Courtesy Leo Reynolds

Friday Five is back! We apologize for the hiatus on our inspiring finds – but as you may know, those of us at STA are going through a bit of a transition. As in Chase and I are moving to our new house next week.  It’s interesting how in moving and packing your material belongings, you also seem to sort through and reassess your thoughts, routines, and passions. At least, that’s what I’ve been doing. I have to admit I’m tired of the introspection and reminiscing and I’m ready for some outside inspiration for this fresh start we’re getting.

So here we go – serious inspiration to aid in the transitional times we all face (or just some cool stuff to distract you):

1. The Fantasmagraphic Vania Zouravliov - The intricate, gothic and ethereal work of Russian born Vania Zouraliov is a wonder to behold, especially considering that he was a young prodigy whose work was exhibited internationally at the age of only 13. Though he has been both lauded and condemned in social circles, his portfolio is somewhat enigmatic, yet entirely fascinating.

2. Shaun Tan’s “The Lost Thing” - It has been quite some time since I have been so moved by a children’s story, but Shaun Tan’s poignant tale of “The Lost Thing” really hit home for me.  What started out as an amusing nonsensical story soon developed into a fable about all sorts of social concerns, with a rather ambiguous ending. The book is now being made into a short film of the same name, and I could not be more excited.

3. Spirit of the Peacock - Performing her signature “Spirit of the Peacock” dance, Yang Liping has made her reputation as one of the most prolific dancers in China. Her ability to isolate even the tiniest part of her body is completely mind-blowing and something you have to see to believe. In all seriousness, I completely forgot she was human in this performance.

4. Avi Kaplan’s “Tumbleweed” - You may know Avi as one the key members of the acoustic ensemble Pentatonix. A few days ago, I stumbled upon this original song of his and instantly gained so much more respect for him as an artist. Not only is a lovely and very moving song, but Kaplan’s “Tumbleweed” showcases his INCREDIBLE range in a way that will make anyone’s jaw drop. Seriously? His bass notes are SICK.

5. And finally, our words of wisdom for the week:

Be sure to check out more of Rowan’s Disney posters on his website - because this is only a small sampling of the awesome re-imaginings in his portfolio (he’s got some great bookcovers and other designs as well!).  I know your next question concerns whether or not you can find these kickass posters for sale. Well, you’re in luck – because Rowan’s etsy shop is full of amazing 12×17 designs you can have for your very own (and for only $20!).

Graphic design has come such a long way – and artists like this certainly prove what this medium is capable of.

It’s there, wether you keep it hidden in the private reaches of your mind or share it with the world.  You travel to it frequently, exploring it for what it’s worth, wondering if you can pull it off.

So far, it’s just that – just a dream.  Like the dreams within dreams in the movie Inception, it’s just an idea planted in our minds.

 It’s time to do the dream. 

Take one step towards that dream today.  It could be calling someone, going out with your camera, cooking something new, or writing a new song.  Just go out and do something that puts you closer to that dream.

Dreams are nice but if you never bring them into reality, they’re always just dreams.  And as great as a dream can be, you’ll love them even more once you get to live it each day.

As an artist, I’m not trying to be someone else.  That means I don’t have to worry about being just like them, perfecting their techniques, or learning to see the world through their eyes.

I create just to create. 

That’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.  I get to create art to learn more about art and more about myself.  I get to work on things that remind me I’m alive.  I get to perfect my craft so I can show and inspire others.

That’s what I love about our community here at Save the Artist.  Anybody can recreate a Picasso painting with a paint-by-numbers set.  The artists here are creating new things every day that don’t come from templates or patterns.   And that’s what makes us real artists.

• Taking a photo
• Cooking a dinner
• Writing a letter
•  Sculpting with Play-Doh
• Painting
• Running a business
• Acting
• Raising a kid
• Singing
• Drawing
• Rebuilding an engine
• Designing an airplane
• Crafting a blog

It’s all art and part of how we live out and tell our story.

So in that spirit, I wanted to bring you the first (of what I hope will be many) thoughts, sayings, inspiration, and wisdom from the artists that have come before us.  The ones that let us stand on their shoulders and create works better than they could’ve imagined.  They’re our creative advisors.

First up, the great movie mastermind whose mission in life was “to simply scare the hell out of people”.  Known for his distinct film edits and uncanny ability to bring murder into the living room, Alfred Hitchcock gives us some great ideas and inspiration.

“Ideas come from everything.”

“A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.”

“Dialogue should simply be a sound among other sounds, just something that comes out of the mouths of people whose eyes tell the story in visual terms.”

“If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.”

“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”

“Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual.””

There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”

“When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It’s in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what’s my motivation?, ‘ I say, ‘Your salary.’”

You’ll never reach a finish line with your art because your work is your soul.  You create because that’s what you were created to do. You’ll always be getting better at your craft.

And that’s how you know the true artist from the faux-artist.

The real artist always keeps working.

Photo from Valve Manual

There’s a whole story to be learned just from it but I’m only looking at one part – how to work without a boss.  As an artist, it’s up to you to be your boss.  That means

• No one constantly looking over your shoulder.
• No one planning out your day for you.
• No one telling you how to do something.
• No one clocking your time spent.
• No one making you ship your work.

For some people, that’s great.  The freedom to “be your own boss” as they say remains one of the most sought after dreams, especially in the artistic community.  But if you’re not one of those people that fit the boss of yourself roll naturally, how do you do it?

Step 1 – Have an idea.

Sounds simple, right?  But all projects start with an idea.  So break out the scratchpad and start brainstorming.  You might go through a thousand bad ideas to find the one good one but it’s there.

The important thing here is to protect the idea.  They can start off nothing more than a whisper and need to be protected to grow.

“While ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.” – Jonathan Ive

Oh, and never start running with an idea at night.  Great ideas at night look like horrible ones in the morning.  Give it a night’s sleep and see how it looks on the other side before going to step two.

Step 2 – Share the idea.

Every idea needs to be run by another person.  Your spouse, someone else on the team, even the waitress at Waffle House will work.  The main thing here is to share the idea with someone.  The reason for this is three-fold:

1. You have to verbalize the idea.  Explaining it to someone else will help you to see the strong points and the… lets just say not so strong points of it.
2. They can tell you its crazy if the idea is crazy.  And I mean bad crazy.
3. If it’s worth it, you’ll be able to get their help with it.

Step 3 – Do the work.

It’s that time.  You’ve got an idea.  You’ve shared it with someone.  Now it’s time to do the work.

Start the project.  Break out those to-do lists.  Win that creation battle.  No idea is pulled off without putting in the work.

Step 4 – Ship it.

Last but not least, there’s no point in keeping the end result just to yourself.  The temptation here is to get stuck in step three and never finish it.  You’ll always want to tweak one more thing, try one more approach, etc.  But at some point, you have to let the idea go and see if it can stand on its on.  You’ve seen that fragile idea grow under your protection so now you learn just how strong it is.

So ship it.  Now.

And that’s it.

In the end, it’s not complicated being your own boss.  It really takes self-discipline more than anything else.  You just have to rely on yourself rather than someone else.

Created by Flickr Artist Christine Vaufrey

In case you’ve never noticed, my wife Heather has always been the more creative one between us.   If you break creatives down by the right-brain / left-brain idea, I’m owning the left brain side.  That’s why many of my posts here focus on the analytical and organizational parts of being an artist.  But sometimes, there’s just no rational way to express some ideas.

I remember almost a year ago standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom lost.  I’m a master of planning but on this occasion, I was lost.  No plan of attack, no moving forward – just lost and taking the same path of least resistance each day.

And that’s okay.  

As artists… as humans, we’re not supposed to have everything figured out.  You may have been putting yourself out there for the past two years with no success stories yet. You’ve been showing your art to anyone and everyone you know (and some random strangers) and nothing’s happening.  You might be getting frustrated with everything on that day you find yourself looking in the mirror.

Say it with me.  That’s okay.

It’s okay because one day, you’ll wake up, look in the mirror, and find yourself in the same place I was.  And that’s the day you’ll always remember because that’s the day you set to change things.  On that day, you’ll know what it’s like to not know what your doing.  And then you’ll resolve to change that.

All that to say this – don’t give up on your art.  You can do things that no one else can.

That’s why we need your work and your art.  Remember that when you look in the mirror.

Just….just watch this. It’s the most moving thing I’ve seen in a very long time.

3746 videos from 73 countries

That’s how many contributed to this project. As a friend of mine put it:
“I hope that if aliens find us, they see this.”
It is something that makes me re-appreciate the beauty of humanity (because, let’s face it, sometimes we’re not so classy).  If only people were using their time for things like this instead of creating things like Jersey Shore….I’m pretty sure we’d be much smarter and better off because of it.

This video gives me hope. Lately I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus as I reevaluate myself and get ready for some big changes. This brought me back to a place where I feel centered and ready for anything life has to give. I believe Eric Whitacre and the 3746 voices who made this possible did something that made the world a better place, and it’s something we all should strive for.

Eric Whitacre is a Grammy award winning composer whose incredible work can be heard on his album “Light and Gold” (check it out on iTunes!) Here are the actual words, adapted  from a poem by Octavio Paz:

“If you open your eyes, night opens doors of musk, the secret kingdom of the water opens flowing from the centre of the night. And if you close your eyes, a river, a silent and beautiful current, fills you from within, flows forward, forward, darkens you: night brings its wetness to beaches in your soul.”

Whitacre,  in collaboration with directors Cake, and the Virtual Choir community, premiered this video on April 2 at the Lincoln Center and will be displayed as an installation at other venues around the world.

We’ve been long past due for some new and brilliant classical music, and I for one, find this intensely refreshing. And if this didn’t move you? Well, I will have to assume that you are a cyborg. Because this is what humanity should be all about.