I’ve been watching Abstract: The Art of Design on Netflix recently and I can’t get enough. In an episode on interior design, Ilse Crawford talks about the importance of contrast in material texture to evoke sensory experience: We actually understand materials best by contrast. Our senses are actually wired in such a way that weContinue reading “the importance of contrast”
Category Archives: art
choosing ideas
Just as not all opportunities are opportunities, not every idea is worth saving. The first job of an artist is to sort through their ideas, selecting what’s worth pursing and what’s worth letting go. The act of choosing one idea over another showcases your taste, instincts, and credibility as an artist.
putting yourself on the hook
The night before I moved out of my college apartment, my roommate and I decided to write a song. The moment we agreed to this, my roommate stood up, walked out of the apartment, and went to visit our next-door-neighbors. “Hey, Josh and I are going to spend all night writing music,” he said. HeContinue reading “putting yourself on the hook”
invoking the muse
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield talks about ancient warriors who would invoke the gods to intercede on their behalf. “I do the same thing,” he says. “The last thing I do before I sit down to work is say my prayer to the Muse. I say it out loud, in absolute earnest. OnlyContinue reading “invoking the muse”
the importance of being earnest
Spotify has a habit of suggesting podcasts. There’s one in particular that gets recommended to me over and over again, with a title something along the lines of “Your Favorite Band Sucks.” Why would I be the least bit interested in this? Why is it we citizens of the internet have decided it’s fun orContinue reading “the importance of being earnest”
why mean when you could just be quiet?
I was listening to the radio the other day and the DJ asked, “Where do trolls come from?” She meant, of course, the cyberbullies who leave scathing commentary in the comments section. Easy answer: the troll is the person who uses their hatred of something as a distraction from pursuing their own work. It’s soContinue reading “why mean when you could just be quiet?”
digital libraries
Isn’t it strange we don’t pay to own things anymore? It used to be that if you loved a movie or a record, you went to the store and bought it. You could hold the DVD or CD in your hands. You took it home with you. You could play it whenever and wherever youContinue reading “digital libraries”
a cabinet of curiosities
In his book, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon recommends collecting the things that inspire you in a place called a Swipe File. In an attempt to refill my creative well, I’ve start using my Tumblr page again, this time as a swipe file–a place to assemble quotes, pictures, gif sets, music, and videos IContinue reading “a cabinet of curiosities”
revisiting tumblr
With the entire world on hold at the moment, I’ve had a blast combing back through the Tumblr page I ran between 2012 and 2019. I only ever used Tumblr to collect things I thought were interesting, whether they be quotes, gif sets from movies, ideas for interior decoration, or pictures of the kind ofContinue reading “revisiting tumblr”
