Sunday, June 19, 2011
Back in Black
Hello everyone. Instead of boring you with excuses of why I haven't written anything here, I will instead direct your attention to more positive things: Mainly what I am up to this summer. The first thing I'm doing is participating in Index Card A Day project for the summer. I love the concept, I think it's a great way to jump start your creativity and get yourself back into the habit of doing something every day. Check out more about it at Daisy Yellow (link) While the official date has come and gone to join her group, I say you should still do it for yourself and enjoy. Here are all of my cards to date. I began June 1st.
1. ICAD #1, 2. ICAD #2, 3. ICAD #3, 4. ICAD #4, 5. ICAD #5, 6. #ICAD 6, 7. ICAD #7, 8. #ICAD 8, 9. ICAD #9, 10. ICAD #10, 11. ICAD #11, 12. ICAD # 12, 13. ICAD #13, 14. ICAD # 14, 15. ICAD # 15, 16. ICAD # 16, 17. ICAD # 17, 18. ICAD # 18
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
State Of The Union
I have a confession to make. I’m web 2.0 illiterate. Okay, well perhaps I’m not really that illiterate on the networking front. How about I’m allergic to it? That just sounds terrible doesn’t it? I know it does to my eyes as I read it. Words have always been difficult. Not in terms of expressing myself. I’m good at that. I have a vernacular that can go on for days. My problem is that even for all of my outgoingness, I’ve always been someone inside of my own head, keeping my thoughts and innermost feelings encapsulated in an air of aloofness that all but proclaims, “Nah, it’s all good.”
Words are difficult because they make the expansive ideas on my head small and invalid. I can’t fit everything I feel and think in a paragraph or two or hell, a novel for that matter. I’m not sure how this came about. As a child I loved writing in diaries and as a tween, I use to write elaborate stories in a composition books with my cousins. Then things happen (like parents invading your privacy and others belittling your literary efforts into non-existence). This has all but carved my path on the creative front. I am more comfortable expressing myself in a creative manner that doesn’t involved words, than I am speaking or writing. This is probably why my art journal entries are less words and more art. A small quote and a meaningful visual create a secret language of the heart that only I can decipher. The fact that people can feel and relate to something in that nature is a bonus. I mean is that not the reason we interact on the world wide web?
But getting back to my point.
I’m a horrible at networking and this is something I need to work on. I have intentions of swimming in more turbulent waters artistically and begin selling my artwork. This is both an exciting prospect as well as a frightening step toward gaining confidence in my creative journey. I cannot do that though if I do not create an online presence. The business of Art, as they like to call it, is a necessary evil and one I know I need to master. The problem is, I don't want to create what is a hard sell. Do you know what I am talking about here? I know I hate it when I feel that people are only trying to sell my something. It turns me off. There are a few people I’ve stopped following because of this. I want a sincere connection with someone and I wish to convey that as well but how do I do that?
*SIGHS* See where I'm getting at? In the end, the visual is great but to connect to the artist you need the words. Words are the bridge you need to tie the experience together. It is what allows the reader and watcher to say, "I get it, I get you" and once that happens, you're on your way to truly saying something.
So, I’m here to say to you dear reader this: Perhaps you’ll see more of me around. I hope you enjoy what I have to say, I hope you connect to it on some level and that you take this journey with me into the unknown.
Cause you know, I need someone by my side to help me read the map since the last time I went left on twitter, it took me months to find Blogger again.
Such is life. Live it.
-Jazmin
Words are difficult because they make the expansive ideas on my head small and invalid. I can’t fit everything I feel and think in a paragraph or two or hell, a novel for that matter. I’m not sure how this came about. As a child I loved writing in diaries and as a tween, I use to write elaborate stories in a composition books with my cousins. Then things happen (like parents invading your privacy and others belittling your literary efforts into non-existence). This has all but carved my path on the creative front. I am more comfortable expressing myself in a creative manner that doesn’t involved words, than I am speaking or writing. This is probably why my art journal entries are less words and more art. A small quote and a meaningful visual create a secret language of the heart that only I can decipher. The fact that people can feel and relate to something in that nature is a bonus. I mean is that not the reason we interact on the world wide web?
But getting back to my point.
I’m a horrible at networking and this is something I need to work on. I have intentions of swimming in more turbulent waters artistically and begin selling my artwork. This is both an exciting prospect as well as a frightening step toward gaining confidence in my creative journey. I cannot do that though if I do not create an online presence. The business of Art, as they like to call it, is a necessary evil and one I know I need to master. The problem is, I don't want to create what is a hard sell. Do you know what I am talking about here? I know I hate it when I feel that people are only trying to sell my something. It turns me off. There are a few people I’ve stopped following because of this. I want a sincere connection with someone and I wish to convey that as well but how do I do that?
*SIGHS* See where I'm getting at? In the end, the visual is great but to connect to the artist you need the words. Words are the bridge you need to tie the experience together. It is what allows the reader and watcher to say, "I get it, I get you" and once that happens, you're on your way to truly saying something.
So, I’m here to say to you dear reader this: Perhaps you’ll see more of me around. I hope you enjoy what I have to say, I hope you connect to it on some level and that you take this journey with me into the unknown.
Cause you know, I need someone by my side to help me read the map since the last time I went left on twitter, it took me months to find Blogger again.
Such is life. Live it.
-Jazmin
Until such time
As I can actually write something intelligent, I leave you with the music that's been playing on repeat for me in the studio.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
State of Emergency
The title for this page came from the fact that I was listening to Bjork's Joga on continuous repeat the whole time I was drawing.
Once again, I found an old sketch to redo and refashion. I took three days to complete it and am pretty happy with the result although let me tell you, the process was flippin' fantastic too. I redid the girl in acrylics, then her face with colored pencil. The background though was where I got stuck. What to do? Keeping that in the back of my mind, I decided to tune into Blade (The Artistic Biker's) Ustream when I began to doodle Mehndi designs with my micron pen. I got so lost in the process that I didn't even realize I had spent two full hours just doodling various designs against the teal background of my newly painted muse.
A prompt for your own page: When you journal, take your sweet time. Take not one but two or three days to complete. Do it in stages. Fill every corner with something small, new and interesting. Then let it sit for another day or two. Then look at it, does it feel done? Then it probably is.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Good. The Bad. The Second Chance.
One of the things that I had to learn with Art Journaling is the fact that not everything has to be pretty or even finished. I can stop mid page, decide I'm not feeling it and move on to the next. This is liberating, this is creative freedom. In my mind, art journaling doesn't have a destination in mind, just a journey to take you on. Lately, I've been looking over some unfinished sketches and abandoned ideas and making them into something new. Old thoughts creating a new creative path.
The above page was done over a year ago. I was experimenting with my water soluble crayons and antiquing technique, throwing a quick but utterly uninspiring sketch up there for good measure. Then, I was done. I moved on. Over a year and a half later (by my estimation) I was flipping through that old moleskine (now about two/three years in the making) and found many old sketches and abandoned pages that I was beginning to see with new eyes.
Imagine if I just said, "Well, can't do anything with this. It's been over a year and what's done is done?" Yeah, I can't either. I'm very happy with the result and am now looking into recreating a few more pages just for the fun of it.
Lesson to take away from this: It's not over until you say it's over. Don't limit yourself just because you put it away. Find inspiration in old ideas and refashion them into something new. You'll be glad that you did.
The above page was done over a year ago. I was experimenting with my water soluble crayons and antiquing technique, throwing a quick but utterly uninspiring sketch up there for good measure. Then, I was done. I moved on. Over a year and a half later (by my estimation) I was flipping through that old moleskine (now about two/three years in the making) and found many old sketches and abandoned pages that I was beginning to see with new eyes.
Imagine if I just said, "Well, can't do anything with this. It's been over a year and what's done is done?" Yeah, I can't either. I'm very happy with the result and am now looking into recreating a few more pages just for the fun of it.
Lesson to take away from this: It's not over until you say it's over. Don't limit yourself just because you put it away. Find inspiration in old ideas and refashion them into something new. You'll be glad that you did.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sparkly rainbows and gumdrops am I
I started a new journal. Well, started in the usual ways I start things, which means that I have two or three in the process of being finished right now. In an attempt to be a little more autobiographical (I'm never good with "writing" things down in my art journal, which is why I let my imagery speak for me.) So, I decided to make the writing more like a short but cryptic snippets of the thoughts in my head at any given time. I should warn you that sarcasm is a huge part of my internal monologue. Oh wait, you'll figure that out for yourself, real quick. Never-you-mind.
(Other pages in this journal)
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