Thursday, January 15, 2009

Go Make Something

Was reading a friend's blog today and it reminded me of my favorite passage from Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s book A Man Without A Country: "The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something." I often think of that quote when I recall my days building props when I lived in an apartment. The Pumpkinrot scarecrow, Roots, Johnny Appleseed, two of my Witches - all built in the corner of a one-bedroom apartment on some spread-out black plastic trash bags to keep the carpet free of mache. I'd paint them on the balcony or drive them to some clear spot when I used spray paint or sealers. I'd add detail with a brush while I was watching TV. I'm glad I never waited for a garage or a basement or a better work shop to build my monsters. They never would have existed. I have this dream of hanging out in a massive workshop barn with a wood-burning stove, drinking coffee while listening to my dark music or watching horror films - scarecrows hanging from the rafters, skulls on shelves, and creatures in every corner. A good dream. In the meantime, I'll use the space I have. Every square inch of it.

9 comments:

Jon Glassett said...

That Vonnegut quote is a beauty and an old favorite of mine, as well.

And that old barn dream, man. That just sounds like heaven.

Thanks for the link love, bro.

ps - Your blog always gives be the best word verification characters. This time it's 'conederg' which sounds to me like someone trying to say 'corn dog' while eating one.

ShellHawk said...

As the old saying goes, "You've gotta grow where you're planted."
Keep growing, you!

Shotgun_Mario said...

that barn isn't too far from what I wanted as well... either a barn or a small old one-room church.


I hear ya on the creations though. I'm going into animation- and it's difficult to work without a proper studio at my disposal, but I do with what I have.

More Good Hallowe'en themed cartoons will be in the future (season's greetings?)

- I promise.

Grim said...

That barn sounds great, wish I had one too.

Anonymous said...

you got to start somewhere,even if it is in the smallest place. in that small place is where you actually can become one with your work and really get into it!

The Captain said...

That's an awesome quote! I can totally picture the barn full of beautiful things and smell the coffee. It will happen.

JHMDF said...

hehe, was just thinking of this subject today...creating things while trying not to have limits. Not directly related, but I decided about 5 years ago that I will only work and do what I truely enjoy...spread out and cover all my interests and see which pan out. I try not to have limitations.

Chris 'Frog Queen' Davis said...

Remarkable quote.

Wow, I feel like such an under achiever. I have a 20x40 shop - two stories with a workshop full of all kinds of tools and I don't create anything close to what you do. Put a lot of things in perspective. Thanks.

Very inspiring. I am sure the barn is in your future :)

Unknown said...

Dammit. Now I want that barn too. :)

And ditto on the CAPTCHA words. I just got "ovenshot". Reminds me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon... "Oh ho! He's hiding in the stove, eh??" "Would I do this if my pal Rocky was hiding in the stove?" *blam*