A Flood Amongst a Drought

Words... Words are strange little creatures aren't they? Strung together in the right order, they can bring understanding to a cloud of confusion...All they're made of is letters and dots and dashes in a particular order but they can say so much more than we intend, but sometimes never being able to voice the very essence of a soul.

I think I've had a love of words and letters since I've learnt how to write. I remember in feathered wisps my first attempts at recreating letters I read in a book, trying to capture the grace and elegance of each letter, attempting to transfer the sound of the letter in the stroke of a pencil. For me, I had a wonder in learning how to write, a sense of wonder which I can feel slipping away from the fresh-faced new generations.

Those who have seen my handwriting now will know it is something much more than the materialisation of thought into something more tangible. It's a form of therapy, helping to keep my mind at ease whilst simultaneously etching my memories into paper. In case you're wondering, this was not always the way I regarded handwriting, it's more of a development this year. I guess keeping pages of journals inspired an epiphany: that I have an insatiable thirst for words and text. Writing is just one manner of satisfying the thirst, but the only problem with writing is that it's such a solitary act.

I'm sure that each and every person has that thirst for communication, whether it is through words, voices or writing. I managed to find someone who can send me the river of words, who cured the drought of solitary writing. I find myself feeling a tad greedy, wanting to hear and drink more words than I deserve. But the truth is, I find myself returning and sharing the words with such ease that I no longer feel parched. I wish sometimes that I could etch each and every word spoken into journals, but the truth is that there are too many words to remember them all.

That's why the words spoken have to count. They have to be sincere, Pure. Honest. So dear readers, make all your words count, you never know whose drought you might be able to end.

Until we meet again
Talia

Sink or Swim

nostalgia [no stáljə, no stálji ə]

noun

1.	sentimental recollection: a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness, and longing when recalling a person, place, or event from the past, or the past in general
2.	things that arouse nostalgia: something, or things, intended to arouse a feeling of nostalgia or to evoke the past in a way that arouses nostalgia
	Nostalgia is a quite the unusual emotion. It can be forgotten in a heartbeat but can be recalled at the faintest reminder of a person or place. I've been swimming in a sea of nostalgia for the last few days, and to be honest I had almost forgotten how to swim among the waves of memories. It takes a lot of mental endurance to go through the memories again as an observer rather than a participant. It's a bit like Life of Pi, you're in a boat with several other characters, all of whom have been a part of your story, but you choose how to remember each one, or whether to remember them at all. At the same time, recalling incidents and memories long since forgotten can remind you how far you've made it since then, not to mention how much you can change in what seems like such a short space of time. Suffice to say, I remembered how to swim, and the truth is that it's been one of the most refreshing experiences I've had in a long time. I had gotten into the bad habit of blocking out the past, but the truth is that you can't force yourself away from the memories. They're a part of your story. And the sooner you embrace that, the sooner the waves of memories stop threatening to pull you under. The memories start to support you, allowing you to breathe again.  I've felt that having a good memory can be a bit of a catch-22. But having a good memory means you're never at a shortage for interesting stories, all you need is that trigger for the waves of memories. So after a long, philosophical swim, I have come to a surprising conclusion... Dear Readers in South Africa and all over the world, make the effort to stay in touch with someone you had forgotten. It doesn't matter how many days, weeks, months or even years it has been. Keep that connection, I can tell you the old memories made as well as the new memories yet to come will be worth the long swim in the ocean of nostalgia. Until we meet again Talia

Going Once...Going Twice...Sold!

This is the first painting I sold in my career as an artist. This was a painting I completed for my matric  (or senior year in high school for those abroad) art exam last year, whose theme was "TIME". As you can see, sometimes art doesn't have to be so serious (commence lecturer fetching pistol), and a little bit of fun can go a long way.

If you're wondering, the person who bought this work definitely had a sense of humour. But to be honest, I was quite surprised that out of the collection of work I brought with me to the Rosebank Art Fair, this was the one to sell first. The Rosebank Art Fair was my first attempt at selling my work, and I actually did manage to sell three works! Now I will share my experience and some of my first impressions of participating in an art fair.

1. Getting to talk to other artists is invaluable experience. Especially if you're new to the game and have no idea what to do!
2. You only really appreciate the value of your own work when you see it in relation to what is already out there
3. People really like paintings of cows.
4. People fall in love with smaller work because: A) it's small B) It's (occasionally) more affordable and C) It doesn't take up so much wall space
5. Trestle walls make for a cost-effective display solution
6. DO NOT EVER EXHIBIT YOUR WORK IN A WINDY SPACE!
7. Different is appreciated in the art world, but you have to exhibit your work in a place where people will appreciate your work for being unique.
8. The parking situation at Rosebank Mall is truly horrendous, who knew you could potentially get hit by a car in a parking lot?!
9. Business cards are a necessity
10. It's a lot more fun (and less terrifying) going to an art fair with another artist than it is going by yourself!

 Although the market was fun, I think the audience wasn't the greatest for the kind of work our stall had. But this is just a stepping stone to the next audience and I know that experience will help find the recipe for success as an artist. The journey of 1000 miles after all begins with a single step.

Until we meet again
Talia

100 Days of Summer

My first year of studying is almost over. In the space of a week, I've come to realise the value of keeping your momentum going, no matter how much you feel like you deserve a break. Although all of my deadlines (save for one last exam) had officially passed on Friday, the worst possible thing I could do now is stop creating art. It sounds bizarre, not wanting to stop the artistic process and crazy methods of working.

Momentum is a hard thing to keep going.When it finally starts rolling, you start working better than you have before, you push yourself further than you thought you could...but when you finally hit that deadline and finish the work, you suddenly get this baffling sensation that there is nothing more to do. You feel lost. You want to do something but at the same time you want to enjoy the relief of that deadline being over. It's the twilight zone for artists, and just people in general.

But the truth is, the twilight zone is constructed by ideas that work cannot be enjoyable. As an artist, your work can stress you out, but if you really enjoy it, then it stops feeling so much like...well, work. It starts to feel like a calling, a compulsion to create, even when those deadlines have passed. So I have decided that for the duration of my summer break (which is over 100 days), I will continue doing constructive work. Last week, after my last post I started working on a list of 100 things to do over Summer (read one thing per day typically).

So here is my list, I'm struggling to fill up the last few places, so if you have any ideas please comment below.

100 Days of Summer

1. Write one blog post every week
2. Spend an entire day making origami cranes
3. Do daily writing everyday
4. Finish my monopoly painting
5. Finish my Venus Painting
6. Organise Cupboards
7. Start AND finish an artwork in one day
8. Take photos of all my art and put it on my pages
9. Give away old clothes to charity (Empty Hanger in Sandton?)
10. Declutter
11. Make at least one Santa Shoebox for Christmas
12. Write letters to People who I should have written to long ago
13. Make the First Year Survival Guide
14. Update Facebook and DeviantArt accounts once a week
15. Find a Penpal
16. Cut all of my old high school notes into squares (See #2)
17. Make another book by hand
18. Go stationery shopping
19. Wear a different outfit every single day (No cheating and wearing the exact same thing twice)
20. Go book shopping
21. Design my own logo
22. Design my own Calendar
23. Get 100 likes on my Facebook Artist page
24. Archive all the work I have done this year
25. Take part in Illustration Friday every week
26. Organise Art Supplies (COMPLETED)
27. Use old scraps of paper and make cards
28. Write a short story
29. Write a Poem
30. Enter the World Citizen's Art Competition
31. Make business cards
32. Collaborate with Josh
33. Collaborate with Natasha
34. Go driving a few times a week
35. Sign up for the Rosebank Market
36. Do a large-scale Typography Drawing
37. Get more lino
38. Learn to cook and bake
39. Make a drawing for someone else
40. Find a new genre of music to listen to
41. Customise my car and put things inside that are useful
42. Enter an art competition
43. Make an artwork using non-traditional mediums
44. Do Hibiscus Painting for mom
45. Do one Oil Painting
46. Make Colour Swatch notebooks
47. Learn how to make my own paper
48. Get back in shape, do at least ten minutes of exercise a day
49. Learn to master a different medium
50. Figure out how to sculpt using texture paste
51. Make more colour mixing squares
52. Get a good anatomy textbook
53. Do an artwork from life
54. Attempt a blind painting
55. Go an entire day without wearing glasses and then write about it
56. Try being a vegetarian for 3 days
57. Try and actually drink 8 glasses of water in one day
58. Make one public work of art
59. Learn how to write with my left hand
60. Learn how to draw with my left hand
61. Actually make a drawing using only my left hand
62. Figure out my own unique makeup look (COMPLETED)
63. Make a comic strip
64. Experiment with Henna Tattoos
65. Have an awesome manicure every week
66. File all the loose paper lying around my room
67. Make a digital portfolio
68. Organise a group for first year orientation
69. Read at least 10 books
70. Go art supply shopping
71. Make a time lapse video of making an artwork
72. Start writing tutorials on how to make stuff
73. Do recipe organisation for mom
74. Start figuring out how to feng-shui the flat
75. Start building something out of cranes
76. Finish Post-it Project
77. Throw one party at home
78. Create a real website
79. Reorganise books
80. Figure out new ways to wear my long hair up
81. Finish this list
82. Figure out what my alter ego artist would be like
83. Do a good deed for someone else

...And that is as far as I've gotten. I'm struggling with these last few ones, so I'm open to suggestions.

Until we meet again

Talia