geektastic.org

Some people get struck by hands, I get struck by chords.

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”
- Chuck Close

There is a reason Chuck Close is one of the top two artists who have influenced me to continue in my journey in keeping my creativity and imagination flowing. This is a man who, after being dealt a really difficult hand of paralysis, continued painting and truly showing the world that you cannot shut an artist down if they are willing (and needing) to continue in their craft. I consider him the human computer, because he probably has a better understanding of pixels on a screen than anyone I can think of. Looking at his more recent works up close you will find that they are merely shapes and circles in a grid, making no sense whatsoever to the eye. Step back a few feet and you find an impeccable portrait. Before this mosaic form of work, all of his art was photo realistic, but you cannot deny how fascinating his work is now.

Sidenote: please tell me that I am not the only one amused by the fact that his last name parallels what people do when they see his work in person. I don’t think anyone can pass by a Chuck Close portrait without leaning towards it as close as the barriers allow you to in a museum.

When I was in college, I’d find myself thinking of Chuck Close and everything he has accomplished. I am definitely not that talented, but I do know from his story that it is possible to do, as long as you work and are driven to. With everyone it’s different, but with me I have found that the trick is to find your driving force. Sometimes I’ll sit at photoshop or with a sketchbook for hours, turning out pages of crap or deleting image file after image file. I think if the keys of my keyboard were to pop off right now in terms of most used, it would be the command + Z buttons. I suppose that I’m an amateur in that way. I can’t just do.

The point isn’t to just be able to do, though. The way I see it, you need to weed through a lot of crap in order to find what you’re looking for. It’s rooted deep inside of you, whatever it is. It’s between the swirls and repetitive characters and ugly noses and knees that are impossible to draw. It’s rooted between your grocery list for the week and your multiplication tables that you can’t seem to forget because they were grilled into your head at such an early age. You just have to do some spring cleaning.

Some seek inspiration, and I know I am one of them sometimes. The fact of the matter is that inspiration doesn’t just fall from trees (unless you are Newton, of course). Inspiration needs to be driven by something, I think. In order to be able to wait for something, I think you need to begin the energy first. Before a snowball can cause an avalanche, it needs to be pushed off a hill and pick up some snow in the process. Maybe I said that wrong- I’m native to Florida. You get it though, hopefully.

I thank @SirkRialb for paraphrasing the quote on twitter, because he made me want to look for the footage of him saying it (I had recalled it from something- turns out it was Charlie Rose). That quote slapped me in the face when I needed it most, as I am going through a minor dry spell when it comes to my own creativity. The design of this site came after maybe the 6th or 7th attempt to build something, and then I went dry again. My mind is reeling again.

I’d go into how my mind works, but I think this entry is long enough. If you’d like to learn more about Chuck Close, you can check out his Wikipedia Page and the references on there. Last I checked, they are accurate (and I would know- I have looked into his work and life a great deal). A quick google image search will show you why I admire this man.

We will leave the post about Tim Burton for another day. For now, I’ve got some work to do.

PS: it’s ironic that this quote would inspire me to work, I know. Just shows I’ve got a LOT of work to do :p

December 8, 2009 at 4:56 am | Art, Food for Thought | No comments