Commodity vs. Experience

These paintings were put together for the Christmas show at Art Explosion, the space where I have a studio.  In all honesty, I hate these things.  I hate the fact that it's presented like a swap meet, where people cruise through like they're buying sneakers.  I'm a traditionalist, or a purist more accurately.  I don't paint commodities, I paint experiences.  The paintings all work together to create a narrative, I'm not creating a product with a price tag.

I could go deeper and deeper into this philosophy, but essentially I don't like a dynamic where an artist can no-show at their studio for an entire year and then show up a week before and throw together a bunch of stuff to try to sell.  It bastardizes what art is to me, and feels very shallow.  I'm a fan of creating an experience that transcends sales...but doesn't evade sales.  In addition to this, lets expand the experience. The artist should read poems, play music, make food, invite friends to dance.  An art show should be a true Event, not a circumstance where people socialize, drinking wine and avoiding the paintings.  What the fuck is that, that's crazy.  Anyways, I digress.  My main point is that this is going to be the last time I do something cheesy like this.  If I participate, all of my work will be NOT FOR SALE.

FLORIDA ST. CAFE MURAL

Busy life!  I've been meaning to write in this blog for some time now, but it's one of those things that always gets overlooked.  I think it's important to have some sort of marker on my artistic progress for each week, so I can look back and get a sense of my accomplishments.  Here was a huge one.  This mural represents a very significant chunk in my portfolio...I was most particularly proud of the fact that I handled business very professionally & completed the project precisely under the perimeters that I had designated for it.  I was also able to involve a friend & pay him, so that was rewarding.

I have so much to do...so many things to accomplish...working on a hip hop CD, this perpetual "beautiful safety" series of paintings...working on getting smaller paintings into businesses....it's all about having a large product base, I'm beginning to realize.  Chance favors the well prepared.  I'm really just trying create a ton of content that can be dropped into different slots when ever chance arises.  Aside from chance, i'm building a couple new websites, specifically to accommodate a mural/decorative painting business and the music I'm putting together.

Aside from all of THIS i'm studying Aftereffects and Final Cut Pro, which are two additional monster projects.  In 5 years or so, I'm going to be proficient at so many things that I can just freelance a variety of different jobs and keep things fresh.  Planning is crucial though.  If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.  The key is measuring, keeping a calendar, and allowing for some flex space as well.

Who knows what the future holds...i'm just trying to stay in the present, always satisfied with what I have, checking myself if I find myself miserable because of something I don't have RIGHT NOW.  Patience is a virtue.  Everything is perfect.