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How to best shed that exoskeleton for the soft beautiful new baby underneath.
Sea angels and land angels alike, rejoice! I, Shelley, have returned to answer all of your little burning inquiries about love, art, falling in love with art, and art falling in love with you. Let’s get into it before I gotta take another big underwater breath to stay afloat.
Sweetheart angel, I think of it like this: all art exists in a permanent capsule. You listen to Baduizm for the first time, and think, “Wow, this is such an important piece of art to me. I’m going to go on ‘X: The Everything App’ (Twitter) and see what other thoughts and opinions this artist is sharing currently.” The difference between art and artist is that the art is a snapshot, it’s a moment in time that does not change. The lyrical profundity of ‘Bag Lady’ is not ultimately lessened by what Badu says online or in interviews. To be moved by a piece of art made by someone with radically different opinions to yours speaks to the complexity and depth of human capacity.
All of this to say, if I were you, I would be upfront with the complexity of those feelings! It is an extremely human thing, as a casual observer of the human experience. “I don’t agree with her, but I did listen to Tyrone at ear-splitting volumes after a breakup.” Girls love nuanced analysis, I think it’ll get you far. Pack light baby.
The most fun part about DIY art is the people who you get to create with. DIY art isn’t about the action nor does it exist as a monolithic categorization, it’s about the community that you get to be a part of. Sure, you can totally learn different techniques online and try to get it down and that’s a way to do it. But, unless you’re in community with others, it’s difficult to grow your practice and your skill.
Some of the best advice and inspiration that I have gotten is just by hanging out with my friends! Go to peoples’ shows, talk to people, and if you’re online like that, even just DM-ing someone and saying “I love your art,” is a great way to get your foot in the door. Go to your public library, and flip through their art books. Many college campuses even have dedicated libraries to just art and art-making - garner inspiration there. Make a moodboard of what you like, figure out why you like it, and go from there. Watch interviews of artists you like, talk to people whose art you think is cool. But ultimately, what you’re looking for is not gonna get found on the internet (though there are good blogs and reddit threads to provide jumping off points), it exists in the communities around you. It is, in fact, about the friends you make along the way.
Nobody has ever transferred to the next plane thinking, “Damn I never should have gotten that large pepperoni and pineapple on January 8th, I’ll do better next time.” Order that pizza, diva!
The molt is definitely crunchy and delightful. There’s a real poetry to consuming the thing that shapes the new thing! And also, of course I share the leftovers. Gotta take what I need, but we’re all needing something. The least I can do is make sure my friends are fed, too! And then they all carry parts of me with them. It’s like the perfect meal of all time, for real lovers.
Bibble-blorp! Shloop-do-woop, blop wibble-wobble shleep-slub-blub flibble <3
