Just Do It!

Hello there dear readers.

My apologies for the late post, I've been moving houses and we haven't had access to the Internet until recently. But here I am now, so let's get straight to it!

Something that has been on my mind a lot this year has been the idea of determination. Determination is actually a difficult concept to define. Usually, having determination is seen a positive character trait, while being stubborn is seen as negative. To me, being determined means that once you have your mind set on a goal, you do everything in your power to make it happen, even if you have problems achieving it along the way. I see it as being so set on achieving your goal you would throw yourself into it to make it happen.

As some of you would know from my previous posts, last year was a difficult time in my life, and I not only lost my sense of self but also my sense of determination. This year, I managed to pull myself together to rebuild and renew my sense of self. I feel like this year I am more determined than I was before the troubles of last year, and that my ambition has returned with a vengeance.

I've found that determination isn't really a trait you're born with, but rather something that you teach yourself. It is something that can be learnt. and also nurtured. It also a skill that can be forgotten if not used.

Something I've noticed with a lot of people in my generation is the surprising lack of determination by a majority. People have no ambition, no drive to want to do better or push themselves,They've allowed themselves to grow comfortable with mediocrity, settle into a comfort zone of "average". And if they do perhaps decide to set a goal, one small hiccup and they give up.

I have no right to judge anyone about how they view their goals in life. I'm just surprised by how little ambition there seems to be. No determination to succeed or do better than the last time. And especially with people in their early twenties, in the prime of their lives.  Perhaps they are waiting for the devil of "tomorrow" to save them. The truth is, there is no tomorrow. The only time to make a difference is right now. But starting a million things and completing none of them is no use either.

Even if you dedicate your entire life to one project, if you finish that project at the end of your lifetime, I can almost guarantee a sense of happiness at having been determined enough to see it through right to the very end.

So here are some easy tips on how to ease determination into your life:

• Set small goals to start with. Say you want to read more often, don't say you'll read the entire Game of Thrones series in a week. You'll probably fail and sink back into the cycle of average. Rather say, I want to read at least 5 pages a day. 
• Set Goals that you know will make you happy. If you can imagine being ecstatic after completing a goal, and a goal that will improve your life, then you will be more determined to achieve it. 
• Ask for help. If you are struggling with being determined, ask your family and those closest to you to help you stay determined. Use role models to show you that all the work wont be for nothing.
• DON'T GIVE UP. This seems so simple but is at the core of determination. If you have a hiccup along the way, don't give up your entire goal because it temporarily became more difficult to achieve.
• Reward yourself for when you achieve your goals. 
• Your goals are not set in stone. If you feel like your goal isn't working for you, then change it.
• Surround yourself with determined people so that you have positive role models to follow.

Until we meet again 

Talia

A Helping Hand

Hello there dear readers! Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate and Happy Eat-As-Many-Chocolate-Eggs-As-You-Can Day to those who don't.

So the first block of third year has already passed! And so quickly too. It has been a busy few weeks, and I have to say I am quite proud of some of the work I've already produced. If you haven't had a chance to look yet, you can check out some of my latest work here and here. I've also been trying to work on my online identity through Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook, posting more often and trying to have new work to post as well. But I will openly admit that it is a ton of work and a ton of effort that goes into doing these kinds of things.

And that brings me to the topic for today's post : Helping other people to succeed!

So, I can testify to the fact that building an identity for your own career is incredibly difficult. Especially when going into a creative field, such as the arts, music, drama, magic and the like. There are far fewer outlets to help young people make it in these fields as they aren't really seen as important or helpful to the economy. So unlike other careers that offer scholarships and internships (that actually pay), we are pretty much left to fend for ourselves.

Now I'm sure some of you are thinking, "But isn't that why you're going to university?". Ah yes, like most people who've gone the studying route, we choose to study in hopes that it will help us land a good job one day when we graduate. But as the unemployment rate of university graduates in South Africa alone, getting a degree isn't good enough anymore. So we have to find ways of making ourselves a career that we can be proud of.

This isn't easy to do alone however, With having to deal with access to specific materials, it can be almost impossible to help yourself with regards to your career. This is why I think it is so important that people, and not just budding creatives, actually make an effort to help each other out where they can. For example, I've been using social media and blogging to help market my work for a few years now, so while I wouldn't call myself a professional at it, I will say that I'm proficient at it. So my partner, Liam, is a budding magician. Writing is not his speciality as the the performing part of magic is his area of expertise. I know the blogging is a great form of exposure, so what did I do? I became a co-author of his blog so that I can help him on the advertising side while he is out there doing what he does best (P.S My Thoughts is the blog, check it out if you have a chance).

Another important part of helping your friends and family and people in general is being encouraging and supportive when things are going well.. and more importantly when they aren't. Help them with whatever resources and in whatever way you can. It could be as simple as lending someone a self-help book you have, or it could be helping them to print some business cards or pamphlets to give away. Any small thing helps, and it could be as simple as saying "I believe in you".

The world is a tough enough place as it is, but it doesn't mean that we can't do something to make it a little better, even if it's just for one person.

Until we meet again
Talia

The Human Typewriter

So, it has been one official week since I have returned to university. As a third year, and studying Fine Art... Not to mention French as an additional major. Since my last post, it seems like me taking reigns of my own happiness has been a good strategy to approach life with. I haven't necessarily been getting a lot more done, but I feel like everyday that has passed has been one that was lived well, to the fullest. A day well spent everyday can only lead to happiness I think.

So now that I've caught you up on my emotional goals ,dear readers, I shall tell you a little bit about my first week back.

So its the first week, and I have already been dubbed "The Human Typewriter", by one of the lecturers who had been tutoring me this week. I quite like that. It has a nerdy/artsy/awesome ring to it. I think I shall keep that name around! And if you, dear reader, are wondering why on earth I would consider this to be an affectionate nickname, it is because I am in love with typography as a medium of expression.

To me, one of the most interesting things I have discovered since I have started studying art in university is the beautiful relationship that a love of writing and a love of art can share. They are not separate mediums in the discipline of humanities, but have so many similarities that draw the two (excuse the pun) together. I have always loved creating art, and I have always had somewhat of a secondary interest in writing.

Only once I discovered the art form known as typography, did I discover how words can be the vehicle to create art.

To put it simply,

I make art with words.

And this year I finally have the freedom to make as much art as I want in any way I want to. So I dub this year, 2016, the Year of the Human Typewriter. 

And hopefully dear readers, we will see some results soon. But for now, here is some of my older work, hopefully explaining why I have a catchy new nickname.

Until we meet again
Talia

Get Up Again

Hi there again dear readers. I know, I went from a massive break from blog posts to a sudden flow of things to write about. I guess I've just had a ton on my mind lately, and I feel like talking about it with you, dear readers, is a good way to convey my thoughts and feel like someone out there is just listening to what I have to say. 

So dear readers, something I've had on my mind lately is the idea of strength and self-empowerment. To me, I've always had a deep rooted fear of appearing weak to other people. I hate crying, being sick, being injured, being too emotional. Anything that knocks me off my A-game. To be honest, it doesn't take much to knock someone off their A-game. It can be feeling under the weather. feeling over-worked, upset about relationship or personal problems, or just having a bad day. I have been off my A-game more often than not recently. For me, it's been because of relationship and personal problems. I've been so emotional in the last few months I think I've had my share of negative emotions for a lifetime. 

The problem with emotional turmoil is that I've developed the bad habit of moping over a negative situation. I can think of a lot of reasons why this has changed, but the biggest reason why it bugs me is that I feel excruciatingly weak. 

As said before, it is the one thing I am most afraid of.

So as of today, I am done with this crappy feeling of being weak. Yeah sure, things get crappy in life. We all make bad decisions and sometimes it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel is just an illusion, 

Life is hard, 

We get knocked down.

We get winded.

We bleed.

We must get up again. 

I am so sick and tired of waking up and feeling like getting through another day is going to be tough on me. I am 20 for God's sake, I should be changing the world every day, not sitting and moping about things that WILL NOT matter in the grand scheme of things. Here is where the importance of self-empowerment comes in. See dear readers, this is something I have realised over the last few years. 

No one else will make your dreams come true for you. 

No one else will fight harder for you than yourself. 

No one else will ever be able to understand your life better than you,

Stop relying on other people to make things happen for you, they have their own lives to worry about. So at the start of every day, you are the one in charge of how it goes and how it ends. I won't lie, I've had a bit of a crappy day, and I have no one else to blame but myself (much as I would like to shift the blame I know I would be kidding myself), but here and now, typing this blog post - and listening to Pump It! by the Black Eyed Peas - I feel like I am doing something with my day. and something in me is stirring. A flicker of that inner strength that has been so stifled in the months past. 

I am not backing down from life anymore. I will fight until my last breath. I will make every day count this year, and I will be damned if I let anything and anyone get in my way.

Fight for your dreams dear readers, make your days count for more than yesterday-filled-regrets.

Until we meet again

Talia

P.S. This was the inspiration behind my latest art positivity typography pages, you can check them out under the Art & Other Creative Items Page.

A Work In Progress : Reflections

So today I thought that I would share some of my work in progress of a small drawing that I started on Monday. It was just a drawing started on a whim and because I had finished my commissioned drawing a few days prior to that. So I will upload the final drawing soon, but here is a glimpse at how it was made:

So dear readers, I am off for now. I will upload a picture of the drawing as soon as it is complete. Enjoy what is left of your weekend.

Until we meet again

Talia

Sweet '16

Wow.

2015 has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here we are, fresh (well a little bit stale now) in 2016. A few days ago, I felt a feeling within me that I don't think I have quite experienced before. I could best describe it as a feeling of ambling along, you know, letting life just happen to you instead of making things happen in your life.

I guess you could say I've been feeling like this since last year, when my passion for art wasn't take as much of a part in my life as I would have liked. A lot of emotional and personal issues also made it more difficult to feel stable in my own life and a lot went downhill for me. But I remember reading a saying recently, something along the lines of when your life seems to be falling apart, in reality its all the pieces falling into place.

I'll say that since last year I have learnt a lot about myself. Mostly negatives I had chosen to ignore, but also strengths that I didn't know I had. I've learnt to balance people in my life, and that a life filled with only yourself and work is indeed a lonely life. I've also learnt that without my passion for art to guide me, I am nothing. A nobody with nothing to show. SO this year is the year I WILL make the change for myself.

I am done taking orders from lecturers at art school telling me how my art should look.

I am done trying to be something I am not.

I am my own artist and I will damn well make the art I like and want to make. Maybe if I stop caring so much about what other people want me to make, then at least I will be proud of everything I have made. And hopefully make this year a far more fruitful and encouraging year than 2015.

Goodbye Awkward 2015.
Hello Sweet '16.

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S. I have uploaded a photo of my latest work onto the Art and Other Creative Items page.

Cutting Back the Clutter

And so dear readers, we are hurtling towards the end of the year at a rapid, ever-increasing pace! The last quarter of the year is upon as and for once I've actually achieved some of my New Year's resolutions! So today, seeing as I have no new work to share at the moment, I thought I would talk about something that has been inspiring me for the last few weeks...

I'm talking about minimalism!

Now I am in no way calling myself a minimalist because that would be an insult to minimalists everywhere! But I will say that I am really inspired by the minimalist movement. What is minimalism you ask? Well minimalism is essentially, living with less stuff.

GASP!

"How could I ever survive without my collection of *insert precious item here*?!". See that's the beauty of minimalism. It isn't about living with just one crappy shirt or whatever item you thought of first, minimalism is about having less stuff... but better stuff. So imagine, instead of having 20 shirts where you only really love 5 and wear them often and the other 15 don't fit properly, you only have those 5 that you love and make you feel good about yourself! Now take that principle and apply it to... well everything you own!

I think most of us can admit to being the victims of consumerism and having way too much stuff that we really don't need. I know one of the biggest (or smallest) tips from the minimalists is to move from paper to digital. I'll admit this is one area of minimalism I can't handle. I need to take hand written notes and have something to write on or everything will disappear from my brain! But you can choose to recycle paper you don't need and toss stuff that really doesn't make a difference to you, like those pesky flyers that get put under the windshield wiper of your car.

I think the challenge for me with minimalism is that, as an art student and hopefully a budding artist, I can't live with the bare minimum of art supplies... because everything gets more expensive the longer you don't buy the supplies you need. There are a couple of things I can't really minimise in my life... But I can make sure that I don't overboard with it. I've found that having less stuff really does make your life so much easier.

So to conclude my thoughts on minimalism so far, here are a few tips I can give you to use a little minimalist magic in your life without getting rid of a lot of stuff immediately:

1. Delete apps that you downloaded on your tablet/phone/PC that turned out to be a waste of time. Not only will you have less clutter on your phone, but you'll probably free up some space for that next Instagram photo or two!
2. Throw away trash as soon as you make it. So if you eat a packet of crisps, throw away the packet as soon as you're done with it. Don't let it accumulate into a makeshift bin. 
3. Don't just buy stuff because it's on sale. Figure out if you're just buying it because it's "such a BARGAIN!" or if you actually need it
4. Give old clothes you don't even like anymore to charity. Someone will put it to good use, and not only are you helping someone in need, but you're minimising your clutter too!
5. Keep your bed as a bed and not half a shelf. I have a bad habit of doing this with clothes, but keeping your bed clutter free looks so much better than having to look at that pile of stuff every time you go to bed or wake up.

And so dear readers, that's my bit on minimalism for now. Stay clutter free and focused this week.

Until we meet again

Talia

Pondering Some Silver Linings

"Research Break". 

So my dear readers, these last few months have probably been the WORST track record so far of keeping my blog up to date and I apologise to everyone who makes the effort of reading my blog post each time I post.

So this week, from the 5th of September to the 13th of September, varsity gives us what is known as the research break, which is essentially the midterm break that divides a semester into two pieces. Logically, a research break could be considered as a... well... a Break from research! But guess what (this goes out to all you high schoolers who can't wait to start varsity, and even more so if you want to study ART), the research break has been designed to...

Make you take a break from class to research more stuff.

For example, this first half of the semester has been absolutely exhausting. There have been deadlines almost every single week that involve lots of hours to produce a work that actually ends up being mediocre as opposed to great. But we push on and get it done, because what else are we supposed to do? Seems like more research crammed into one week is a good idea...

But I'm an optimist at heart and I always like to believe that there is a good side to this situation. SO let me share with you my silver linings of things I've learnt how to do (that are of course art and varsity related) this block:

1. How to use the Adobe Premier Suite (and edit in a professional way)
2. How to make a 'zine (mini book or publication)
3. How to make organized study notes without wasting time on the organizing bits
4. How to make and use silkscreens....

And most excitingly...

    5. How to make a stop motion animation (which you can check out here)

I'm afraid to say I'm still busy as ever, but at least I can spend some quality time with the people I care about this week as well as getting stuff done. And at last I have time to share with the people who I will create memories with that I will cherish. Remember that success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with.

Until we meet again
Talia

A 25 Hour Day

And so dear readers, yet another week has passed and we are now in mid-August already! Unfortunately I don't have any new work to post because varsity has been so busy lately! But that's okay, even when not much physical art is being made, there is still a lot that I am learning every day. I wish that sleep was not such a physical necessity, because just imagine the possibilities available with all those extra hours...

The truth is... You don't need to give up sleep to get those extra hours. My mom always tells me off with one of her favourite sayings: "Work smart, Not hard". While I think she makes an excellent point, I think that a perfect balance of the two is the way to get all your stuff done in a time-saving and performance-improving way. For me, sometimes I intentionally make my life more difficult by working hard and not smart. I tend to do these with the little things... Like being a little too thorough in my jewellery organization or socks drawer... Or especially with colour coding. Yes I'm that OCD person who can match colours like a pro... But when it comes to getting everything done in the most effective and least stressful way possible... I tend to fall short.

I find that a lot of time is wasted in what I like to call "The In-Between Vacuums"... These are the times in between all your scheduled or routine stuff, like the time in-between classes, wasted on Instagram whilst waiting for someone and especially travel time.

Obviously there's not much you can do whilst travelling, but you can find ways to minimise your travel time and stress levels from the urban decay of rush hour traffic. For me, it means waking up 15 minutes earlier than I would like to and taking a slightly longer route... that saves me 30-45 minutes travel time. It's definitely worth it!

Another time vacuum that really wastes a lot of time is spending that half an hour between lectures chatting when you can multitask. What I like to do is head straight to the next venue after my class, sit in the next classroom, work a little bit or revise the previous class's notes, eat something and be on time.

I find that a huge time vacuum is shoddy organizing (or a lack of organizing entirely!). I know that I get EXTREMELY frustrated when I can't find my notes for a subject or a reading because I forgot to file it. That's why I avoid the risk altogether. I keep a handy-dandy pocket punch in my bag, date any pieces of paper I receive that day and file it immediately. It is really annoying trying to stay on top of things when you can't find your assignment brief or the notes you've made that could really REALLY help you in your essay. I think keeping your life organised is probably one of the best time savers out there. You don't even need a calendar or a diary, there are so many apps out there that there really isn't an excuse to not know what's going on.

Being organised isn't a bad thing, if it saves YOU time and stress, then why not make the change?  Ditch those time vacuums and you will have enough "extra" time to get all those pesky things on your Perpetual To Do list done!

Until we meet again
Talia

Don't Tip Those Scales

So it's currently 12;11am, and it's Sunday. I am sitting in bed... contemplating life as I type away on my tablet. It's been a busy long weekend so far, and technically it hasn't even gotten to the "long" part yet... And tomorrow is going to be even busier, but that's a good thing I think.

The thing about being busy is that you have to learn to plan your time really well so that you get around to doing everything... without spreading yourself too thin and ending up doing everything to a poor standard. This is a very tricky balance to maintain, especially when the nature of the work done is so time-consuming. I've mentioned her before in my blog, but my friend and fellow blogger Dominique Gaydon, has a very productive plan that "the sooner it's done, the sooner it's done". I like that philosophy I feel like it can relate to a lot more than just class or lectures.

If you're a sort of regular reader of this blog you would know that I don't tend to enjoy it when very little new work is being made by me because of university. I feel like this year of Fine Art at university has involved lots of time consuming effort to create very little of a tangible outcome. So on top of all the University work (and homework and assignments etc.), I've been trying to balance a healthy social life with getting good marks, good health and good relationships and vibes overall... But I've realised something...

BALANCING THINGS IS REALLY HARD... It is really easy to say you're going to do something to sort out some aspect of your life, but acting on it and sticking to it are what actually matter. So I thought I would share some of the little nuggets of wisdom I've figured out:

1. Figure out what you want in life. There's no point making a plan to sort out stuff if you don't even want it. If it's important to you, make a plan to get it done.
2. Keep short-term goals. These can be up to a day or even a a few months, try and compartmentalise your time so that you can set up realistic goals.
3. As always... Write it down. I am telling you that you will forget SOMETHING unless you keep everything noted. And it's really satisfying ticking something off that list!
4. Make time for you...Don't forget to look after yourself, you can't accomplish anything if you're not able to try
5. Have a plan B... And C if you have a penchant for accidents, like me.

And with those midnight thoughts dear readers, I shall say goodnight

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S Check out this little blog's pearls of wisdom if you get the chance:  http://amagicalmusiciansthoughts.blogspot.com/

Colour-Coding My Way to Productivity

So dear readers, I know it has been two weeks without a post. I do apologise profusely, I blame faulty printer cables and fried laptops. But anyhow, we are now in August everyone! so that means there is officially only one third of the year left... and I still feel like I've accomplished so little art wise!

So I've been having a series of epiphanies over the last few months. They haven't been directly related to my art or my work at varsity but rather to my personal life, but they've helped me figure out some neat little tricks and tips to help me out (and looking up life hacks on Pinterest isn't a bad idea either!). So dear readers today I thought I would share my little tips and tricks to make your planning life a little easier, so you can fit in all the things that are important to you.

I personally have an awful memory, and unless I write down what I'm supposed to do... well most of the time it won't get done or it will be a half-hearted job... So I have a diary and lots of coloured pens and matching Post-Its. My personal code is this:
Turquoise = Fine Art/Video Art
Lime Green = History of Art
Orange = Design & Drawing/Book-Binding
Yellow = French
Oxblood = Relationship and Personal Life

This is how I colour code my diary, which is super tiny. I also update my calendar as well as my MyStudyLife App to remind me about tasks that need to be done. I also try to distribute my work out a bit better so that I can spend more time spread out over a few days and really get into the work rather than rushing it and messing it up completely.

Another useful thing I've found is prioritising my To-Do list before I start completing anything, because I find I tend to do all the little easy things first when I have the most energy and then I wonder why I have no energy left for all the important things on the list... which can be problematic at best. So I draw a square next to each To-Do Item:

Big Square = Most Important (as in get off your lazy butt and get this done!)
Medium Square = So So, would be useful to get done today
Little Square = Annoying but useful task, not a train smash if it doesn't get done today

So this is just a small part of my organising tips that should help you to get everything done in time and get it done well. I hope maybe it helps you just a tiny bit!

Until we meet again 
Talia

And So It Begins... Again

Day 1. Semester 2, 2015

Current Inventory:

• 2 packs of 3-ply tissues
• 1 throat spray
• 1 water bottle
• miscelanious books and textbooks
• lots of stationery

So dear readers, seems I have gotten sick again and just in time for varsity. Which is quite unfortunate seeing as second year parking is so far away from the School of Arts. But that's okay, I will survive this week one way or another, hopefully whilst recovering in the process.

Anyway, back to varsity vexes. I've survived semester one with fairly decent marks and have made it through to the next half. It's quite exhausting being back, and not just because of the runny nose. I guess just the state of mind you have to be in to do well at varsity is quite exhausting, as well as the amount of concentration and focus you need to have to get through one lecture.

So today I decided to write a handy dandy list of varsity hacks that will maybe make your life a little easier!

HOW TO BE A GOOD UNIVERSITY STUDENT 101

1. Go to all of your classes if you can. Last semester I went to every single Art History lecture and the lectures helped me more in the exam than all of the reading packs could have. It might be a pain, but you're paying tuition fees to make a career,
2. Take Notes! Whether you like to type them out or write them in a notebook (like me), taking down  notes will benefit you so much when it comes down to exams and assignments.
3. Now on that note (sorry I cannot resist a cheesy pun), keep your class notes organized! It doesn't really help you if you take all the handouts and making notes without being able to make head or tale of it afterwards. Thanks to Pinterest, I've found a few little note-taking hacks that really worked for me! One of the most useful things I've learnt is making an index on the first page of your notebook or document. Number your pages and add them to the index after each lecture. It helps so much knowing what page to find certain topics on!
4. Colour Coding: Ok I know this one isn't for everyone, but I've found that colour coding my subjects and study notes makes them far more appealing to look at. Not only that, it also makes it a lot easier to organize all your information.
5. Pack your stuff the night before. Check your timetable and make sure you pack all your material the night before to avoid the early morning rush! Getting to university is stressful enough without realising you forgot your assignment on your desk this morning. 
6. Keep a diary (Or at least a calendar app), take down deadlines and mark them as soon as you know them so you don't end up forgetting to submit assignments.
7. Always check your student email. Seriously.
8. Arial. Size 12. 1,5 spacing.
9. Good grammar will get you far, always use spellcheck and proofread before submitting anything!
10. Procrastination has led to the failure of many a promising student. As a good friend of mine once said "The sooner it's done the sooner it's done"

 Until we meet again

Talia

From Start to Finish: The Garden

So dear readers, I just finished another drawing last night and thought that I would share the process behind it, seeing as I haven't done that for a while. Just for the sake of being thorough, I use Unipin pens, and all of the sizes available. I hope you enjoy these behind the scenes images of my drawing!

As always, any work of mine needs to have a solid drawing to start off with. I use a 2B pencil to sketch in the outlines and compose the image. (Why 2B? Because 2B or not 2B, that is the real question)

I started out by filling in the darker part of the sky. To get the tones here I use the 0.05mm, 0.1mm and 0.2mm pens.

Here I started filling in the darker areas of the hills so I could gauge how I should go about toning the sky. I started using a 0.3mm pen to fill in the darker areas. 

Now that I had a set of dark values to compare to I started filling in the rest of the hills and grass.

Now that the lower part of the landscape is complete, I can figure out how much toning the sky and clouds need.

Here I start blocking in the sky, using mostly the 0.05 and 0.1mm pens

Here the sky is completely filled in, you can see I left a few areas plain to contrast the busyness of everything else.

After adding in the foliage and a few final touches, we have a completed drawing!

Until we meet again

Talia

Behind Every Great Artist

Hmm, today feels like a good day to do a blog post. So I have returned after a few days of indulging in buying art supplies, which I have not done in ages... Mostly because I've had all the supplies I've needed for a while. If you're somewhat of a stationery nerd, or an artist, you would have experienced the overwhelming excitement of seeing all the shelves filled with useful stuff...

And then you would have experienced the heart-sinking experience of seeing the price tag that art supplies and stationery command. It is the conundrum every artist and creative type experiences at some point, you need good supplies to make good art to make a living, but you need to make a very good living to get those supplies in the first place. I know I am fortunate enough to be able to get good art supplies as a student, I just haven't really taken advantage of that opportunity until now.

But the great thing about art supplies is that most of the time you can find them for a bargain if you're patient enough to look. In South Africa, there aren't that many art stores around, but the ones that I do frequent quite regularly have their Set Sales every year, in July and August. So instead of splurging during the year, I just wait for the sales. It's not like the art supplies change each season and your size is gone by the time the sale starts!

So whilst I was looking around and practically drooling over all the beautiful art supplies, I had a sad realization. I wouldn't even bat an eyelash spending the amount I did on my art supplies that day  if it were on clothes or superficial luxuries, but I did do a doubletake with the art supplies. That made me feel so pathetic, which is more important? THE ART STUFF!

So now I have resolved to making sure I invest in material that will help my art career rather then spending my money superficially on things I actually don't need. And I started my investment by starting my own small (but growing) set of Copic Markers. And after playing around with them for a little bit, I can say the investment was definitely worth it, and until the end of August, hopefully more art supplies will be finding a home among my desk drawers.

Until we meet again
Talia

P.S. If you haven't noticed the new feature, check out my new art page on the blog : Art & Other Creative Items

Creativity Withdrawal

At long last! First Semester is finally over! I completed my last exam on Friday and have reached the sweet winter holidays.

Without a doubt, it has been a stressful work and emotion frenzied semester, now for a brief reprieve before the intensive work begins again. I have to admit, I think after all the new skills learnt and applied this year in class, I think going back to some art basics will be really good for me. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I mean some good old drawing... And maybe painting too if I'm feeling adventurous.

In other words dear readers, I have been suffering from creativity withdrawal and monochromitis (a fictional disease of the mind created when only black and white is used for an extended period of time) whilst I have been doing an art degree. So seeing as I have an overly active imagination at the moment...

HOW TO TREAT (AND CURE) CREATIVITY WITHDRAWAL

1. Doodle! I know it seems like an odd suggestion, but just scribbling away something without thinking is a good way to get yourself into more creative mindset.
2. Get a new art supply (or two... or a lot). Even if you just try out a new pencil or try painting with coffee, try something different to get you excited about making stuff again.
3. Try something different! If you have always been a person to work with pencils, try working with paint to get you out of your comfort zone.
4. Clean up your space! This one may only apply to a couple of people but I think that a clean space is like a clean canvas, just waiting to be used!
5. Look at your old work. I was feel reinvigorated to work when I see my old drawings and paintings, it feels like there's so much potential in the next piece.
6. Help someone else do something creative! It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it can just be something simple like helping them make something new.
7. ACTUALLY  MAKE SOMETHING!!

So dear readers, I am off to cure my creativity withdrawl. If you haven't noticed it yet, I've added a neg page to this blog dubbed "Art & Other Creative Items", this is where I shall keep all my images of my artwork updated , I would really appreciate it if you took a look every now and again.

Until we meet again

Talia

A Little Guide to Art School

How Not To Make Art 101

During the last few weeks of varsity, I've learnt a lot about how not to make art, and how not to be an artist. It's surprisingly easy to fall into this trap in Art School, so I thought I'd share a little bit of naive wisdom that I've figured out.

Apparently no lecturer can tell you "how to make art", but there are a lot of unwritten laws about things you shouldn't do when you're making art: Here is the technically-unwritten-but-typed list of things you shouldn't do.... Unless you're an avant-garde artist who's already made a name for themselves. 

1. Compose your image or work centrally. Seriously, apparently its "too perfect".
2. Use anything cliched... so butterflies, wolves, arrows, the globe, watches, hourglasses, dogs, cats, dream catchers, skeletons, naked people.... the list goes on
3. Leave a lot of empty spaces... Unless you are really good at understanding negative spaces.
4. Paint from photographs... draw from photographs... referencing photographs unless you're doing photography
5. Only use grey tones or mid tones. This one I do agree with, having a deep dark tone and an almost white tone is a good way to create depth and contrast in an image. 
6. Forget about preparatory work... This one varies from artist to artist, because people see planning in different ways. For me, writing and thumbnail sketches in ink are a perfect means of organising an image, for other people full scale perfect sketches work for them. It all depends on what works for you.
7. Comparing your work to other artists work, This is a sure fire way to stop feeling inspired and to give up art entirely. Rather all yourself to be inspired and learn from others instead of putting yourself down.
8. Leave all your prep work and current work in a mess. Trust me after two weeks of working in a messy pile of papers, trying to find one prep drawing is a bit of a nightmare.
9. Take criticism badly. Yes some people are honestly just rude and unhelpful, but most of the time criticism, both positive and negative can be really useful and help you to see your work in a slightly more neutral way.
10. Give up. No matter what happens, never ever give up on what you love to make. That's a good way to never become an artist

So dear readers, a little advice for those of you studying art or know someone who is.... Make what you love doing and you should be okay. 

Until we meet again

Talia

And So The June Countdown Begins...

Happy Mother's Day dear readers! If you forgot it was Mother's day then shame on you! Yes, I know it's only been 35 minutes (in South African time) but that's no excuse. Today is the day you take a moment to appreciate all the things your mother does for you everyday, not to mention the nine months she had to haul you around before that.

Now... I know it's late and yes I should probably be in bed by now... But unfortunately my workload seemed to magically pile itself up in one week to have all the time consuming elements take place in uncomfortably close proximity to one another. There always seems to be a million things to do when you seem to get one huge deadline out of the way... The list is constantly growing and changing... Kind of like life I guess. If things stopped changing and we didn't have to adapt, I think we would all get bored eventually.

But the frustrating thing about the workload now... especially for sculpture and printmaking, is that it takes so long to produce a single piece of work. After so many weeks of being back, I only have two final etching prints, a sculpture drying in the sculpture studio and a complete set of photos that still need to be made into a book. That's not much considering how much work and time has gone into everything...

I'm just itching to draw or paint something that I can look at when I'm done... But the saddest thing is that time won't allow me to do that until June... and that's still another month away before I can breathe normally again. But the show must go on, and no mental breakdowns can be allowed near the etching equipment. For now I don't have many pictures of work to share, but I promise I will post them all as soon as I can.

Happy Mothers Day dear readers!

Until we meet again
Talia

The Work In Progress You Don't Always See

So Dear Readers, the end of April is almost upon us... and that means that one third of this year is already over. It still feels like the year is off to an extremely slow start, but I think that the reason is because we haven't been doing much work where the process can be seen.

At the moment, we're working on various forms of etching and sculpture  in clay... which is messy work almost all the time... but the process that goes into both is really difficult to see. You can't really show all the work that went into drawing into the copper or all the clay you've put on and taken off. All you really see is the final outcome of a slow process, Which isn't a bad thing, it just feels like a lot less work to show at the end.

I feel like not being able to see the process also relates to a lot of things in life, you can't see all the effort it takes to build a relationship with someone, all you can actually see is the current work in progress. You can't see how much time it takes for someone to become the person that they currently are.

If you're lucky, in art, you may get to watch someone work and see how a work transforms from a blank page or an empty space into something more tangible. Life is very much the same, you only get to see the slow transformation when someone lets you get incredibly close to them. That comfort and trust is a privilege, not a right. It is earned by trust and care, But the thing to remember about works in progress is that they have ups and downs, and the negatives are just as important as the positives to see how things turn out. I guess that you have to remember that the bad parts about progress are sometimes more meaningful than the good, because they teach you so much more than reinforcing what you think you already know.

So dear readers, if someone you know or something you may be creating has hit a bit of a rough patch, that's okay. Just remember that sometimes you have to have a patch of darkness to understand the light.

Until we meet again
Talia

A Page a Day

So dear readers, 1/4 of 2015 is already over! And it went by so quickly... Seems like each year I add to my tally seems to speed up. I know some people who like to use the analogy of a year being a book in the story of your life, with each day representing a page. But I have to admit, art wise, my book seems to have a lot of blank spaces...

This is quite disappointing for me, I thought that once I'd be back at varsity all the deadlines would make me a lean mean creative machine... but it's like a machine that hasn't yet warmed up properly. 1/4 of the year is already over, the creative machines in my class can't STILL be warming up. I think the worst part is that it feels like its not just my art class, it feels like everyone I know is struggling to stay productive... Or worse still get productive in the first place.

I can actually tally how much art I've made since the beginning of this year:

• 7 and a 1/2 typographic drawings (The 1/2 is for the one I still haven't finished)
• 1 actual drawing for varsity of a mielie (or corn for those of you overseas)
• 3 different photographic series
• 2 admittedly cool light box art pieces
• 1 journal of daily writing

And the 7 and a 1/2 drawings may sound like a lot, but I did all of those BEFORE the semester started. But I think I should also just try drawing little things anyway, regardless of whether they are for varsity or not. Especially the typography. I think this might be a sign that the work I do for myself is more important than just waiting for it to happen at varsity. I also have a couple of drawings I want to do for some special people in my life, drawings that I've had in my mind that have yet to materialise onto paper.

So hopefully with the start of the new term I'll have lots more new work to share with you soon dear readers.

Until we meet again

Talia

An Enlightening Experiment

So dear readers... Today is Monday... I am a day late and a dollar short with this post... and for that I cannot apologise enough. But alas life goes on, and so does this blog. And what's been on my mind this week is the idea of Experimenting. No, not with substances of a questionable nature but rather with regards to Art.

Do you ever get those times when someone gives you free reign with an assignment and you have so many ideas that you don't actually know where to start? That happened to me with a particular Fine Arts Assignment that I have due this week. This is basically how this assignment worked: Each person in the class was given a specific topic, which we have freedom to respond to in any way we choose. Mine was the following piece of photocopied text:

"All the forms of auxiliary apparatus which we have invented for the improvement or intensification of our sensory functions are built on the same model as the sensory organs themselves or portions of them: For instance, spectacles, photographic cameras or ear-trumpets. Measured by this standard devices to aid the memory seem imperfect since our mental apparatus accomplishes precisely what they cannot: it as an unlimited receptive capacity for new perceptions and lays down permanent - though not unalterable - memory-traces of them." 

So, that was my topic. Quite a mouthful isn't it?

All the words that are in blue are the words that stuck out to me when I read this topic the first time... And I wanted to work around the ways in which I've learnt to memorise something... And the first thing I thought of was writing things, because that is my distinct way of memorising something and also having a memory-trace of it...

So I decided to experiment with layering pieces of writing and displaying it on a light box... And here is the final result:

Home made light box sans light

Text layers with lights on

Text Close-Up

If you want to know the relevance of the writing. I wrote the above passage of text repeatedly in progressively smaller text until I was able to recite the passage word for word. Thus a tangible outcome of a memory aiding device became my work for this project... And I have to say, I think this experiment turned out quite successfully.

And this is the week where every assignment is due, so I am off to get more stuff done dear readers.

Until we meet again
Talia