I’m inspired by collage artist Allison Diaz.  She’s a recent college grad from CA, whose process includes cutting old black and white portraits from magazines into diamond shapes, which are then rearranged.  Her collage series ‘Haunted Mirrors’ explores human perception and the rare neurological condition known as “face blindness.” She describes her current work as exploring ideas of shifting perspectives, identity and perception of reality. The result is, indeed, haunting. The breakdown of human faces in her work is disorienting and at times unnerving.  The viewer is put into the shoes of a prosopagnosia sufferer and forced to see the world through a different set of eyes.  Even deeper still, this breakdown of reality is further exaggerated by her fusion of masculinity and femininity in the works. The pieces themselves are complex in their varying shades of soft greys, blacks, and whites.  You can view more of her work on Bows & Arrows, the Sacramento-based gallery at which she is currently located.  Diaz’s work is of interest to me due to her method-based approach and use of repetition–aspects of art that fascinate and inspire me. The monochrome palatte also appeals to my own aesthetic.  Overall, her work is intriguing and unmistakably human.

Images via http://allisondiaz.blogspot.com

Part 01

There are 168 hours in the week. This week (without classes on Monday, due to labor day) I spent my time in 9 major categories.

I spent 64 hours, 15 min sleeping. I got a lot of sleep this week.

I spent 30 hours, 35 min doing homework.

I spent 15 hours with my boyfriend, Luke.

I spent 14 hours cooking and eating this week.

I spent 13 hours in class. (Note: usually 19 hours, 15 min).

I spent 11 hours, 40 min with my friends and family.

I spent 8 hours running errands—filling up with gas, an oil change, HEB, driving…

I spent 7 hours working on illustrations for my Etsy shop.

And finally, *breaks* (i.e. me time: Netflix/workout/shower/bathroom): 4 hr, 30 m

Part 02

Over the summer, I began working on a series of pen (and occasionally graphite) drawings. Drawing both from life and images inspired from my Pinterest board, I’ve been practicing various shading and line techniques as I work to develop my own aesthetic. My subject matter consists mostly of bones, leaves, and insects. I’m currently in the process of establishing an Etsy account in which I’ll be selling various prints, stickers, journals, and the like.

My overarching Gestalt principle was containment. In each image, I sought to capture an angle that, when all six photos were put together, made a complete rectangle.  There’s a level of coding present in these compositions–all the photos show varying sides of a walk down South Congress. South Congress is, at times dirty, earthy, living, thriving, building, and resting. I strove for these images to showcase all of these sides of South Congress Ave. There are images of the new hotel construction, a rusting fence, a dirt-covered strip of road, a patch of bright grass, and a fresh scene of plants and people walking, all along SoCo.  In this way, the viewer can see my personal experience of South Congress—the multifaceted, quirky street I live on.

After applying a series of Gestalt principles to my photo-taking ventures, I noticed immediately a marked improvement in all the shots I took.  It almost seemed a guaranteed outcome of balance and aesthetic appeal in my photo results.  I strove for a careful combination of unity and variety in each of the six photos taken and edited for my second blog post assignment.  Overall, there is a theme of foliage and an earth tone palate in my compositions.

In the first image, we encounter the law of containment. The tablecloth serves as a natural frame for the composition, and the diagonal lines are dynamic, adding interest to the piece. They highlight opposing corners and draw attention to the exposed wood grain in the opposite two corners.  There is unity to be found in two rows of equal numbers of succulents, yet variety in types of succulents.

Here we see the law of similarity in this grouping of different grasses in one composition. At first glance, our eye thinks “grass” but upon closer inspection, it’s found to be a grouping of weeds, dirt, grass, clover, and small white flowers.

This view of my apartment complex showcases the law of continuity; the tree is brushed up against the second balcony, and although it is intersecting the wire fence surrounding the balcony, it is still distinctly separate from the balcony.   There’s a sense of repetition in form here, yet the tree brings in some variety here to avoid monotony.  We find a  gentle balance between nature and building, creating a subtle diagonal.  The diagonal here also provides dynamism in composition.

In this image, we see the law of closure at work.  While some of the flowers are photographed completely, others have been “cut off” at the petals and leaves.  But rather than seeing these as being chunks of red flowers, the eye interprets these as being full flowers, based on past experience with viewing healthy living flowers.  It is thus more engaging visually.

This focused image of a tree branch illustrates the law of figure-ground.  The tree branch seems “separate” from other trees, fuzzier than those in background.  Its importance in this photograph is thus being highlighted.  Despite the entire image containing shades of green and an abundance of leaf-like shapes, this tree branch can clearly be identified from the rest, due to this Gestalt principle.

This final image uses the law of symmetry.  Two glossy blue doors are reflected in this photograph, each with doorknobs, locks and numbers that mirror each other.  Two white brick walls play to this effect as well.  Variety is achieved in the different patterns of dings reflected in each door panel, as well as the placement of  single flower-patterned rug at the foot of the right-hand door. The wooden frame around the two doors also serves as a sort of frame, which contains the picture. The striking blue color draws the eye towards the center, bringing attention to the white surrounding areas of negative space.

After reading Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind excerpt and watching Amy Tan’s TED Talk, Where Does Creativity Hide? I have come to some optimistic conclusions on the current state of the working creative.

As an art major, I’ve grown accustomed to the seemingly-constant questions of “How are you going to get a real job?”, “Why aren’t you studying something important?”, and my personal favorite, “You’re wasting all of your parents’ money.”

Yikes. It’s a verbal battle that can often feel disheartening. As a young millennial, I’ve grown up in a different world than former generations. I grew up on the Internet–and creative skills are increasingly in demand as the world becomes faster, cleaner, and sharper. Taking in information reflecting this observation from both Pink & Tan had a near-emotional impact on me. Both sources highlight the importance of creativity, and how harnessing this skill is the future of not only the US, but of a larger global community as well.

Pink’s chapter three, aptly entitled High Concept, High Touch, addresses a revolutionary phase we are now entering, that of the Conceptual Age. He explains that in previous ages, left-brain processors were in hot demand, but no longer. The Conceptual Age is experiencing a rise in demand for designers, artists, and other makers. This is inspiring for a young art student such as myself–the nights spent up worrying about my future have dwindled considerably since taking in this new insight.

Tan’s video does much of the same in terms of emotional impact. In her 22 minute Talk, she investigates the creative process, discussing her own methods of becoming inspired and finding deeper meaning in her works. This video engaged me on several levels. I found myself hitting the pause button multiple times to take a step back and evaluate my own process. I began to wonder: What drives me? Where does my own creative process begin? Why?

These questions helped me dig into my own deeper truths. Questioning not just the what, but the why as well was particularly beneficial in understanding how I make personal meaning between myself, others, and my work. Pink’s and Tan’s commentaries on creativity have inspired in me hope, a deeper level of thinking, and a deeper need to create.

In other words, the future for creatives is bright.

Part 1

1. Article 1, “What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Artists” highlights twelve key points of artists and how entrepreneurs can embody these traits to become more successful. The idea in this article that its becoming all the more common in business to “think like an artist” in order to be successful. Article 2, on the other hand, entitled “Are Artists Entrepreneurs?” looks at the situation in reverse. Rather than telling entrepreneurs to think like artists, the article suggests artists think like entrepreneurs.

2. Artists can learn from their “entrepreneurial cousins” about building a network of experts to help build their artistic vision. Article 2 states that fulfilling a dream requires a “team effort” because it’s easier to row upstream when you have lots of people helping to row the boat. The article also calls for artists to start their career by appealing to the current trend in order to build up to their real dream, much like entrepreneurs do in order to achieve theirs.

3. I wholeheartedly agree that artists are entrepreneurs. While entrepreneurs are selling a product, artists are selling themselves as a label. Building up a successful body of works entails marketing yourself adequately, taking risks, and working with passion to achieve what many may call a “pipe dream.” Only the most dedicated entrepreneurs and artists will live to see their dreams accomplished.

4. I agree with most of the 12 points listed in Article 1. The points that most stuck to me personally were those numbered 1, 3, and 11. As a hopeful artist myself, I can most relate to the ideas of artists being inventors and reinventors, as I’m constantly doing that myself. And as stated in #3, it is indeed easiest for me to think and express ideas physically, whether through drawing or moodboard. Finally, number 11 descibes artists as being passionate about their work, to the point where it is inseparable from life. This is a statement that resonates with me the most fully when I think about art. It doesn’t feel like something that I have to do, rather it’s something that I need to do.

5. To this list, I would add “thinking outside the box.” As an art student, I often feel isolated from my peers in other disciplines, at times ostracized for my decision to be a working creative. This is no new phenomenon to me–and I’ve in fact found comfort in my emotional isolation from others as a way of benefitting my work. By not caring so much about what others are saying and/or thinking, it has become easier for me to pave my own path in art and create what hasn’t been created before. As a result, I am innovative in this way. This is an important skill for entrepreneurs to develop as well, because being brave enough to “think outside the box” and to do something totally new and drastic is what it takes to attract others to the new, the recent, the developing.

6. I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of these articles–it brought to my attention ideas about success as an artist that I had not considered. “Thinking like an entrepreneur” is a relatively new idea to me, and one that I will most certainly employ going forward both academically and professionally as an artist.

Part 2

1. I got a “grit score” of 4.75, which puts me in 90-99th percentile of test-takers. I find this not too surprising, given that I’ve never wanted to anything besides art. Ever. I’ve known since preschool that art was my life, it was what I was meant to do, despite how much it can drive me crazy at times.

2. Despite receiving a high score, there are some things I could do to raise my grit to a “5.” Putting my resume out there is a major must, and it is something I think hard about, get excited about, and then put off indefinitely due to some fear of rejection. Another idea that comes to mind is working every day on my art–not just a couple times a week in class. Both of these things will help me to become grittier.