Karl's three laws of life and art

Rain - 100911

Here are my three laws of life.  I've found all three to be true every time.

1. Everyone has psychological baggage.  If they say they don't -  denial, sublimation, repression, and telling lies are manifestations of their psychological baggage.  You can't go through life without carrying some of it.  It is how you handle the baggage that says a lot about you.

2. Everyone you know will fail you at some point.  Many will fail you repeatedly.  Inversely, you will fail them all as well.  These failures could be as small as forgetting to pick up the bread he/she promised to bring to as painful as breaking your heart.  They will do it to you and vice versa.  My only advice when someone fails you, forgive when you can (somethings shouldn't be forgiven) and move on.  If it helps, remember you have failed or will fail them as well. 

3.  The tide flows and the tide ebbs, as does all aspects of living.  Life, love, hate, faith, passion, lust, and knowledge all go through these cycles.  Our tide of life flows in as we grow and develop into adults and reaches its greatest point before slowly moving out to sea again.  This same pattern is true for almost everything from our love of a certain food to the value of a kiss.

Since I try to keep this as much an art blog as possible, these laws apply to art and creative pursuits as well.

1.  People will interpret and respond to art based on their own person baggage.  If you aren't carrying around the right baggage, some art may not elicit any response.  That is fine.  There is plenty more art to get connected with.  Someone else will connect with the piece you feel nothing for.

 2.  The more personal and subjective something is, the more likely someone will fail you in regards to it.  I can't think of anything more subjective as art.  The challenge with subjective things is that words are often not enough to express expectations of others.  If I am working with a model and ask him to look despondent, what he gives me may be completely wrong for my needs.  This may be due to the different subjective definitions of "despondent".

I have also found the more subjective the purpose, the more likely someone will blow it off and/or stand you up.  Subjective things take lower priority than objective things.  People are more likely skip an appointment to create art than sell you something, provide a medical service, or pick up the bread.

Leila and Hana - 100911

3.  The tidal flow and ebbing of art.  Jackson Pollock was a big sensation.  His tide came in and he was on top of the world.  Roy Lichtenstein, and other pop artists, came in on a different tide and Pollock's tide ebbed out.  This flowing and ebbing also occurs at the personal level of the artist.  I will come up with a new concept, build it, grow it, develop it, create it and become obsessed with it.  At some point though my passion for the concept will ebb and I will want to get it finished.  By the end of it, I am tired of the work, looking at it, and and greatly lust to go onto the next alluring project.

Due to personal experiences, a tidal wave of issues may inspire frantic creation, and inversely, a deep personal wound can make an artist give up on or abruptly end a whole modality in art and self-expression.  There are certain things I will never photograph again because of this.


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