Index:
2012
Culture gone bad
Making waves
2011
The Perfect Fit
Cancer
Uncertainty
Time marches on
It's about time
Hovering
Lost and found
2010
Time stands still
Perspective
Stream of consciousness
Control
Culture Gone Bad
I'm feeling a bit disgruntled this morning, reflecting on the state of things. I have a long weekend ahead, and my first night of it was restless thoughts from work -- pending issues, things I would like to improve, etc. Just hours of mulling over with inaction.
February is my month to put traction on my marketing efforts. Realize steps toward reaching my future audience. Eighteen days into the month, and I have nothing yet to show. Protein folding comes to mind. Weird tangent, but here goes.
I've played with thoughts of adding color, starting with people that I have known in mind, imagining what they would like, customizing black and white designs into Zazzle product lines, starting with holidays, interests, and life events that consumers are searching for, adding complimentary designs for customizing the backs of t-shirts, etc.
Perhaps Shelter from the Storm could be offered in dark green and light blue, with crops of it featured in a series of shirts, shoes, mugs, etc. Let my inner designer go a little wild playing with this one design. Don't get too serious with content; Give people what they want.
I've thought about letting go of Saatchi Online, atleast for now, and focusing my efforts on the Zazzle workspace. Embracing pop culture and customized mass production, moving with a fun attitude toward the wide array of product offerings. Offering prints and posters of my larger abstract pieces via Zazzle. This would offer a more unified pricing structure, a less confusing purchasing experience for customers, and eliminate my tension between pop and high art. It would offer me the chance to commit to one interface, rather than splitting time between worlds.
So
where am I going with this Culture Gone Bad? and protein folding?
Culture Gone Bad started out in June 2008 as Phagocytosis, and an email to a researcher:
"I read about your recently co-authored work in Nature Nanotechnology from the BBC online story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7408705.stm. As an artist exploring new ways of meeting an audience, I developed a t-shirt in response to your story. .. As a researcher, how do you feel about this approach? .."
The email continued with lengthy text featured on the back of the shirt,
"Lung cells engulf foreign particles up to 20 microns long. Beyond that, they become frustrated, hyper. They cannot do their job. In agitation, they harm interior surfaces. Carbon nanotubes -- strong, light, 50,000 times smaller than a human hair, promise mass reduction, body armour, broken bones healed. Hexagons formed into cylinders, they are science’s bright hope. The race for technology breakthroughs. Fervor, quick funding decisions, tunnel vision. Take a moment. Listen. In lengths greater than 20 microns, these tiny strands, like asbestos-- thin, long insoluble -- may cause cancer. Take a moment. Research & Respond. It’s early in the game; Right the course before investment prohibits change."
So of course I never received anything back, and considered the effort inefficient. A lot of niche customization, and no response. Years later, in an effort to revisit and finalize pieces of the past, I decided to spend some more time with the tiny Macrophage. I expressed hope and frustration, empathy with this tiny worker in our lungs who strives to keep our air clean. And alas, a new image, with fervor and chaos. The Zazzle description now reads:
"The macrophage is a lung cell that swallows intruders. When faced with asbestos particles, or perhaps nanoparticles too large, the macrophage is faced with frustration, unable to do its job. The chaotic energy of this piece hints at the complexities involved (cancer and the human costs). Empathize with this tiny cellular structure in this unique and eye-catching T."
I think this is a pretty successful transition from less developed image and wordy language, to an interesting image, with niche information in the marketing text, but the shirt itself, kept clean and abstract.
And now we come to protein folding. Per Kurzweil and Grossman's "Fantastic Voyage", protein is "the very foundation of life." In a "remarkable process .. amino acid strings fold themselves into intricate three-dimensional structures."
The idea of folding in upon oneself, creating complexity, and then simplifying, feels to me like kneading bread. Bubbles are created and imploded, material is worked again and again until it is uniform, stable, whole.
My approach does not yet feel whole. Why my need to place anchors (niche content) so distant from my core? Other artists, those in touch with their instincts, just use "would I wear it" as their guide. Why have I spent years in academia, manufacturing, healthcare, the military, when all I want is to be an artist? Why collect so much experience? Must it be used? Reworked? Folded in unpon itself into a uniform style and design experience? Sounds good.
Connie asked that I develop an image catering to the Gemeni, the astrological sign that we share. To me that equates to a request from the universe, guiding me toward getting to know all of the signs, and creating a 5" x 6" design for each one. In reviewing the signs, I was called to the Gemini's role as one in a cast of other characters. I don't have to be serious, others have that covered. Scattered is okay, it's a strength if used mindfully. It's okay to be superficial at times. And a non-communicative introvert is really out of place. It is something I can grow out of being.
The subject of a new series brings up another issue. Currently the website features portions of my "Circle of Life" series. Should I unearth the rest of the series? I wasn't quite happy with several of the images/words the first time around, and am concerned about over-working it.
It's been a while since I circled back to my blog's mission statement -- beating cancer before it beats me. My habits lately are falling behind. My husband and I have gone to the gym a few times now, but I haven't yet raised a sweat. I cooked and froze tons of soups, which we're now eating our way thru. I've let spoil some of my green ideas in the fridg, which I now need to clean out. I'm a bit hungover this morning, relying on Alieve to keep me upbeat. I've read and read books on health, and need to fold in that fuel into myself, my habits, and my artwork. How about a series based on the vitamins - A, C, E, etc. What are they good for, and why should we care about them. I still can't keep them straight, so that would be helpful.
So,... what have I mulled thru. I can give up Saatchi for now, add prints and posters using the Zazzle space, work on enhancing that space so that I like it (currently it just doesn't look good to me) and play it conservative on the issue of color (just black and white). I'll try out a series of expanded Zazzle products based on the Circle of Life series. Aim toward an attractive email/Facebook/Twitter product launch featuring the series. Put the creative workspace materials and ideas into the loft for storage. And draft out new series concepts featuring health and nutrition.
Sounds like I have my weekend planned. On to the fridg. The consolation in throwing out good food gone bad is that we purchased much of it on the cheap, we got our money's worth in the frozen ready-made meals, and we have a mulching machine to make new soil for spring. Take care everyone!
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