sjjohnson89

Hell is on earth. Heaven is that place you look out to at night, when you gaze at the starts and wonder ...

I think its a beautiful idea, although like Crazyaboutgdogs i believe you should keep hold of it for now. You are young and you will find that things change very dramatically over the next few years, the quilt will act as a reminder of good times when you are down so i think for now you will appriciate it more. If in time you get back together with him you i think you can then give him the quilt and it will be a way of saying how much you love him, it will mean more to him if you keep it while you are away from him. Just my opinion. Though only you though know whats best by what your heart tells you.

I was just trying to lighten the mood, i was feeling like the converstaion was getting a little serious. Now that i reflect on it, it doesnt come accross well. I apologize, i didnt mean anything by it. Its just my sense of humour, its how i try to break the ice when things get serious. We british arent exactly known for having classy humour.

Then let me get this right, you disagree with my application of the definition of art? I never made a statement that claims i have the answer that nobody has ever answered before. I just stated what i connect to in art, and i wanted to share it incase others can get something from it as it has worked for some i know personally. Are just being argumentative? You sound a lot like a girl i knew i while ago, youve got to be female, am i right?

I dont atleast for the moment share my myself with the viewer, my feelings and thought are so personal that i cant really do that. What i mean by keeping in mind the viewer is that i am conscious to include some element that the viewer can appreciate, be it a sense of narrative or theme. artzygirl, if you feel that your art is an outlet for something, dont hide from it, face it through your art. There are ways of masking your true reasons for making the art. Like i said in an early post, the fisherman and the icicle are connected by a river. Start will the full journey for yourself, then if you wish you can remove the river that connects them. Thank you for posting.

Ask yourself what is it you connect to in art, then you will find what makes art for you. I think art is different for everyone, because at the end of the day it is about what you personally connect to. I think this point has not really been emphasized, you i believe were disagreeing with me based on the fact that is not how it is for you. You obviously connect to art in a very different way to me, that is basically the problem weve had in our discussion.

I agree with the bottom sentence, i use my art to outlet my inner demons which will inturn make me a better person. I think if you write creatively you are an artist, its if you write in a descriptive scientific way that i think one leaves the domain of art. I believe poetry, fiction, science fiction etc all to be a form of art. Im sorry for some of the confusion with me interpreting your words. Ive just read all your posts and i actaully forget about the early ones, i thought you were someone else. I actaully in many wasys agree with your opening post, its just some of the posts since then i dont agree with you on. I would very much like to hear your theory or someone elses theory that you believe to explain your view. To artzygirl, i agree that art has many purposes and that everyone will get something different from it. Though for me i believe that art while it most certainly can be about sharing and connecting to viewer i dont use it this way, at the current time atleast. Ive been speaking today with a proffessional artist i know, they said that there are alot of artists of all standards that use art to outlet their inner selves, their insecurities. Its a way of understanding yourself better in a world where its becoming increasingly hard to do. This is what i use it for at the moment. I use very personal themes, so personal that the viewer cant ever really relate or understand it. Ive accepted this so i work in a way that i try to keep in mind myself and others, but what im getting from it will always be why i make art. Its not selfish, its just a healthy way of putting my inner demons into some kind of language.

Oh no, im really starting to wish i hadnt set up this thread. Artistic types are just too diverse in their opinions, in the nature of everything being subjective. Look, for me my art is personal, if someone other than me can get something from it that makes me feel really good. Most of what i do revolves around myself, its more than art its about life. Its not selfish to be this way. I have things that i want someday to do that might be able to reach a specific audience though, a certain type of person that has trouble finding their way in this world, i would like one day to find a way of reaching these people with the idea of hope. I am trying to build a skill set that will one day give me a chance of doing this. Batya 33, so you are an artist. I would very much like to read what you do, it would give me an insight into what your viewpoint actually is and where you are coming from. Im detecting abit of aggression in your most recent post, im not going to argue with you because we obviously are both strong minded people that are stubborn with our views. I know it wont resolve anything. The way your life has been has given you your view, the way mine has been has given me mine. Lets leave it at that shall we.

Im sorry if i did misinterpret you words, i was under the impression that you were trying to say that the theory didnt work at all even for me. As you say theres no right and wrong, there isnt a perfect formula out there that describes everything in art as in science. Thats why art is so great as it has a sense of mystery about it. Its been good to have a friendly argument with you about this subject, i respect your disagreement as im not saying my theory works for everyone. Yes i have enjoyed giving it the thought i have, but its alot deeper than that. I am constantly trying to analyze myself and my surroundings, reason being that things dont work out for me the way they do others so i find my own way. It depends what you are made of, what makes yoo tick. My theory describes the way i feel and think about art, this is the way i connect to art be it my own or others. From your posts i would say you dont make art, as one thing you dont seem to understand is the connection emotionally one gets from making art. This in turn affects the way you view art in the bigger picture. Agree to disagree. Nice debating with you.

What type of paintings are these, organic or digital? I guess digital as they have a distinct style. Very good, particulary the last one.

No you dont understand, im ok with that i think everyone should have their own opinion. If you did understand you still might not agree and thats fine, but its clear from what you are saying that you dont. The limiting quality you keep refferning to is actually your interpretation of my words. I often say things in a way that i miss out on certain details or over emphasize because i assume people understand what im talking about. This causes alot of this back and forth like we are having now. People often say to me, whats the difference between craft and art. This has made me think and through perosnally exploring the two worlds ive come up with my own interpretation on what the border is, its not an exact science so im not saying oh art stops here and craft starts here because the boundaries are getting so blurred with the current art society. For instance what is drawing? Can you actually answer that anymore, because if you analyze it you will find that the qualities blur between painting, drawing, printing and so on. You can draw with paint, you can print with paint etc. But we all have an idea in our heads that we know what there qualities are, but if you go deeper into the subject you realize things arent that simple. I know someone that can relicate near perfect reality with drawing except they use a paint brush to draw with. When talking he came to a point of view that he doesnt know anymore, does he then paint or draw. My point is art is limitless, my view is not limited, its just that for me art should be an expression. If you create something that has no expression, it then likely has some social function which then for me (note i said for me) makes it craft. For me when i make art, the work is more important to me than it ever will be to anyone else because only i can understand that specific process and meaning behind the work. The non artistic side of the public likely cant understand the life of a specific individual that has lived in a way that most have not. I respect say, veterans of ww2. I respect them for what they did, but i can never understand their perspective because i was not there fighting in ww2. Same with art, an artist is likley such because his/her life has made then different, they either have inner thoughts and emotions that they feel the need to express or maybe feel they have something to participate to society with through art means. Note im not limiting artists to these steriotypes, just giving two examples. I should say then that for me, from my perspective my theory would seem to be accurate. From your perspective it obviously isnt accurate, you see art and its purpose differently. I want to hear what different people have to say as i find it interesting, thats why i set up the thread. The Constructivism movemnet in Russia during the 20s spawned an idea that art should have a social function, that the mass was more important than the individual, alot of the work in this movement lies more along the lines of craft to me because they tried to appeal to an audience. Its also good research for me as i use elements of psychology in the work i do, its about trying to understand matters like these using very personal themes. This is not something ive just come up with. This is something that has developed over a period of time looking through my eyes, this is what ive come to believe from the environment i live in.

My point of view is not limiting, if anything its very broad. For me i get fed up with so many people be it the public or artists themselves getting preoccupied with aesthetics, saying i want to play with materials for new effects. Its important as an artist to do this, but its not the reason a true artist will do it. The aesthetics and medium should merely be a tool to express your inner self, not the the be all and end all of making art. The thing with the term art, is that its like say love, everyone has there own view on what it actually means. Art is so specialised that the majority can never understand the artist, what his/her true motives are are often so individualistic that the public could never understand. Art critics can often be just highly intelligent writers that see into things that arent there and miss out what is there, they want to feel they have power and so try to make a science of it. Not all of the time, its just an observation of mine. Different art critics, scholars etc have their own opinions. At the end of the day we can only understand what we know, to know we have to have experienced. Yes, i have given it a lot of thought. My perspective on life is not the usual, ive lived in a way in which ive seen things from another angle to other people. I analyze, alot. My perspective has given me many questions and theories, by the sound of your posts you could could never understand this. Ive realised that until the past year or so ive been making craft, trying to represent rather than work from what is deep inside me. Certain people have changed my outlook, ive experienced what im talking about first hand. So for me it is a workable theory, it does represent what art is to me. Its obvioulsy not this way for you, im not saying it should be. Just dont judge me, saying that im wrong when you cant understand where im coming from. Agree to disagree.

Art is always subjective, what evokes emotion is personal to each perosn obviously. But, generally you can tell if something has been done with or is trying to convey emotion, art does not have to be successful to be art. I think a good example of craft is a realist portrait drawer with whos only goal is to achieve technical perfection, its craft because it requires intense skill but has no message, no emotional response. Every artist is trying to convey a message, this doesnt mean that the viewer can read it, but you can usually tell if its there. If a string of beads has been made with an emotional process, and is conveyed is some way then yes this becomes art. If its not conveyed then its craft to the viewer and art to the artist.

For me art can be anything. Though, i believe that at times there is a slim line between craft and art, the craft comes with artistic skill yet doent evoke emotion. So i think for me art has to evoke emotion, otherwise it is craft.

Youve got ability me1993. My mind is buzzing with vision after reading that.

Thats why there are so many variables in art form meaning, substane and form. Art for me aswell can be anything, for instance Floyd Mayweather(boxer) fights with such skill that he the makes it art(although what an moron in real life). The problem for me is, art worth experiencing must invovlve a deep emotional nature otherwise i likeley wont be drawn to it. You seem to be the opposite, and i feel like many think like you do. Im not criticizing you as i understand why. The deeper and more specific a subject matter takes form in the less accessible it becomes, which is why so much art is more on the lines of craft showing skill anyone can understand but with no meaning. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

As David Lynch has said once take reality and create abstractions of it, sometimes abstractions are more real than reality itself. So called reality is only what we see, true reality is what we dont see and abstractions can symbolise this. Its worth noting i dont do full on abstract work, because for me there is no longer a message if it doesnt represent in some way. I base my work on reality, but change the way its viewed through perspective. Digital work and Photography are great for this as can come directly from reality, as drawing despite the fact i can draw realistically will always be abstracted reality so cant be viewed as real. But i love hands on work, especially printmaking like etching etc just so addictive. Whats the connection between a man fishing in a lake and an icicle in a mountain. The river that connects them. Like you i start with a very deep and personal message, and take away gradually until youre left with the fisherman and the icicle (symbolically). This way it still conveys the message but the connecting river has been removed so its true message is not fully readable unless you have a high form of perception. Reality is a form of deception, i find to convey this its best to not look purely at reality but what makes it a deception and only then can you convey a true message. Great post, thanks for sharing.

I dont know why but i like artistic stuff that revolves around sadness, makes me feel strange cant explain it. I particularly liked the standing alone in this rain verse, very atmospheric.

I agree, art is definitely one of the great things in society. Without art where would we be?, imagine a world without music, literature, poetry etc. I think its a shame its not encouraged as much as it deserves and sometimes shunned by parts of society.

Beautiful, you seem to be attracted to creation whether it be your own or natures. I find it interesting how its different for everyone. I like to use art as a form of communication and psychological study, although most recently ive been working with digital mediums i too love that hands on creation that will be unique every time because of the human involvement.

This is a question i find very interesting as different people have different opinions on the matter. For me its personal, i hide messages symbilically when doing art whether it be photographic, video, digital, hands on etc. These messages embody a part of me, my soul if you like yet i make it difficult for anyone to read into them. When im viewing art now matter what format, i want to experience emotion that changes me. Im not interested myself in pure aesthetics but i understand why so many people are. Im interested if there are any artitic types on here that have an opinion to share.

I love photography, one of my favourite artistic mediums and highly underated as an art form. My favourite photographers are Alexander Rodchenko and Bill Brandt, if you dont know them you should serioulsy check them out. I think the decision you need to make when thinking of pursuing art is are you doing it out of love or looking for a career. If youre looking for the latter then maybe you should do something else in sted, since the art world is based on who you know to get you places. Do it because you love it and you will have gained a new skill which could lead onto something. In terms of photography careers, that is a very broad question and it totally depends on how you intend to use it. But yes, there is plenty of potential here if youve got the abililty. Depending on your experience level, i would start out with a something like a Canon EOS range. I started with one of these so i can say they certainly do the job. I wouldnt worry about the lens yet, just develope a style and then decide what lens will help best achieve what you want. I would wait to buy a proffessional camera until you feel you really need it to get to the next level. Its a bit like say, you start playing tennis. You dont go out and buy a full on Babolat Pure Drive GT for your first racket, you wait till you have the skill to benifit from its advantages. Im assuming youre just getting started so my advice is based around this, if you have a fair bit of experience then you might want to go all out with a proffessional model. Hope this helps.