Most notable to me are number's 1, 3 and 9. A sub heading under number one is the notion that "artists collect selectively". L and I have done this for as long as I can recall, tearing up magazines and saving what inspires us most. The internet has made this so much easier with sites like Pinterest and Polyvore. The former is my newest obsession; for years I had to steal images from Google image search (right click + save to desktop) which I think is bad? Hurts other websites? Steals bandwidth? My lack of knowledge is showing, but to the point Pinterest allows me to avoid all this real or imagined harm and create mood boards and collages of everything that I am into at the moment. Very useful for planning projects and getting references all in one place.
Number three is along the same lines: "Write the book you want to read". In my case, this would be draw the image you want to see. I find it so much easier to sit myself down and commit to making art when it is something I would want to own. This is a simple realization, but a powerful one. Often times, I'm tempted to be content with whatever I make. But when I run it by the barometer of "Would I want to own this?" it becomes easier to evaluate my work and push it in the direction of where I want it to be. This connects back to the first point because knowing what inspires me provides me with a standard to compare my work to.
Number nine states that being boring is the only way to get work done and I'm finding that I have to agree. Having an active social life really cuts into my creative time, and I know I need to work on setting boundaries. Artistic time needs to be protected, or else art won't be made! In the end it is about striking a balance between the two. I will let you know when I have achieved this.
So those are my thoughts this morning. What advice would you give other artists/writers/musicians etc.?
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