I am in the middle of an “official” art residency right now and wondering what it all means. Should I be making art that’s different (read: better) than what I have been? Or shall I just relax, document, and dedicate these days to being here in the moment? Thank you for helping me be ok with the latter.
oh to be a visual artist (to slightly misquote Virgina Woolf). I have over 30 years of journals and am mining them for an autofiction project but love the idea of illustrations.
Well, the good news is that drawing and painting are technical skills and anyone can learn them. I didn’t know how to draw either, and then in my thirties, I started taking classes. I’m still taking classes. It can all be taught, it can all be learned, I promise!
I really enjoy reading other people's weekly diaries. In fact, I would also love to fast forward twenty years and read my own diary from when I was younger. At that point, there would likely be less angst and fear caused by my youth and lack of experience. Life twenty years from now will probably feel more serene than it is right now, and looking back at the past would be quite interesting. The anticipation of my future twenty years from now even makes me dislike my current young life a bit, and I struggle to objectively evaluate the art I'm creating at this stage.
I promise you that your future self is going to LOVE what you’re doing now, and will also feel nostalgic for those days, twenty years ago, that felt more free and experimental and uncertain. Maybe it’s a little bit of “grass is always greener” but your future self will be jealous of the younger, less seasoned version of you!
Thank you! I've been working on embracing the uncertainty and challenges that come with the unknown. I genuinely wish that my future self will look back on this time as memorable, just as you said - I will come to love what I'm doing now. Thanks again!
I love this idea of taking a single week and journaling and illustrating it. I’ve started keeping a tiny journal that records not so much feelings but rather the everyday things that happen since my memory is pretty lackluster. String of numbers? Yeah, I’ll remember that for decades. But what I did two days ago? Uh…
Right! I actually woke up this morning and tried to run through the previous day, start to finish. It was surprisingly hard, but also kind of peaceful and comforting. I want to do it, too.
Thank you for inspiring me at a time I really could use it 😊, going to figure out where my
“ artist in residence “ location will take place ( wink 😉 wink ) AND looking for a book I can use to write my own diary , I’m not 25 , but hope I’ll still be around in 20 years to reread it 🤞🤪!!! (I’m 62)
Oooh, what a great concept. Time parameters offer such a wonderful constraint for my creativity. I'm accepting this challenge and January 2025 is the target residency date. Putting my deposit down on this reservation now. You're an inspiration.
This is so fun. I’d love to make a story about living in the college dorm 25ish years(!) ago. The drama, the fun. Or maybe from last week when we found dead rat in the garage. Chaos ensued…thx for the inspiration!
I love this concept! I’ve been back and forth on starting a Substack where I’d share little snippets of my life, like a “My Life in 5” list format, paired with my sketches. I’ve been doubting whether anyone would be interested, but I personally enjoy peeking into others' stories. This post has given me the exact motivation I needed—so thank you! 🙏🏻
I’ve been turning over this idea of an Artist’s Residency project in my mind.
I’ve started drawing trees in the Arboretum -right near Paris (yes, 🇫🇷🍷🥐🧀…) There are 12 remarquable trees to be found there (along with many others of course)- and I started drawing them….It was a wonderful project to start over summer vacation but now the specific trip it requires became a hassle…So I’ve put it aside,for now…
But a few days ago- at a street book sale- I came across a small guide of Unusual Gardens of Paris (complete with cafes that are situated next to them and where you can sit in the greenery…) and that became my new plan… Is 100 too much ? I think it sounds doable…a visit, a text, a small sketch every week - in about 2 years it’ll be done :) (I can start by choosing one in each arrandissement). I feel like an explorer in my own city. I think I might start a series on my Substack -called A Monday in Garden ( I don’t work on Mondays so I shall make this day- the day of my Residency)
I love this idea! I have every photo I’ve taken, screenshots included, dated back to 2012 when I was in 8th grade. I was thinking about going through them, sharing what are now relics and writing about them, but for some reason it feels a bit like I’m using my life experiences for content? Which… that’s what living life is for!!! But for some reason it makes me feel guilty, like I’m exposing my old self. Do you have any thoughts on this?
My thought is that "content" is a term for corporate executives, not artists. Artists have always made art about their own experiences and the world they live in. David Hockney (who I'm going to talk about in an upcoming installment) has pretty much painted his own life and his immediate surroundings his entire life. His life, his world, is the subject of his art. Sure, there are some artists--novelists, screenwriters, etc--who might write about other people and other worlds and you'd have to dig pretty deep to see how it comes out of their personal experience. But many of us--memoirists and essayists and some novelists and painters and poets and songwriters, etc etc etc--are making art about our lives! It's our raw material.
I’ve been drawing a daily diary comic for nine years, but only sharing for the last two. Part of the fun, that I’m sure you’ve noticed, is seeing how much your art changes over time. I can see a jump in skill after taking a class or two on illustration.
Thanks for sharing and inspiring us all. It’s good to be reminded that even what appears to be mundane today can be magical given a long enough time line.
The timing on your story couldn’t be better! I’m learning mindfulness and have been looking back on my past and how it influences my writing. Thank you.
I am in the middle of an “official” art residency right now and wondering what it all means. Should I be making art that’s different (read: better) than what I have been? Or shall I just relax, document, and dedicate these days to being here in the moment? Thank you for helping me be ok with the latter.
OK well now I'm very interested in hearing about your official art residency and I hope you'll share a bit about it whenever you're ready!
oh to be a visual artist (to slightly misquote Virgina Woolf). I have over 30 years of journals and am mining them for an autofiction project but love the idea of illustrations.
Well, the good news is that drawing and painting are technical skills and anyone can learn them. I didn’t know how to draw either, and then in my thirties, I started taking classes. I’m still taking classes. It can all be taught, it can all be learned, I promise!
I really enjoy reading other people's weekly diaries. In fact, I would also love to fast forward twenty years and read my own diary from when I was younger. At that point, there would likely be less angst and fear caused by my youth and lack of experience. Life twenty years from now will probably feel more serene than it is right now, and looking back at the past would be quite interesting. The anticipation of my future twenty years from now even makes me dislike my current young life a bit, and I struggle to objectively evaluate the art I'm creating at this stage.
I promise you that your future self is going to LOVE what you’re doing now, and will also feel nostalgic for those days, twenty years ago, that felt more free and experimental and uncertain. Maybe it’s a little bit of “grass is always greener” but your future self will be jealous of the younger, less seasoned version of you!
Thank you! I've been working on embracing the uncertainty and challenges that come with the unknown. I genuinely wish that my future self will look back on this time as memorable, just as you said - I will come to love what I'm doing now. Thanks again!
Amy, the self-appointed residency is an inspiring idea, and I'm going to do something with it this winter. Thank you so much!
I can’t wait to see what you do!
me too!
I love this idea of taking a single week and journaling and illustrating it. I’ve started keeping a tiny journal that records not so much feelings but rather the everyday things that happen since my memory is pretty lackluster. String of numbers? Yeah, I’ll remember that for decades. But what I did two days ago? Uh…
Right! I actually woke up this morning and tried to run through the previous day, start to finish. It was surprisingly hard, but also kind of peaceful and comforting. I want to do it, too.
Thank you for inspiring me at a time I really could use it 😊, going to figure out where my
“ artist in residence “ location will take place ( wink 😉 wink ) AND looking for a book I can use to write my own diary , I’m not 25 , but hope I’ll still be around in 20 years to reread it 🤞🤪!!! (I’m 62)
Oh, fantastic! I’m headed out to do some art supply shopping right now. Have fun choosing a book!
Enjoy 😊💗
Oooh, what a great concept. Time parameters offer such a wonderful constraint for my creativity. I'm accepting this challenge and January 2025 is the target residency date. Putting my deposit down on this reservation now. You're an inspiration.
Oh wow OK! I want to know all about this when it happens!
Good idea to put it in the diary...
This is so fun. I’d love to make a story about living in the college dorm 25ish years(!) ago. The drama, the fun. Or maybe from last week when we found dead rat in the garage. Chaos ensued…thx for the inspiration!
Any story that includes the words “chaos ensued” is worth capturing for posterity!
I love this concept! I’ve been back and forth on starting a Substack where I’d share little snippets of my life, like a “My Life in 5” list format, paired with my sketches. I’ve been doubting whether anyone would be interested, but I personally enjoy peeking into others' stories. This post has given me the exact motivation I needed—so thank you! 🙏🏻
Ps just pre ordered the book 📕☺️
I’ve been turning over this idea of an Artist’s Residency project in my mind.
I’ve started drawing trees in the Arboretum -right near Paris (yes, 🇫🇷🍷🥐🧀…) There are 12 remarquable trees to be found there (along with many others of course)- and I started drawing them….It was a wonderful project to start over summer vacation but now the specific trip it requires became a hassle…So I’ve put it aside,for now…
But a few days ago- at a street book sale- I came across a small guide of Unusual Gardens of Paris (complete with cafes that are situated next to them and where you can sit in the greenery…) and that became my new plan… Is 100 too much ? I think it sounds doable…a visit, a text, a small sketch every week - in about 2 years it’ll be done :) (I can start by choosing one in each arrandissement). I feel like an explorer in my own city. I think I might start a series on my Substack -called A Monday in Garden ( I don’t work on Mondays so I shall make this day- the day of my Residency)
Thank you Amy!!
OMG it sounds amazing and I’m so jealous! Keep me posted!
This is an amazing challenge. Can't wait to see how it goes.
I love this idea! I have every photo I’ve taken, screenshots included, dated back to 2012 when I was in 8th grade. I was thinking about going through them, sharing what are now relics and writing about them, but for some reason it feels a bit like I’m using my life experiences for content? Which… that’s what living life is for!!! But for some reason it makes me feel guilty, like I’m exposing my old self. Do you have any thoughts on this?
My thought is that "content" is a term for corporate executives, not artists. Artists have always made art about their own experiences and the world they live in. David Hockney (who I'm going to talk about in an upcoming installment) has pretty much painted his own life and his immediate surroundings his entire life. His life, his world, is the subject of his art. Sure, there are some artists--novelists, screenwriters, etc--who might write about other people and other worlds and you'd have to dig pretty deep to see how it comes out of their personal experience. But many of us--memoirists and essayists and some novelists and painters and poets and songwriters, etc etc etc--are making art about our lives! It's our raw material.
The distinction between where the word content is most applicable…. 🤯 this is great. Thank you.
I’ve been drawing a daily diary comic for nine years, but only sharing for the last two. Part of the fun, that I’m sure you’ve noticed, is seeing how much your art changes over time. I can see a jump in skill after taking a class or two on illustration.
Thanks for sharing and inspiring us all. It’s good to be reminded that even what appears to be mundane today can be magical given a long enough time line.
That's amazing! I love this!
Simply lovely, Amy.
The timing on your story couldn’t be better! I’m learning mindfulness and have been looking back on my past and how it influences my writing. Thank you.
That's very cool! Hope you're able to do something with the idea. I'm writing lots more about this, so stay tuned