My Creative Idols. And the Internet Robotic Stuck inside Me!

In the midst of so much stuff... blogs, blogging, online stores, global warming, talking, moving, not enough shaking (he he), and the endless shrinking attention span of people and what stays and goes in the creative scene or any scene for that matter, I find myself digging back deep into the talents that inspired me to write, draw, paint, and sculpt as a child until now. I miss my art history classes at Syracuse University and the calm feeling of knowing we all had a longer attention span for what was in and out. I was in college from 1994-1999 and the internet was like one of those huge car phones your rich uncle used to have in the late eighties. Really strange and unattractive.

It feels like we are all locked down on this machine looking at 1000 things a day in addition to working at the same time, and are becoming sucked into a robotic force leaving less time for natural habits like walking, cooking, sleeping, etc. I do not know how many times I have read on twitter, "oh man, i really need to go to bed." while I myself was up late working, blogging, etc. And, then realizing, I need to rearrange how much I am on this machine. I am letting go of my other interests.

What is happening to us? Are we becoming robotic? Addicted to the Internet? Great, yoga for internet blogging addicts. It is so easy to just keep looking and looking and looking. I like it, do not get me wrong. I just miss the days of not needing to know everything. Because now that I know I can find all this info I can get sucked into it. It never ends. It only ends when your head hurts so bad an your leg cramps up that you get off the computer and do something else. And, are you still thinking about the Internet when you walk away? The mind is in overload. Thank God I have a meditation practice or I would be insane.

I feel, when looking at all these amazing artists shown in this post that it is time for me to attack the canvas once again and the sculpting studio. I do not know about any of you artists or designers out there who may have gotten away from these things too but there is nothing like the smell of mineral spirits, stretching canvas, staying up until 6am watching the sun come up while you scumble the last mark of Naples Yellow onto your painting. Or, finish sculpting a piece that endured hours of hard manual labor leaving behind dry worn out hands from working with plaster or stone.

Times change, people change and we either move with the times or against them. If you are a creative person, being online is almost a definite for you to network and keep up with information. Just proceed with caution and ask yourself how long you have been sitting there in that chair? Maybe time to go curl up with a good book or go to sleep. And, believe me, I am trying to follow my own advice.

Cheers! Be well! Be Creative! Be Happy! Remember what lights you up!

in order from top to bottom

Venetian Glass Workers
John Singer Sargent1880/82
Oil on canvas
56.5 x 84.5 cm
The Art Institute of Chicago
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Supermarket (1957)
Ben Shahn, Serigraph, 1957
Edition size unspecified, 57 known impressions

Portrait of Gerta Schiele
Egon Schiele
Oil

Albuquerque No. 4 (1951)
Richard Diebenkorn
Photo: Estate of Richard Diebenkorn

Black Peacock, 1950
Alexander Calder