So rambling it can't be enclosed with a title...

A moment to set the stage: It's Friday morning, I have a blessed day off and unplanded, which I choose to spend part of here. Second cup of coffee at hand, kitty on the chair arm (mutually agreed upon compromise), some peace and quiet. And time finally to post some words.

A disclaimer: I will be neither brief, clear, or to the point. I recently decided that I'm mostly incapable of being so, and also have decided to accept and embrace that wild rambling as part of who and what I am, as opposed to trying to change, fight, or deny it. In the words of the immortal Popeye: "I y'am what I y'am..." So, it'll have to be good enough.

Now, a little mood music.

Next: first slide, please:



(I subscribe whole-heartedly to this manifesto)

From Wikipedia: Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an art. It is also used in a qualitative sense of a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, an artistic practice.

Most often, the term describes those who create within a context of 'high culture', activities such as drawing, painting, sculpture, acting, dancing, writing, filmmaking, photography and music — people who use imagination, and talent or skill, to create works that can be judged to have an aesthetic value. Art historians and critics will define as artists those who produce art within a recognised or recognisable discipline.

The term is also used to denote highly skilled people in non-"arts" activities, as well — crafts, medicine, alchemy, mechanics, mathematics, defense (martial arts) and architecture, for example. The designation is applied to illegal activities, like a "scam artist". The term 'artist' could also refer to a con artist.

There is no consensus about what constitutes "art" or who is, or is not, an "artist". Often, discussions on the subject focus on the differences between "artist" and "technician" or "entertainer," or "artisan," "fine art" and "applied art," or what constitutes art and what does not. In addition, the French word artiste (which in French, simply means "artist") has been imported into the English language; in English-usage it has connotations (some of them derogatory) which differ somewhat from the English term artist.

Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm an artist. Note the small "a". I make stuff. From all kinds of other stuff. I make clay sculpture and the occasional useful objects. I draw, I paint, I make colorful messes. I make odd little things and contraptions. I write, I make a blog, I make breakfast, lunch and dinner. I make books, I make fetishes, I make niches, I make sound art, and I make videos. My name is Mark, I make stuff, you should too, I make no apologies for the stuff I do make, and neither should you.

My name is Mark, I'm a maker. Here's a sample of my latest work, a show I hung just yesterday: Today I'll finish a book, work on a 'zine, carve some stone, and take a nap.

Now, does any of this matter? Well, probably not except to anyone but me. And does it "mean" anything? Who knows? I guess it does to me while I'm doing it, but there aren't any hidden or overt messages in what I make or do. It's just what I make or do. How folks interpret (or not) this stuff is up to them.

So I've been thinking and talking a lot lately to some folks about art and making. We even did a session at school with that as the theme. And what I've concluded for myself is that art and making is very important, especially on an individual level. Art and making can save your life and the help save the world. And if not, it will at least make the decline much more enjoyable. Note that I deliberately wrote "art and making" not "Art and Making." That's because it's two completely different things. It seems to me that "Art and Making" has a lot of baggage attached to it- rules, regulations, shoulds, musts, money, organizations, celebrity, status, haves and have nots, getting a show, getting a gallery, getting commissions, commerce, exclusivity..."art and making" is a kid with a string and a rotten tomato making something, creating a fabulous story and having fun and worry about nothing. Making for pure joy and fun, with no ulterior motive. It's inclusive- anyone can play, and should.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to people getting money for what they make (me included, every piece I have images of in this post is for sale or trade in case anyone's interested). I mean we have to eat, it's nice to be able to buy materials, and too it's nice when someone else sees value in your work. My problem is with money being a motivator to make, and sales a measurement of validation. I see a lot of folks struggle with these things daily and it robs them of the sparkle and joy that can be found in making things. And then there's the whole big mess of needing to explain what/why we make things, and to justify their existance in a world already jammed packed full of stuff. I'm wondering why we can't all relax, have fun, enjoy what we're doing and the fruits of what others are doing, make our stuff, show it off, and quit worrying about it?

I think art has been stolen from the average person in our culture. We constantly get messages that art can only be made by special people with great talent, unreachable by the rest of us. That it's only valid if shown in approved spaces, attended by the right people. There are "Artists" and then there's the rest of us. So we're conditioned and convinced that to have "Art" we have to get it from somewhere other than within ourselves. And that it must be oh so precious, made from pricey materials, in a controlled environment and have deep and often obtuse meanings. It can only be created with special tools, used for single purposes. And the "Artist" is able and willing to be more emotive and sensitive than the rest of us.

Well, to that I say BA-LONEY.

Everyone has art in them, and it's all equally valid. We just need to learn to not be afraid to let it out. If it's sincere, honest and authentic, if it's what and how we see and feel and hear and think, then it's good and healthy and important. It's communicative, and people will respond to it. It's bridge building. It doesn't have to be (most certainly shouldn't be) snobby and exclusive. So I have a challenge for anyone reading this: go make something, and show it to somebody. Us, for example. Make something out of anything, grass, paint, bark, wire, clay, wood, potatoes, string, pen, paper, rotten tomatoes...just MAKE something, for yourself, express how you feel, what you see. Be fearless. And here's what I'll do (cause you know I have so much time on my hands and NOTHING to do): If enough people are interested, i'll make another page, and we can put up a virtual gallery of what we're all making! How about that??? Could be fun! So, lets see...5 people. That'd be enough to start.

Here's closeups of the work installed yesterday:




So, its a beautiful day, and I'm going out to make some stuff...come on, join in!

Have a great weekend!