Well...welcome to my online journal. I should state right away that this will be a little different than my personal journal in that I will probably not be posting a heck of a lot about my private life. What I will talk about is the process of creating, moods, general happenings, that sort of thing.
So, let's begin...
I have a show coming at the end of April! It will be, as usual, at the Bearclaw Gallery on 124st and 104ave. I will be doing a few different things this time around. I am excited about working on some larger canvasses (5' x 3', etc) as I tend to stay with what is familiar and comfortable to me: 2' x 3' and smaller.
The weather has finally broke and I find it is such a pleasure to be able to go for a walk without wondering if the crack I just heard was the ice or my ear falling off. What a country this is! Sub-Arctic temperatures in the winter (-50 degrees celsius with windchill) to Semi-Tropical temperatures in the summer (+38 was the hottest day last year, I think).
The problem I am having lately is time. Time. There just isn't enough. I have about five projects that I haven't been able to concentrate on. One of them is a comic book dealing with issues ranging from my brother's schizophrenia to the effects of globalization--it's a lot more fun than it sounds! I have been halted on that for two and a half years. The other project that I have really neglected is a fairy tale I wrote for my neices. It is told in single pen and ink panels that take you through the story visually. There are no words. This has been an ongoing project for eight years!
The third is a series of smaller stories that I am writing for children that are basically vignettes from my childhood and what it was like to grow up Half-Native.
The fourth is a book of artwork and reflections. Thankfully, I have only been on this one for about eight months.
The fifth is the continuing development of a workable and interesting website. At least this is finally getting off the ground.
And of course, the work that ties it all together is my painting.
The sacrifices then, are my personal relationships. I am often unavailable to family and friends. I sometimes wonder if it is worth it. But even wondering...I know that I will choose to work on these things anyway. Of course, making a living is a great motivator, but so is the desire to make a positive contribution to the world we live in. My life will not always be so hectic. I know this. Creating something is always harder than maintaining it.
Choosing to be an artist or actor or musician or writer is always a tough call, both for yourself and your family. I have no good advice there. It is hard. That's it.
We have a very strange society. Art, in older cultures, was not separate from life. It was essential to it. Like food or shelter, art was a basic necessity for life. I wonder if this has changed because in Western Society, myth and meaning has been largely excised from visual art. Art for ornamentation alone. This is a concept that truly bothers me.
But that sounds like a journal entry for another day!
Be well,
Aaron
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