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Art is simple and complicated but its such an alluring and wonderful thing. Yet, let’s face it, money is an issue for any parent hearing their kid plead for an art education (trust me, I know, I begged my Mom when I was in high school). Studying and participating in art is not exactly welcome in a Filipino household, I’ll tell you that much. Yet, it’s important to understand why and I wish I caught onto the Bohemia of Finances series by art and culture…
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What is the best way to understand artists? For me, it’s, actually, going through the art making process. To experience what the artist experiences. Everyone is unique and completely different but the commonality is the struggle all artists have to create something and be heard, seen, and understood. The above slide show includes pictures I took of my work currently at the UC Berkeley Extension Art and Design campus in Downtown San Francisco. I did a series of drawings for my ‘Working in Series’ class.…
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Don’t have unrealistic expectations. If you wanna make money, you better drop out right now and go to banking school, or web site school, anywhere but art school. And remember, only 1 out of 100 of you will ever make a living as an artist. ~Professor Sandiford, Art School Confidential (played by John Malkovich) The aforementioned quote from movie, Art School Confidential, had me laughing but remember what Freud said about jokes, there’s a smidgen of truth in them. Talk about artists…
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“Most of us deep down believe that a person who is creative will prevail regardless of the environment,” Csikszentmihalyi wrote. “But the reality appears to be different…. No matter how gifted a person is, he or she has no chance to achieve anything creative unless the right conditions are provided by the field.” Csikszentmihalyi identifies “seven major elements in the social milieu that help make creative contributions possible: training, expectations, resources, recognition, hope, opportunity, and reward. Some of these are direct…
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The Working in Series studio class with artist Pamela Lanza at the UC Berkeley Extension through the Art and Design program was one of the most wonderful experiences in 2010. It was a difficult year, to say the least. Yet, through the class, I learned so much about why I create art and why it is a huge part of my life. More to follow…
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It’s the end of the weekend and it’s been over a week since I first took on the WordPress postaday2011 challenge. I’m finding myself gaining some major writing momentum and finding new content. Obviously, there will be days I post formal and analytical write ups and other days where I’ll just want to tell you, dear friend, something that’s been on my mind. Or, something that’s happened to me. Good and bad. I’m hoping more good than bad stories will…
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I’ll write a little something today but not very long due to yesterday’s post on my impressions of the current exhibition, It’s All a Blur, at the SomArts Cultural Center. THAT, my friends, was A LOT. Instead, I’ll recommend reading my dear friend, L.J. Roberts, interview with the Social Media Management for Contemporary Art organization. It’s a fantastic interview. LJ discusses her art practice, a ‘love affair’ with New York, and her thoughts regarding censorship in the arts (specifically the work of David Wojnarowicz being removed from the Smithsonian)! Great interview!!! Please click here to…
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With the valiant effort of keeping with my “art diary” format and writing as much as possible in the new year (every day to be exact), I figured it would be nice to write about a Bay Area artist. I’m hoping to learn more about her work as well as her processes as the year progresses. There will be more, I can promise you that, dear reader. For now though, I’m just spinning my wheels and getting the juices flowing. So, let me…
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I’m a huge believer in seeing art everywhere. Many people believe art must be an object (i.e., painting, drawing, etc.) exhibited inside museum and/or gallery walls and reserved for some elite group’s viewing pleasure. The contemporary artist must be well-rounded though (i.e., staying apprised of the arts and technology). Look at Takashi Murakami. Fans of Hip Hop artist, Kanye West, are probably very familiar with Murakami’s art and design for album cover, Graduation. Yet, I’m wondering if these same individuals know…
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writer | artist | scholar
Dorothy R. Santos, Ph.D. 