ATTITUDE!

July 2, 2016

"Art" is an attitude.  I think it must be "attitude" first.  Someone, 'the artist' has the temerity to say, 'this is my art.'  I've recently been severely criticized for making 'everything about me!'    I've observed that most of us, when 'having a conversation' actually don't really have conversations.  We wait and pretend to listen while other folks blather on about THEMSELVES.. and then, relate that topic to our own experience and when the other guy takes a breath, we interject and blather on about ourselves.  This is fascinating because I doubt that most of us think that we are bad listeners.  I've always thought that I was pretty good at listening. 

This all turns on 'attitude.'  In order to make anything 'original' we must have something inside of us that thinks we can do it.  That 'attitude' shows up in many ways.  Leaders find ways to get other people on board and they may facilitate projects.  Guys like me are not so lucky.  I need to do almost everything myself.  It's hard for me to ask others to do things.  Too independent? Control Freak?  Probably, the latter.. but.. it's Attitude.  

I came to this topic because of an artist whose attitude and fortitude I  admire.  He's been typing like anything for several years using manual typewriters and is becoming (if he's not already become) very collectible.  His last 'assignment' has been to type John Rechy's CITY OF NIGHT while sitting in the window of LACE (LA Contemporary Exhibitions).  The result of Tim Youd's work becomes: literally... destroyed pages of black on black on black: entire novels re-typed on single sheets of paper.  The concept, of course, is the work.  The energy, effort and the 'attitude' to spend hours and hours in a public place creating the artwork have much to do with what the art is about.   Unlike a painting one might buy to hang over the sofa, Tim's conceptual work exhibits the time and 'sweat equity' that he invests to create his artwork.  City of Night takes place partially in Los Angeles, thus, Youd's choice to work in Hollywood, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams..?  It's the concept!  The attitude that one is making art with a typewriter in a gallery window on Hollywood Boulevard is a high concept and hard work that pays off.

Some of the artwork I've made has taken years to develop and a very short time to physically create.  It's the concept that makes the work special.    My attitude that the effort is important regardless of the time it takes and the energy involved is the essence of why to do it.  I did a project in Colorado in 1990 that took almost three years to develop and one day to bring it to fruition.  Yep.. it was all about me.  Of course, it's nice to get some response to the work.. and to our ideas.. our concepts... but ?? Are we all basically narcissistic poops?  What does it take to have an actual dialogue?  How can we have a discussion that flows back and forth? 

Is 'interjecting' actually interrupting?  Or might we fashion our chats so that we don't become pedantic lecturers and actually find accord?  There's a challenge.  

Carrying on with no interest in what others might have to say may be an early sign of dementia. There's a scary thought. 

July 2, 2016

michaelsheehan