ART IS A REAL JOB

Art is a real job.
Expression, painting, drawing, singing, writing.
All of these artistic endeavors hold REAL VALUE in society, and to other people.
Have stocks ever really moved you?
Have those spreadsheets ever made you think about the current state of affairs?
Those meetings you have had to attend, did they make you FEEL?
Did those white collar chores ever lend a useful perspective?
Art does. Art communicates what speech alone cannot.
Art is a vision. 
Not only that, but creation takes time and supplies.
It's a commitment one has made not only with oneself, but with the rest of society.
The witnesses. The audience. 
The consumers (in the words of the woeful meetings).
Art is a real job.

The Ascension by James Mulvaney 

The exchange of the ideas, thoughts and feelings hold real value.
Which is encompassed in a transaction, usually a very close and personal one.
Between two friends. Between a witness and the creator. 
I think the only reason the white collar/blue collar types don't understand is because art and that "real world" are literally two different worlds.
One is rigidly scheduled with predictable paychecks and time off.
The other is not. 

YOU ARE REAL. I SEE YOU.
KEEP CREATING.

SUNDAY PONDERING: TAKE BACK YOUR MIND

Terrance McKenna  and Tim Leary are contemporary philosophers who speak of consciousness, psychedelics, and the human experience.  

MYLIE CYRUS: THE VISUAL ARTIST

Miley Cyrus debuted her her work as a visual artist at a solo show entitled "Dirty Hippy" at New York City's fashion week. Cyrus partnered with controversial former MOCA gallerist, Jefferey Deitch. Deitch helped Cyrus present and market her work at fashion week as well as at Art Basel, later on that week. Art Basel is regarded as the "Olympics of the Art World", and Cyrus headlined this years show in Miami Florida with an invitation only show.

Cyruses work ranges from candy rave psychedelia kwaii inspired sculptures built from reclaimed items thrown on stage at her shows, to bizarre erotic video art as well as a clothing & jewelry line. Cyruses art also includes trippy performances with unexpected guests such as the Flaming Lips frontman, Rob Coyne.

Aside from art, Miley has kept herself busy wrapping up the controversial "Bangerz" tour and launching her philanthropic venture, The Happy Hippy Foundation. Cyrus has been hosting shows in her backyard as part of the project to help raise funding. Guests of these shows include Joan Jett and the punk band Against Me!. The Happy Hippy Foundation provides housing and support for homeless and destitute teens.  

Many people scoff at Miley's sincere venture in to the art world due to her social and financial status, as well as the fact that she is a pop star. Many disregard her art, and see it as another attention seeking move. Other artists are saying that because she is famous, she has access to means that other artists don't. Which is true. My opinion on Miley's work is that she is truly being artistic, and expressing herself in a way that is truly outside the persona that is expected of her as a pop star, and a popular social figure. If she was still obeying the rules, per her Disney/Pop handlers, she would be more like Taylor Swift, and be a caricature of the typical female innocent sex kitten that most pop stars are these days. I think she is staying within certain perimeters in order to be accepted and to stay relevant within the pop world, while still separating herself from it.

Miley's artwork, in my opinion, looks like elevated pre-teen craft fair type of works. Most of her works are composed what most would see as junk, or children's toys. One example is a mask composed entirely of tiny felted toy bears and ribbons. Another is a sculpture made of plastic beads, Slinky's and small doll figures. Deitch labeled her art as "southern outsider art". Outsider art is typically self taught art, done in a style that is as individual as the person making it. I don't know how I would label her art, but I do see what she is doing as a sincere expression of her personality and vision. Yes, the fact she has a hoity toity gallerist to market her works and vision makes it so much easier, but its no reason for other artists to hate on her work. The art community supports other artists. Miley may not seem like an independent artist, but in my opinion, she is. What she is doing is so outside the pop princess archetype, and within the realm of eccentric creator that I can relate, as an eccentric creator as well. 

GLITCH ART: A MANIFESTO AGAINST PERFECTIONIST DOGMA

Glitch art is the creation of art through digital or analog errors and artifacts by corrupting the data or manipulating it in such a way that a glitch is created. The tern "glitch" was originally coined in 1962 by astronaut John Glenn when he was describing problems they were having with equipment. Glitch art is very prevalent in pop culture, while at the same time very underground. 

Glitch art has roots in the mid 1930's with the work "A color box" by Len Lye. Lye described his inspiration as "motion as art". He elaborated,

"If there is such a thing as composing music, there could be such a thing as composing motion.  After all there are melodic figures, why can't there be figures of motion?" Lye had an affinity for the Maori, Aboriginal, Pacific Island and African cultures, and drew much of his inspiration from them.

Lyes film work was composed mainly by drawing directly on film, or corrupting the film with emulsions and paint. He created a number films in this manner, up to his death. These works are considered glitch work because they corrupt and undermine the basic structure of the film.  

In 1965, the artist Nam June Paik created MAGNETV. Paik is considered the founder of video art. Most of Paiks work is considered Neo-Dada or FLUXUS, and was created by using televisions, magnets, synthesizers and music for his creations. Another notable work by Paik was TV Bra for Living Sculpture, where he had a women wear Televisions as coverings for her breasts. These Televisions were broadcasting glitched footage. 

Later in the 70's through the 80's Andy Warhol had created a number of digital works, some of which were glitch works. Warhol created his works on an Amiga 1000. 

Through the 80's and 90's the glitch art movement saw a Renaissance. Glitch art, music and fashion was very popular as technology captivated the world. Movies such as Hackers glorified the hacking/rave/electro culture where glitch artists thrived. Glitch was popularized by Saturday morning cartoon characters such as Max Headroom, and even MTV started using glitch like graphics and bumps on its everyday transmissions.

Glitch, as an electronic music genre came in to fruition in the 80's and 90's with the dawn of industrial and the use of noise artifacts as instruments. Glitch music came from composing broke technology to create sound collages. 

 The technology of using broken tech to create noise artifacts stretches back to the late 60's with the Moody Blues using destroyed vinyl records in their music. OMD used invasive computer and noise snippets in their album Architecture of Morality. Noteable acts that had an impact on the glitch movement in the 80's and 90's include Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, and Skinny Puppy. Each of these acts incorporated glitch components in their music as well as videos. Aphex Twin uses progressively corrupted files to create feedback and other noise artifacts. Nine Inch Nails uses images and static to create their sound, as well as distorted guitar and drum machine devices. Since the 90's the music genre glitch as grown and expanded to include many artists. 

Glitch was created as an engaging statement against the "upgrade culture" that had become pervasive around the world. The Glitch Studies Manifesto by Rosa Menkman goes in to detail how the art is a philosophical rail against the unattainable perfection craved by society. Glitch art, when done correctly, corrupts the source data to its core. While the manifestations of this corruption may only be visible on the surface, it is inherent. This idea of corrupting the data violates the principals of "functioning society" by not only exposing flaws, but also the under-working of the data. The hacking culture is very much in to this thinking as well, which is why glitch art and hacking are closely related. Glitch art undermines a pieces basic structure, and must be looked at critically in order to see these dimensional aspects. A glitch piece must be engaged.

Modern glitch art and music has been growing as a genre, yet it still remains very much underground. From 2010-2012 there was a G//LI/TCH Con, which was a meeting of artists, academics, and scientists came together to share art and ideas. The first Con was held in the US, the second visited a number of locations both internationally and in the US, and the final Con in 2012 visited international and US locations. These days, Glitch Art is relegated to the dark corners of Reddit and groups in Facebook. Yet, the art can be seen everywhere. The commercialization of the ideals of the glitch has lead to it being done and used in more innovative ways. Though, to see it in its principal form, engaging an audience with all of its flaws and frameworks showing, is a great thing. Glitch artists hack images and create whole other ideas by applying four basic techniques:

-Incorrect editing: A file is edited using software not intended for that type of data
-Re-Interpretation: A file is converted from one medium to another
-Sonification: Non-Audio data is introduced to audio data
-Found Errors: Bugs are taken as opportunities and exploited

With the growth of technology and software, there are even glitch emulators, where you can just input whatever you want and create glitch art. Because of this, and the philosophy behind glitch art, there is an ongoing debate as to what constitutes a glitch. Is a forced glitch a "real" glitch, or is it something else? The philosophy dictates that glitches are corruption of data to its core. Is this corruption found only or forced as well? What does this mean for the art? The implications and opportunities within this debate are enormous.

Glitch Art by Benton Rooks

In conclusion, glitch art is created by corrupting data to its core. Glitch is the digital revolt against the aesthetic perfection craved in a culture consumed by upgrading and clean, perfect data. There is no such thing. Deep down in the framework of its core, the data is corruptible. These modern day image hackers are engaging imagery and music in such a way that inherently changes it, and engages the viewer. Glitch art is the avante garde anarchistic noise that hides behind the perfect pixels of every image, waiting to be seen. 

Sources: 

Glitch Studies Manifesto, Rosa Menkman 2010
HZ Journal
Glitch Artists Collective Facebook
Tumblr Glitch Art 
TRETA 

BOOK REVIEW: THE MISSION OF ART BY ALEX GREY

"The Mission of Art" by Alex Grey is one of the first books I read as I decided to embark my journey in to art.  The book is an essential for any artists library, as it contains both inspiration and insight. Alex Grey is considered one of the most influential visionary artists of the 20th century. Grey supports artists and the visionary culture by hosting events, workshops and tutorials at his Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in upstate New York.

"The Mission of Art" begins by exploring the history of art. From neolithic hominids painting on caves and carving rough hewn fertility goddesses of stone, Grey articulates how each stage of art throughout time, has had a spiritual aspect to it. From Da Vinci's portraits to the representational art of the 19th Century, and all the way up to the Postmodernist movement.  The loathing of the Postmodern movement is a constant theme throughout the text, as Grey demonstrates that  Postmodern expression lacks conscious understanding.

Grey goes on the elaborate his personal journey and Mission of Art as an artist. He goes in to detail about his childhood, and shows some of his very early works as a child. Grey always seemed fascinated with death and anatomy, and it is reflected in his work and journey as an artist. The book accounts his experiences in High School and Art School, as well as the entheogenetic experiences he had and now they affected the work. Greys transformation is highlighted with life events, and how these events took a toll on the artist, and how the art was affected. This part of the book could be easily summarized by this quote, " An artists progresses from the primitive scrawls of childhood to magic/mystical imagery on to reasoned skill and clever ideas, then potentially on to works of spiritual depth."

Vision Crystal by Alex Grey

As much Grey loathes the Postmodernist movement, he elaborates his ideas about it and just about other "ism" and movement up to it. The main gripe Grey has with Postmodern movement is the lack of soul and spirituality in it. Grey's art is derived from a very spiritual space of transpersonal transformation. Transpersonalism is also another theme that is expressed in detail throughout the text. Transpersonalism is where psychology and spirituality intersect. He explains in "Mission of Art" that "Art is communion..offered through the symbolic language of form and content."  By form and content he not only means the skillfully applied mediums to canvas or otherwise, he also means form and content as spiritual subtext to communicate a higher message. Visionary Art, as it is traditionally defined is an exploration of the divine. Greys explorations and metaphors for growth and expression of his idealistic transpersonal vision is clear.

Grey also looks at many spiritual archetypes, and uses these archetypes as metaphors for growth and discovery of personal and artistic aspects. The Godhead, the Light, The Goddess, Death, The Child. All of these ideas are not only used in Greys artwork, they are explored in depth with meaning and in elaborate detail. Grey's TED talk has a similar theme about the evolution of art and consciousness. His book goes in to much more detail than the talk.

In conclusion, Grey's "A Mission of Art" is an inspiring book for creatives looking to shed conventional ways of thinking about art and returning to ones vision and personal power. Grey also emphasizes the importance of the art community growth. The book is  a little heavy in new age ideals but it can easily be read as one artists "mission" or spiritual journey. This is the second time I have read this book, and would recommend it to anyone who is an artist, who is "stuck" or needs inspiration, or to anyone who craves a little insight in to the mind and art of Alex Grey.

ARTISTS WHO COLLECT ART: SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT ART

I am an artist. I am also an avid art collector, and have been since High School.  Since I re-entered the creative scene about a year ago, I have never been so inspired and moved to help out fellow artists as well as share my artwork.

The art community is very supportive once you get to know other artists. With the dawn of Social Networking and online artist communities and collectives, it is very easy to reach out to the artists that you enjoy. Networking is great for learning techniques, getting to know people, getting advice on showing your work, the market, and festivals.

It is safe to say that most artists collect art because they enjoy the aesthetic aspect of it as well as supporting their peers. I like collecting art because it is directly supporting the art and artists that I enjoy. As an artist, I cannot wait to build my portfolio and progress further so that I can share more. I am at the pupal stage of my art career.

Creating art and supporting fellow artists is my mission as an artist. If you are an artist who, like me, is just starting out, do not be afraid to reach out and friend people. Network, meet up, and grow. Share your work. Don't over think it. Just DO it.

 "I always knew that I wanted to be creative, that I wanted to create something."
~Maynard James Keenan 

Aya Vibes by Tina Keophannga 2014

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: JEFFERY THE ARTIST

Jeffery Boston Weatherford is a multifaceted millennial creative hailing from North Carolina. At 25 years old, this young artist has made a large impact on the world through his creations. Jeffrey is a college educated art and writing prodigy. He has a BA in fine art from Winston Salem University, and is currently pursuing a  Masters in Fine Art and Studio Art at Howard University. He is a Chancellors Scholar, and owner of Great Brain Entertainment, a digital media company that has published three children's books.

He takes on the moniker "Jeffery The Artist" when he creates his conscious hip hop. He rhymes about subjects such as art, creation, psychedelic culture, empowerment,  creativity and personal identity. He has a wavy flow and abstract lyrics that induce deep thought and reflection on the current state of society, music, and art.

Water and Fire. Original Artwork by Jeffrey Boston Weatherford 2014

Weatherford is also a fine artist that creates mainly abstract art, using diverse mediums and multiple inspirational outlets. Jeffery's most recent exhibition is the BADC Light of Ancestors Exhibition, happening from February 13th until March 6th at Pepco Edison Place Gallery, located in Washington, DC.  Jeffrey's art is reminiscent Jackson Pollock, Jean Micheal Basquiat and Keith Harring.

Support Independent Art, and check out Jeffrey's exhibition.
Also: 
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Website: http://jbweatherford.com
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