scale. Until I came to highschool, that changed; my confidence in my drawings and my skills improved. I’ve developed a strong work of art over the four years highschool with Photography, Sculpting, Special FX, and Graphic Design. All of these majors require drawing or the skill to create, but I would take these over making a painting any day. That is where I discovered my strong points in my art; through the focal point of technology.
I found my work when I started to do portraits of people. Not only did I enjoy doing it, but I the outcome of the portraits were very successful. This is why I wanted to grow in skill, so I could get better and better with portraits. I have been able to go a few months without doing a portraits and still be able to come back and produce another successful piece which I am very proud of. And when I say “successful” I mean it looks like the person that I am trying to draw and people will recognize it as that person.
I am not really certain I understand what this chapter was trying to say. However, I think I understood how artists try to satisfy themselves more than the audience in modern art. Artists try to appeal to the viewers as well just not as much as they used to. I understand wanting to do make yourself happier than the viewer but I also strive off of the approval of others. So wanting to create art more for myself is a difficult task.
My style of art has greatly changed throughout the past year or two. In junior year, I didn’t have a “hands on” art class, I had a digital one, which was great, but I found that in returning to working with my hands and painting or drawing, my style really changed from what I was used to. So far with my work this year, I have pushed myself a lot outside of class to improve. Sometimes it’s not as much as others, but I still do what I can to get something made that I enjoy. I have really been into experimenting with new materials to see what I’m comfortable with using and what materials I do not enjoy using.
I have had a hard time to find my voice in my artworks. In the past, all of my artworks are always depend on other people’s comments. My artworks were created for the others favorite but not my favorite. But I finally found my own artworks since I choose to take AP studio art. I has been develop my own styles of art and had been created so many artworks that I really like. I also found myself in the book art and fear that we’re been read. The book is talking about myself seriously. I really enjoy this book and hopefully I will find some better ways to find my own voice in the book. An addition story, Mr. Korb’s clown was scared me to dead in my dream just 30 minutes ago. I already went to bed and totally forget about the assignment. And the crazy clown chasing behind me in my dream woke me up and doing my homework. Thank you Mr. Korb 😦
Funny. BOO!
One of the first things the chapter talks about is how our art reflects us. I definitely agree with this. When I am lazy or not feeling it, my art will look mediocre. However, when I put my heart and ideas into it, it will look better and be deeper. The chapter also talks about how we can make art passionately for the pure joy of it, but when faced with responsibility (like a job wants you to create something or promote you), you get stressed. I kind of believe this. I can get stressed based on projects and tasks I need to live up to. I am constantly worried that I can’t do something good enough for anyone. At the same time, I like direction. When someone tells me how to approach something or what to do, I do not get mad by it. I like having a path to follow. If I find another path, it is my choice to switch. It also talked about how artists can explain the art, but not the process. For me, the process is where I can listen to my favorite music and relax. How I created the artwork? I can’t tell you, because I don’t fully know. It is an indescribable process. He also talks about creating art based on the past. I can’t relate to this (believe it or not). When I make art, I make it based on my thoughts, family, and/or friends. Oddly enough, I SHOULD look up more references and things from the past. I feel I still need to know the art before me, but I don’t necessarily need to mock it. In addition, I try to make art often, like the book says, but I find it hard to. I have a busy schedule, homework, clubs, and activities. Sometimes I struggle to make art every other day. At least if I set my mind to an idea or get inspired, I don’t throw that away. I make art, because that is what I love to do.
I think that this year I’ve developed my style of work a lot more than in the past. Last year’s concentration had meanings behind it that had basically no meaning to me, I just thought it would be more appealing if it had something behind it. By the end of it there were only a few pieces I thought were pretty good. This year, the pieces have more meaning to me and are abstract, which is what I like doing best. Also, I’ve started using encaustics, which are good for intense patches of color and are fun to use.
I could say that I have given a 100% effort with all of my art projects, but that would be a lie. I would say that one of the artworks that I have put the least amount of effort into would be one of my sketchbook assignments from freshman year. We were supposed to draw an object from our house that I think was supposed to have some sort of sentimental value. I chose to draw my Cabela’s boomerang (I love my boomerang). I really did not feel like drawing anything because I was just about done with homework and wanted to go do something else, so I drew a boomerang shape, quickly colored it, and then wrote the Cabela’s logo on it. I was done in probably about ten minutes. While it did look like the real thing, it was a very lame effort.
A recent work that I think came out very nice (way better than the boomerang) was my rubber chicken/hand drawing. The process was simple: first I took rough measurements of my hand; next I drew the hand according to the measurements I had; then I shaded, using as many of the drawing pencils as I saw fit.
To reply to the question for this chapter, I don’t know if I can 100% agree about the quote stated. I say this mostly because how can your work fully tell when you hold back or when you are lazy verses fully committing to a work if your technique can’t prove your effort? What I’m trying to say is how can you prove that you worked hours on end on a project with full effort if all you have to show for your outcome is something that is not what you like, especially if it’s not up to par with your other work. For example, for the past two days I’ve been working on a colored pencil drawing (outside of AP for another class) and put a lot of effort into it. Granted I wasn’t given the same amount of time and preparation for this project as I usually have for other works, I had a lot of fun knowing that I’m working on things such as technique and proportion. When I finished the project though, I looked back and was disappointed with the outcome. I know for this project that I was not lazy or didn’t hold back, but the outcome of my work would prove otherwise. With that, I guess this quote could apply to an artist that does not have any other factors in making their project more difficult than just there self actions and effort.
In reflecting from my improvement and achievements since last year, I believe that this year I have begun to really develop my voice. My Art & Fear piece revolved around this chapter last year, discussing my struggles in finding my voice in my work. However, I did not create even close to as much art with as close as much passion as I do now. The chapter speaks about how often times, an artist will learn more from art by making it rather than being moved from it. I know understand what this means, for I have learned to connect to my art and push through my mistakes. Additionally, I am always able to find a loose thread to continue with in a next piece.
I’ve finally figured out what kind of art I want to make. For me, there is no excitement in still lives or realistic drawings of things that just don’t matter to me. Art is supposed to be personal, so I make my art personal. I draw the things I want to draw, and sometimes, those things are really deep, like my pieces about religion–but other times, they’re fun trivial things like portraits of characters from my favorite movies. And it doesn’t matter if it’s deep or trivial; the point is that it’s fun and I enjoy what I’m doing.
And the voice you have will eventually, if you were to continue with your art, develop into a body of work that really holds together as a body of work. Then things change and move forward until another body develops, etc… etc.. etc…
One thing that I learned from this chapter is that my art will only go as far as I take it. If I hesitate or second guess myself, my art will hesitate and if I’m lazy with my art, it will also be lazy. If I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about or outlining my next art piece, it will not turn out decent or like anything I would have expected. Tools and materials also play a huge role in what the finished product is going to suggest or how it will be executed. There are so many artistic possibilities and without experimentation, I will never be able to move forward and grow as an artist.
Cambree… STOP WRITING! 😄 You’re halfway through the 3rd quarter!
I believe that finding your work and finding yourself literally go hand in hand. Well, assuming that your artwork reflects your thoughts, feelings, and interests (as it should). I have found out about myself that I have a lot of ideas that are easier to express when using multiple media for my artwork. Other people may like to convey their ideas in a simple, yet highly detailed and very beautiful way which is pencil. Others may feel very expressive and use paints for the brush strokes. Myself however, I feel like I want my ideas and thoughts to be heard and I like how I am able to do that with mixed media art work.
Before I came into high school I thought that I was just a perfectionist who loved high detail. Although I still am in a way, I have grown dramatically in the past few years. I have developed a habit of eliminating the background in order to show more detail. I enjoy small details that most would not notice at first glance. This is a strong common thread that ties together most of my artworks even if I don’t even notice it at first. I can’t wait to find out more about myself, but I fear that the only way to do that is if I push myself out of the comfort zone.
Before this year I had a good idea of what I could and couldn’t draw. This year when we started our concentrations I know I wanted to do something abstract because realism is difficult for me. Proportions are not my specialty. After some research of abstract artist, seeing how they broke down figures I decided I wanted to try that. At first I would do small things like lower or raise a facial feature, but once I started looking at more abstract artists I realized abstraction is more. It’s how the artist extends and exaggerates certain parts of the figure. Also the way they broke it into small or larger shapes. This year I found my work which is abstract drawing.
it was go but i was not in to it a whole lot. but you could say that i am sill finding my work of art that i like to do and want to do. but if you take one step back you can all ways go forward.
I think I’ve figured out my art more this year than I have in the last three years combined. I’m starting to be able to assess what I like and what I don’t, what works and what doesn’t in the greater amount of my artwork. As hard as it is to make so much art in such a small amount of time, I really have discovered what kind of process works for me (which I’ve discussed in the past few comments).
I think artists in general like to romanticize the “struggle” of art-making and take up that persona of the tortured soul–that’s usually how great artists are portrayed (for example, I’ll refer to what I like to call the Trilogy of Tortured Artist Films: Black Swan, Whiplash, and Birdman). All of these movies (and the large majority of popular culture surrounding artists) emphasize that struggle and sacrifice. While I’m not going to disagree that art is extremely hard and draining, I think I’ve realized that getting to the point of artistic self-actualization might not require the self-destruction depicted in pop culture. Just a lot of practice and reflection.
What you are feeling a certain day reflects in your artwork. If you feel bad, like if your computer crashes when you are trying to post this art and fear chapter and it deletes it and you have to start over that anger reflects in your artwork. (speaking from recent experience) Anything an artists feels at the moment they make art is what goes into and completely can be seen in their artwork.
Artists’ Funk is a phrase that I have come up to a few times. It say that there are two ways this happens and one of them is feeling like you will never get another idea again and the other is the thought that your idea was terrible from the start. I have come across this a few times and I am sure that my peers have also come up with this type of trouble too. After this happens I look for my peers as inspirtion and they can be very helpful. Also I usually look around me like when I take a walk and am inspired from my surroundings. Another form of inspirtion is music, it can help transport me to an amazing place that my mind cannot help but paint a picture to repersent it.
The last thing I want to touch on is that your art is strongly affected by the materials you have. The book has a little different interpretation of this but I would like to show where I am at. When I graduate from high school I will loose access to all of the FREE art supplies that are right at my fingertips. That makes me think that I need to save more money than just for my college tuition. Anyway the material I have access to strongly influence my art because for example if I have a big acrylic brush my artwork that needs small details will be significantly different.
-Mary Heebsh
This year with my concentration, I feel like my pieces have in a way improved but at the same time, I feel like im getting uninterested and not necessarily lazy but just..meh. With some of my recent breathe pieces, I feel very inspired and not meh! I think its because its something different and interesting and I can spread my imagination to new hights. The bit about when Bach started with something new each time is a great tip because I begin to lose ideas on where to go with my pieces.
This chapter was definitely bigger than the previous ones. This chapter has a lot more information than I had prepared to take in. I love the history and the different examples of how to find your own work. The example of the dancer was such a relate-able story. She was passionate,dedicated, and good at what she did; but then she got offered an honored position in a dance group and she began to unravel. I can relate to that so much. I can do great in or at something but as soon as I get recognized for my skill I fall apart. The pressure to do better and be better because you feel like you aren’t as good as others in your position gets to you. By trying harder and losing that “thing” that made your skills recognized and unique causes you to fail yourself.Then that feeling of failing pushes you to depression and or wanting to quit.One thing I really enjoyed in the chapter was the talk of different styles and materials used to create art in different places in the world. I love reading about how traveling to different places can inspire one to create new and better works of art. Traveling exposes one to new cultures and so many new ideas, it would be hard not to get inspired or find a new plan for your work.
The fifth chapter explains the full connection between the artist and the work, displayed through emotion. Because the art that is created is directly made from an artist and is part of their culture, their work is extremely personal. This personal connection to their work is how one can find their voice. The values and beliefs are placed in the work, perhaps not apparently. Because the artist has the strongest and most personal connection to the work, because it is their creation, their work is a part of them. Finding my work has been my motive for my work and the goal I strive for. In the chapter, the author describes how a dancer threw herself into her work, and only reached her peak when she immersed herself in her passion. When she stopped loving her work, and perfecting it, she lost her way and lost her passion. In other words, the only way to reach one’s voice is to throw himself into their work and let it reflect their personality. I have come to love the art making, and I hope to continue pursuing my passions.
I need to work on my process of making art. I try and plan things out, but I struggle with making my art mean something or even have a good composition. My problem is that I see a picture i want to draw, paint whatever and then i just do it without thinking. I get lazy during my planning of my art. This then makes my artwork kind of boring. I want to work on my planning skills and also not be lazy. I can usually stay focused and not get lazy while i work. I think if i can get a process down then I should be doing some cool things.
I view the work usually with a dull, distant feeling. I do this so I cant get too worked up over a mistake or an accomplishment. Those can be a blessing or a curse. Feelings in art are like a placebo effect. You get super excited that you are doing well and you do better, same goes for the inverse. I try to just view it as an artwork, and not mine. This way I dont get too excited or down on how the work is coming along and I just ebb and flow with the work to create whatever it is that comes to light in the end.
I absolutley agree with the statement that when you are lazy, your artwork is lazy. I know that I need to give one hundred and ten percent for my artwork to turn out of quality. If I even feel slightly lazy, it will show in my piece. For an example, the breadth piece I’m working on now is a nightmare. I keep starting over because I simply can not commit to it. Whether it’s the materi I’m struggling with, or the composition I can’t seem to get the image I want. I hope soon I can find an idea that I am satisfied with.
The hardest part of making art for me is starting it. Once I get it started I’m on a roll and life is good. That is if I even gain enough courage to start it…. To be honest art is really hard for me and I don’t enjoy doing it unless I know it will turn out exactly how I want it.
110% is QUITE a bit. I’m happy with a bit less than that. But EFFORT is in it all. I also can see when my efforts are a little less than strong. Continue to be reflective of the work you are doing and know that the job you have to do is to make art. It doesn’t all have to SOAR but the less of it that SINKS is good.
The second part of making your work, the starting part, can be solved with the ideas of the PLANNING and PRELIMINARY work. ALSO… when you REALLY get into a series of works, often they can roll off the tongue (so to speak)… Keep it up!
I think the lazy part in most of my artworks are the background. They are usually just an afterthought so not much time or dedication goes into them. I need to start planning out the backgrounds more because they are an important part of the work.
I find that it is easier to talk about the process more when critiquing my piece. I think this is because the process is more concrete than talking about the finished work. When a process is done, you know how you did it, whereas there could be so many different interpretations of the finish artwork.
I don’t like over used objects. I think you need to be original in everything you do. If you want to get a message across, you should use a different way to get it across other than something you have already seen done or a overused symbol.
I feel that finding your work is like finding yourself. I always, always, always have these elaborate ideas floating around in my head, then the next day they’ll be gone because I didn’t write them down. Its hard to find your work when you forget your work. This year I really want to strive to find myself, in doing so I will certainly find my art, and what direction I should go. Personally I would say my art is all over the place, I really like to focus on realism, but this year I want my body of work to collide, surrealism with realism. I’m really focusing on discovering myself and my art path.
This chapter was like a gong going off to me. I didnt really know what I felt was lacking in my art as far as why it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be or why things aren’t going according to plan. Well that’s just it, I have a certain attitude to my art that is more negative with a dash of optimism. Rather than having a positive attitude with more optimism. Now that I have an idea of how this type of “placebo affect” works, im going to attempt at a better outlook at my art as I make it (as opposed to how it looks after its done) I will pour more emotion and positivity into the pieces that I am working on and see how they turn out compared to my other ones.
My most recent lazy artwork was this eye that I drew in my sketchbook, as practice for my dreams/regrets piece that I’ve been working on. The lazy aspect of it arises in the spastic swirls of color I used to finalize it. The blazing part comes in the intense and precise inner iris coloring.
My artistic process, explained: For me, my work has to start with an idea. Usually, it’s a fuzzy concept or a random thought. In accordance to my concentration, it’s vivid quotes. I begin with outlines of key elements, in pencil. Then I begin filling in details, with more pencil. Finally, I add color if that’s part of the plan. When I screw up, I get creative to fix my problems and the image in my head of the final piece shifts in relation to the solved issues.
As for overused images, I think they’re kind of interesting. I guess the thing about mass-produced personality is that each person still manages to construct them with slight variance. To me, that makes looking at hackneyed images an insightful thing.
My favorite part of this chapter (besides the bit about Columbus & dying people & mind changing) was when the authors were talking about some lady artist who started dancing, but then someone told her she was good and it totally screwed up her mojo. I can relate to that on so many levels of life. I work best when I’m alone and uninterrupted. In my house, that doesn’t really happen, so I truly cherish my lonely 8th hour arting opportunities. But the thing is, when someone walks up and comments on something I’ve done I falter in the process. I start drawing differently and seeing it differently, and it’s awful. I’d love to have a personal study, but that’s not really in the budget right now.
I can definitely relate to this chapter.. My art is complete crap if I don’t invest my thought process on that artwork at that time, and I think thats true with everyone. If someone gets lazy, or rushes work, you can tell. I get my best work done early in the morning, so a lot of times on weekends I’ll wake up super early to get my art homework done, nap, and then go on with the rest of my day, my thought process is clearer in the morning.
I was able to identify with the stammering through talking about the process, but I think with time, that gets easier. I know its easier to talk about the successful parts of the process, rather then the failures, frankly, there just embarrassing. I feel like I am ok at talking through my process though, for me its not that hard to talk about art, but at the same time, theres not a lot on the line right now, so im just embracing the opportunity.
I’ve never really seen myself use those “rainbow and butterfly” symbols in my art work. they just seem cheesy to me.
I guess this chapter for me, started to seem like everything we have already read… I feel like it reused a lot of previous ideas, just in different context, however I still took a lot out of it.
I agree with if you feel lazy your art looks lazy and vice versa. I have done many works where I just got bored with it because I didn’t like how it was turning out but maybe if I kept positive about it, it might have turned out the way I wanted it to. I also agree with Mr. Korb about certain objects to use in art. I feel like you should make the people viewing your work to have to try to understand what you are portraying. For example it you want to portray peace, don’t use a peace sign, use a different symbol that can also relate to peace.
Before this year I really didn’t have a process to making art. I kind of just did it. But this year I have learned to plan out my work before. I now think on what type of material I want to use or what would work best, what size I want it to be, and what colors would work best together. Then I start with a simple sketch and work from there with whatever I’m using.
The point that is made on page 56 that ideas never fully run out, because one idea can be used over and over again, a dozen different ways. I reuse ideas all the Time! I draw the same portrait of someone over and over, with different techniques and mediums. I almost always start out with a photograph that I take of someone. Most of these photographs are spur of the moment because the light is perfect at the time, or I set up a photo sesh and my sister is usually the model, sometimes my mom, dad, or brother participate, but rarely. After if it photographed I use those photos as reference, sometimes once, twice, or three times because one can never truly get the human face to exact proportion.
Another point on page 52, going back a few pages in the chapter, it states “your reach as a viewer is vastly greater than your reach as a maker”. I find this interesting because one would think that you would have to reach to longer lengths to complete your work, but you actually must reach farther when looking at other peoples works because for one, they could be from long ago, when society and life was much different, as of your work now, you completely understand what you’re doing now because you know where the points came from in life today. You also must read into what the artist wanted you to see and feel when looking at their work.
I definitely see what the author is saying about works coming out lazy or committed, etc. One work that I think really exemplified being committed was my first concentration piece, the self portrait with puzzle pieces down it. I probably put more time into that peice than any piece prior, and I think it showed. On my last piece, the abstract leopard, my process was a little different than it normally was. Normally I tend to play off of an idea that has been floating around in my head for awhile, but I really had no idea what to do, so I figuired animals would be a good subject to abstract. Eventually I decided on the leopard because I felt I could use its form and pattern to exagerate shape and form. Overall, this chapter was prety insightful to me, it got me thinking a little more about how I create art as an individual, and how that it is really different from how other artists may make theirs. I thought it was interesting how the author says that “Only the maker… has a chance of knowing how important small conventions are in the practice of staying at work” (61). I’ve definitely noticed before how even minor details can mess with my making of art. The last time I had a project at home and was working on it, I was listening to my ipod for a couple hours, and when it died towards the end it actually messed with the tempo of me making art, so I can relate to some extent to what the author is saying.
P.S. you spelled Jimi Hendrix wrong, c’mon now Mr. Korb.