A blast from the past. Discovered this print I made in 2008!
This week I've been packing up my studio for a big move.
Moving studios is a tremendousssss pain in the ass. You realize you've become a hoarder and that hoard includes 30 pieces of cardboard, a tub of glitter, and 2000 binder clips. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But there is something cathartic about packing too. Every time I move studios I empty out my flatfile, go through every single drawing, and pack it carefully in a box. It's an amazing exercise. I get to look at everything I've made and kept from the last 15 years. I can see how much has changed in my work and how much has stayed the same. Both are so important.
When looking back at older work you learn so much about yourself as an artist.You'll be surprised that certain ideas felt as urgent to you 10 years ago as they do to you now.
Take my print from 2008 for example (pictured above). I was fresh out of undergrad when I made this piece, and while part of me is embarrassed to show it to you, the other part of me is like, "hey, this print is kinda rad!"
The second reaction is the one that's important. It indicates what I value - the ideas that have anchored a life-long creative investigation. What's still interesting about this work? What's still important to me?
This is something I encourage my artists to do when looking at their art. Whether you're a total beginner or long-time maker, there is ALWAYS something exciting in your work. I truly believe this. It's my job to be the gentle teacher that helps nurture what's there. Curiosity gets you farther than criticism every time.
So as this very shitty year comes to a close, I'm trying to take the long view on things. I'm thinking less about the measure of a single year and more about a long creative journey. I'm seeing growth as a gradual thing that presents itself. Because even if you did very little other than sit on your bum in 2020, things are percolating and changing in you.
If you want help with taking the long view, give this reflection exercise a try:
1. Look at something you made 5 years ago. 2. What in this work is STILL interesting to you? 3. What has changed since you made this work?
In 2021, let your artist-self be anchored by the things that stay the same (your values) and propelled forward by the things that feel different (your new possibilities).
