It’s been quite a year here on my little blog. I’ve been mostly consistent for the past 9-10 months or so since I relaunched this blog early in the year. The site has been up for almost ten years and the blog has been up for about six, with this version being the fifth.
It’s been interesting since I wrote about my word of the year (Delete) and there are a few things I thought might generate more impact than they did, such as the post on using mystery to create compelling art and my take on the Orson Scott Card issue (Can you separate an artist from his art?). I am proud to say that my most personal piece so far made it into the top 10: God Wants You to Make Better Art: (or, Uncovering My Own Story Made Me Realize How Much Work I Have To Do).
1. Life After Art: An Interview with Matt Appling
I’ll never forget the night I interviewed Matt because that’s the night the kids and I came down with the stomach flu after I hung up on the Google Hangout. Family illness aside, I think it’s rather telling that this is number 1. Probably because so many people have lost touch with their creative side since elementary or middle school. We know we miss it but we’re afraid to admit it.
2. How Can You Tell if Art is Good or Bad?
The essential goodness or badness of a thing is the foundation of philosophy. This question is what makes us human.
3. God Wants You to Make Better Art: (or, Uncovering My Own Story Made Me Realize How Much Work I Have To Do)
My most personal piece ever dives into how we need to uncover our own stories to touch people’s lives.
4. Experimenting with the 500 Letters Artist Statement Generator
Heh, this was fun. It’s mostly gibberish but it’s gibberish that almost makes sense. What’s interesting is how close it actually is to my art, but the words don’t sound like me at all.
5. This Project Was a Failure: Nashville365
It took some guts to write about a failed project, but the lessons I learned were valuable. It’s good to look at failure, take stock, and move on. And I think I have.
6. Quiet
Personal posts seem to resonate with people. This is no exception, as my hearing loss has created a lot of anxiety (and anger) in me. At the same time, I’ve learned how much I love quiet, and now I’m pursuing it in my art.
7. How to Look at Art
Art (and taste) seem to be arbitrary. But there are criteria for good art, and this list is a good place to start.
8. Art & Beauty: (Or, Why Modern Art is So Ugly)
Is there a connection between art and beauty? Why is modern art so ugly? The past 150 years have been difficult for planet Earth, and art has held up a mirror.
9. How to Behave at an Art Show
Don’t be Mater and think wasabi is pistachio ice cream.
10. Remix in Visual Art
This was another fun piece to write. There are so many themes in art that offer themselves up to be reworked and reinterpreted.
What was your favorite post this year?