Things have been really nice lately. Ive made some decisions that I thought Id never have to make in my life, but I am happy with them and I like the direction that this upcoming year is taking. The only thing that could make life better is if I had a successful Etsy store. AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT?
I could feel like this just because I had a really good day today, but I think Ive been generally happy with most things for the past couple of months.
“…I guess since I didn’t really talk about what I’ve been doing lately when I came and saw you last, I should talk about the state of my current creative endeavors. Not too much is happening. At the moment, I’m completely immersed in the thought and act of play writing (I know that I just said that I wasn’t much of a writer, and I’m not. However, dialogue written in dramatic form seems to come easier. Letter writing, unlike drama, has no other dialogue to react to other than what the one person composing the letter has to say. In drama, the characters are so dependent on each other and the dialogue seems much more natural than in letters. Are you convinced?) Particularly, play writing with the intention of a gallery presentation rather than in a traditional theater. I’ve been thinking a lot about the connotations of words and the influence a person’s environment and personal experience can bring to translation of written word. What I’ve been thinking about doing is presenting plays in a gallery where people are given a copy of the play and are responsible for reading it to themselves, rather than having the author’s words filtered through the director’s and actors’ influence. So, essentially, there would be a set in the space and people would interact with the set however they deemed necessary. It may be that people are uncomfortable entering the set-up and that’s fine with me. Some people might just utilize the set to sit down in while they read the play. I’m assuming that there would be at least a few over enthusiastic gallery-goers who would be completely obnoxious, yet completely obedient, and do whatever the artist says, thus feeling like they should completely utilize the set to act out the play. Either way, the feeling and mood of the set would be left completely up to the playwright since he would set it up. Too many playwrights complain about the words being manipulated by the director, actors, and set directors. This way, they can quit being pussies about shit and take responsibility for the words they wrote. (Also, it would be interesting to have characters placed in the set. They would remain neutral in expression and minimal in movement and would only be models for what the participants should be picturing. I’m not sure about this though, it may be too much. But, nonetheless, it does leave less for the participants to analyze and would further allow them to strictly work on translating the words into meaning.)…”
Im interested in drawings, but not as interested as I am in marks. Marks, when put together in close proximity, make drawing.
What I need to understand is how my marks can be viewed as drawings when they are simply created out of my love for making marks. My desire to create finished drawings is far less strong than my desire to just mess some paper up. And although my desire to make marks out weighs my love for drawings, I cannot deny that I view everyone elses marks as drawings. Therefore, my marks, whether or not I treat them like drawings, must be viewed as just that. What must I say about them so that they are given the same respect as ‘real’ drawings and not just some marks made by a teenage kid who didnt care enough to give them meaning, who didnt care enough to give them their place in the scheme of everything?
Eventually, by writing these things down, Ill find some meaning.
Written on another napkin on DECEMBER 14, 2008:
Process is something I should think about more often. Process, regardless of product, creates a dimension of interest due to its ability to let the viewer experience the piece in its construction/development. Process is also important to me because it is more interesting to take part in. Rather than just working on finished product, process involves the reactionary elements of the brain.
Reactions- not planned though, not contrived thought. Exercise your decision making, Adam.
I know that none of these ideas are hardly new or revolutionary, but I feel that every artist needs the chance to write them down. Sometimes, I forget that I know these things and consequently, my drawings suffer.
