One art, please!
December 30, 2014 12:08 PM Subscribe
How do *you* incorporate art into your life on a regular basis?
As 2014 is winding to a close, I realize that art has made a significant impact on my life this year. I saw (and subsequently met) three of my favorite stand-up comedians, hosted an Eef Barzelay concert in my living room and commissioned an artist to create a print for my son for Xmas. These weren't intentional but all very fulfilling and enjoyable to me.
I'd like to continue this trend in 2015 and beyond. So, how do you keep art as an active part of your life?
As 2014 is winding to a close, I realize that art has made a significant impact on my life this year. I saw (and subsequently met) three of my favorite stand-up comedians, hosted an Eef Barzelay concert in my living room and commissioned an artist to create a print for my son for Xmas. These weren't intentional but all very fulfilling and enjoyable to me.
I'd like to continue this trend in 2015 and beyond. So, how do you keep art as an active part of your life?
I have a few concert venues in the area that I frequent. I make a habit of checking their calendars every month or so to see what else is on the schedule coming up. I buy the tickets, spread the word with friends, and put it in my calendar. In this way I always have a show or two coming up and it really enriches my musical life. The other thing I do is whenever I find myself listening to a particular artists, I check out their touring schedule to see if they're going to be near me anytime soon - if they are, I buy a ticket and put it in calendar!
posted by stinkfoot at 12:22 PM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by stinkfoot at 12:22 PM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
If you like to paint or draw or [2D art form here], pick up a matte cutter from your local arts and crafts shop and learn how to cut mattes and mount them in a frame with your artwork. Matting and framing adds a sharp, professional look to the whole project (for a relatively low cost).
posted by doctor tough love at 12:38 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by doctor tough love at 12:38 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I download art pictures into a single folder, and use them as a slideshow screensaver. This is surprisingly wonderful, and I find myself having "driveway moments" in front of my sleeping computer, staring at a piece I haven't thought about in months.
Of course, I also put up art on my real walls.
Gallery hops are my favorite evening entertainment. Better with a friend; an ideal first date IMO (you get visually entertained, but conversation is required, and what someone has to say about that inkblot of the artist's buttocks beneath Barbie dolls that spell out "WAR SUX" can actually tell me if we'll have a lot to say to each other). Also, free beer/wine.
I try to stop in every art gallery I pass that is open, if only for two minutes. Sometimes it's a 2-minute delay in my path; sometimes something stays with me for days or months.
I try to always pay buskers, because they put performance art in front of me. If I actually like them, I try to tip decently, but even the spare change in my pocket if I only have $20s (and I've been known to ask for change for a $20).
Last night in the dark I discovered two tiny, ceramic "fairies, dirt-colored, hiding in my front lawn. One of them will never fay again, alas... but I think that's a wonderful thing to hide. I also keep broken pottery, and put big pieces in my garden as color accents.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:42 PM on December 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
Of course, I also put up art on my real walls.
Gallery hops are my favorite evening entertainment. Better with a friend; an ideal first date IMO (you get visually entertained, but conversation is required, and what someone has to say about that inkblot of the artist's buttocks beneath Barbie dolls that spell out "WAR SUX" can actually tell me if we'll have a lot to say to each other). Also, free beer/wine.
I try to stop in every art gallery I pass that is open, if only for two minutes. Sometimes it's a 2-minute delay in my path; sometimes something stays with me for days or months.
I try to always pay buskers, because they put performance art in front of me. If I actually like them, I try to tip decently, but even the spare change in my pocket if I only have $20s (and I've been known to ask for change for a $20).
Last night in the dark I discovered two tiny, ceramic "fairies, dirt-colored, hiding in my front lawn. One of them will never fay again, alas... but I think that's a wonderful thing to hide. I also keep broken pottery, and put big pieces in my garden as color accents.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:42 PM on December 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
You could devote 12 weeks of your life to Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way":
http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Way-Julia-Cameron/dp/1585421464
posted by hz37 at 12:49 PM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Way-Julia-Cameron/dp/1585421464
posted by hz37 at 12:49 PM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
Do you have local public gallery? Buying a membership can mean free general admission as well as to special exhibits and guest passes. It's nice to be able to offer free visits to friends and it's easier to schedule when you don't need to worry about getting maximum viewing value out of a particular ticket purchase. That said, you have to be proactive about it because a years membership can slip by soooo easily.
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:50 PM on December 30, 2014
posted by bonobothegreat at 12:50 PM on December 30, 2014
On an extremely bad news day, instead of staying home and weeping, since I had tickets anyway, I went to a Jeremy Denk piano concert and was transported right out of my misery. That's what art can do if you always let it in.
posted by Elsie at 2:41 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Elsie at 2:41 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm an artist and an art professor, so I'm pretty solidly covered! This year I've done a couple international residencies and a couple local pop-up events that brought me into contact with new viewers, and getting to meet and discuss my work (and occasionally sell it) and connect with new people is always a pleasure. So I'd say continue to engage in your art scene, host and/or organize events, talk with artists, and just follow up on the accidental joy you've found with intent.
posted by vegartanipla at 2:56 PM on December 30, 2014
posted by vegartanipla at 2:56 PM on December 30, 2014
I regularly visit art museums. Whenever I travel to a new city, I am sure to check out the art museums. I am a student so I don't exactly have the financial means just yet, but I try to support art education when I can.
One thing that I thought would be a really great thing to do with a friend of mine who is similarly interested in art was to have a theme of the week and then each produce a drawing/painting/sketch that reflected our interpretation of the theme. It was a good way to stay in touch with my friend, it was helpful to have that other person there to hold me accountable to producing said sketch, and it kept our creative sides stimulated as we slogged through professional school. (Life got busy... but still, it was a great plan in theory.)
posted by gemutlichkeit at 3:42 PM on December 30, 2014
One thing that I thought would be a really great thing to do with a friend of mine who is similarly interested in art was to have a theme of the week and then each produce a drawing/painting/sketch that reflected our interpretation of the theme. It was a good way to stay in touch with my friend, it was helpful to have that other person there to hold me accountable to producing said sketch, and it kept our creative sides stimulated as we slogged through professional school. (Life got busy... but still, it was a great plan in theory.)
posted by gemutlichkeit at 3:42 PM on December 30, 2014
I have a mini 'gallery' in my blah gray cube. Tons of small frames filled with small artworks, nicely matted ticket stubs and other decorative mementos, and postcards from museums I visit through the year, hung edge to edge. It's fun to be on the lookout for new things to add, and also a nice place to rest my mind and eyes when I need a break. Oh and I jerry-rigged a paperclip hook type setup into the cubical fabric to hang them all.
posted by PaulaSchultz at 5:11 PM on December 30, 2014
posted by PaulaSchultz at 5:11 PM on December 30, 2014
I look for free concerts and theatre productions. (Does every city have Shakespeare in the Park? Signs point to yes...)
I also love festivals, although it's the wrong season for that. And it doesn't have to be an "art" festival to feature art and music. I recall from my childhood a Peach Festival or something, and we wandered the booths looking at handmade crafts and listened to local musicians.
Also, you can find inexpensive classes at libraries, churches, makers communities/gathering spaces, and community colleges, if you want to create something yourself.
Most colleges will have student productions and galleries, if they offer a creative or performance type of degree.
For me personally, I try to see a show at one of the local community theatres every couple of months. I also scan the non-credit courses offered by a nearby community college to see if anything looks new and or interesting.
posted by rakaidan at 7:29 PM on December 30, 2014
I also love festivals, although it's the wrong season for that. And it doesn't have to be an "art" festival to feature art and music. I recall from my childhood a Peach Festival or something, and we wandered the booths looking at handmade crafts and listened to local musicians.
Also, you can find inexpensive classes at libraries, churches, makers communities/gathering spaces, and community colleges, if you want to create something yourself.
Most colleges will have student productions and galleries, if they offer a creative or performance type of degree.
For me personally, I try to see a show at one of the local community theatres every couple of months. I also scan the non-credit courses offered by a nearby community college to see if anything looks new and or interesting.
posted by rakaidan at 7:29 PM on December 30, 2014
I picked a classic, important album and listened to the whole thing while I got ready for work in the morning. I may have never budgeted an hour to stop what I am doing, sit down and discover "Pet Sounds" -- but while I was fixing my hair and getting dressed, it was a great way to utilize that time. I also would then read reviews or Wikipedia background etc to understand what made the album so innovative or important, and to learn the context of the music. I have a list of albums I am going to continue this with.
To piggyback on that idea, I haven't done this, but it would be cool to do a "book of the month" sort of thing with albums. I've chatted with friends and co-workers about the albums informally and have compared listening experiences, and even agreed to listen to the same album next, but a structured way of doing this might make for a good shared music appreciation experience.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:24 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
To piggyback on that idea, I haven't done this, but it would be cool to do a "book of the month" sort of thing with albums. I've chatted with friends and co-workers about the albums informally and have compared listening experiences, and even agreed to listen to the same album next, but a structured way of doing this might make for a good shared music appreciation experience.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:24 PM on December 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
At a minimum, I'll spend some time studying (not just browsing) Drawcrowd and Behance, to try to understand the subtext and techniques in the art that is presented there.
With more time, I sketch and paint. I keep a Cintiq and a copy of OpenCanvas open all the time and take anywhere from 5 mins to 5 hours to sit and draw. It's the old chestnut about keeping the exposure and habit up regardless of the quantity or quality.
If I'm stuck on a plane, or in a box, or in a dull meeting I'll mentally rehearse sketching and painting, since I'm incredibly better in my own head than on paper, and I also snap pictures of my work on my smartphone and review it when I'm on the go. I prefer this to screenshotting as the difference in contrast and orientation often shows up issues or areas for improvement in the work.
posted by zedgoat at 3:17 AM on December 31, 2014
With more time, I sketch and paint. I keep a Cintiq and a copy of OpenCanvas open all the time and take anywhere from 5 mins to 5 hours to sit and draw. It's the old chestnut about keeping the exposure and habit up regardless of the quantity or quality.
If I'm stuck on a plane, or in a box, or in a dull meeting I'll mentally rehearse sketching and painting, since I'm incredibly better in my own head than on paper, and I also snap pictures of my work on my smartphone and review it when I'm on the go. I prefer this to screenshotting as the difference in contrast and orientation often shows up issues or areas for improvement in the work.
posted by zedgoat at 3:17 AM on December 31, 2014
I like to follow artist blogs and dART is still useful even after all these years. Sometimes if I have extra cash I'll order small commissions or artbooks from artists I've followed for a few years. If you're by a metropolitan city they have free museum passes and art galleries or at discount for students. Public spaces like parks often have outdoor art for display during the seasons and dept stores will have new displays set up for holidays too.
For music I'm a part of Spotify and they offer playlists or different artist/bands available depending on which genre. The service is available for free but it's ad-supported. Sorry, not too familiar with play or opera shows.
I think a part of it is being aware of how art in around the world and how it affects people's lifestyles like good designs or certain advertising used for promotions. Also, lots of libraries have books on the Old Masters and they offer biographies or scans of their sketchbooks or practice.
posted by chrono_rabbit at 11:58 AM on December 31, 2014
For music I'm a part of Spotify and they offer playlists or different artist/bands available depending on which genre. The service is available for free but it's ad-supported. Sorry, not too familiar with play or opera shows.
I think a part of it is being aware of how art in around the world and how it affects people's lifestyles like good designs or certain advertising used for promotions. Also, lots of libraries have books on the Old Masters and they offer biographies or scans of their sketchbooks or practice.
posted by chrono_rabbit at 11:58 AM on December 31, 2014
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I started writing science fantasy when I was 18. Some of it's published. Links are in my profile if anybody gives a damn. I also listen to heavy metal whenever I'm working. The right song or album helps me get into the flow state I need to code and write.
posted by starbreaker at 12:11 PM on December 30, 2014 [2 favorites]