Posts by Lilith __
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Up Front: Say When, in reply to recordari,
As an antidote to Prufrock, I've always liked that song by Pete Seeger about old age.
Old age is golden, I think I've heard said
But sometimes I wonder as I crawl into bed
My ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup
My eyes on the table until I wake upand
When I was younger, my slippers were red
I could kick up my heels right over my head
When I was older my slippers were blue
But still I could dance the whole night thruNow I am old, my slippers are black
I huff to the store and I puff my way back
But never you laugh, I don't mind at all
I'd rather be huffing than not puff at all -
At some age, there has to come a point where I am too old to show as much cleavage as I am, say, right now, without looking ridiculous.
Counterargument: Helen Mirren, topless or in red bikini, age 63! She looks great and knows she looks great.
I am turning 39 later this year (younger than you, hah!) and I did a big wardrobe clear-out about 18 months ago. I was helped by my sister, who pointed out that I had way too many shapeless clothes and not nearly enough showing off my fine cleavage, and other womanly assets. I didn’t have much cleavage at all in my early 20s and shapeless things actually quite suited my extreme thin-ness. How things change! But I actually needed to be told that it was OK to wear figure-hugging clothes, provided they are the correct size and not pulling me in in unnatural places (I’m thinking of you, low-rise jeans!) So I’m dressing much sexier now than I did when I was younger, and I like it!
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to Russell Brown,
Brilliant doco about Ai Weiwei, thanks Russell. Inspiring.
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to BenWilson,
I’m not sure if they particularly approve of a mental/physical distinction for Zen mindedness
That isn't actually what I said - our brains do heaps of things that don't involve intellectualisation, such as motor skills, which involve two-way messaging between brain and muscles. The part of our brains which reasons is only part of our mental toolkit.
We don't reason how to arrange flowers or do calligraphy, people who are good at these things know how they should go. And I think most creative people would say that our best work happens when we are relaxed and just following where it takes us, rather than laboriously thinking it through.
That doesn't mean a big part of these skills isn't learned - I'm sure it is, and refined by long practice and experience.
But Jacqui is right - I think we're mostly in agreement here.
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What I take from the sory of the zen archer is that physical skill is different to intellectual skill, and if you start thinking too hard about what your body is doing, you can’t do it anymore. Anyone who’s learned a skill like dancing or a martial art knows that thinking is a distraction. It’s not your intellect that’s doing the work, but your procedural/motor memory and your proprioception (“muscle sense”). I’m not sure how well that applies to art and creativity, except of course that anxiety or self-doubt impede our abilities in any field.
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to George Darroch,
On the unemployment benefit there’s the two week stand-down, and the requirement to have exhausted all your liquid assets before you qualify.
Um, I'm pretty sure that's only for the Emergency Unemployment Benefit, which is what students can get during their vacations. And the Accomodation Supplement is asset-tested. The UB itself is not cash-asset tested.
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to giovanni tiso,
Of course public art can suffer from a confusion as to its purpose. I remember some years ago, I think it was in the late 80s or early 90s, Bing Dawe was commissioned to design and make a sculpture to go in the children’s play area in Cathedral Square, and when he produced the work, many City Councilors were dismayed, because it wasn’t suitable for children to play on. What they actually wanted was play equipment, not sculpture.
Likewise, I wonder if hiring model makers and expecting them to produce interpretive, conceptually-based sculpture is just a mistake. The modelling and naturalism can’t be faulted, it’s the idea content that’s missing.
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to giovanni tiso,
whilst a lot of painters/sculptors/carpenters/architects thrived in that particular multiskilled environment
Who said it was multiskilled? I'm talking abour medieval workshops, not Renaissance Men! Painters painted, sculptors sculpted. Most of this work was done under contract, with the content and materials and style specified in that contact, often in finicky detail.
making art work financially is quite hard, and it is in fact by and large nothing like being a tradesperson in most circumstances
I think we may be talking about different things. Avant garde conceptual or perfomance art is difficult (although as Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst can attest, not impossible!) to sell. But many contemporary artists and designers work to commission, contract or brief. And commercial artists and illustrators and graphic designers and model-makers and set-builders and tattooists (to name a few) are either paid by the hour or under contracts specifying so much work for so much pay.
As I was trying to say above, the creative arts are diverse, and so are the people pursuing them.
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I'm finding the image of artists/creatives in this thread often a bit disturbing. Some of you seem determined to portray us as outsiders, abnormal and not-like-you! This follows the Romantic stereotype of artists as troubled geniuses existing outside normal society.
Sometimes I wish artists were seen now as we were in medieval times - as tradespeople doing a job.
Most creatives I know are driven, dedicated, practical, and hardworking.
ETA: and speaking for myself, I *love* the sound of my own voice, and rather like public speaking! We're all different....
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Speaker: What PACE actually does, in reply to Islander,
Thanks Lilith!
Not that cooking can't be an art form...but stories are less perishable!