I have an annoying tendency to say too much. Worried that the reader or viewer or listener might not quite get the point, I fill in for them. And in so doing, I not only do the work for the audience but, worse, I deny the viewer the experience of working it out for him, her or itself. And thus making the work relevant at a more universal level.
Okay, so knowing that about myself, I’ve started questioning a big decision I made about my ongoing project. I have been making photographs of things aging naturally in nature: fruits, flowers, vegetables. And after making the prints, I have been sewing in to the work, taking a 2D photograph into a 3D mixed media object. Bruising it and roughing it up.
I am not really too hung up about the 2D versus 3D, although I do think there is something magical and mysterious about that transformation.
It’s the sewing I am questioning. Is the work more emotionally accessible without it? Or does the sewing communicate something, without requiring text, that enhances the visual work?
What I’m really asking myself is, why the change of heart? Probably it’s because a couple of MFA colleagues informally expressed their preference for the images not yet sewn. They found them more tender and more fragile, they said. “I find them more beautiful,” said a colleague.
And that got me to thinking that maybe I don’t want the stitching and the threads. Maybe I want to print the work on silk or something that emphasizes not only the fragility but also the intimacy. And the sheer (no pun intended) beauty.
Flash forward an hour or so and I’m sending files to a print shop in LA that specializes in printing on Japanese silk.
YIKES.
It is my choice to make, of course. And my advice from my mentor was perfect: explore every place your intuition takes you.
AND (not but, and) my mentor said something that is making a lot of sense as I consider it. “Be careful not to let ‘aboutness’ drive the bus.” She advised me to read an article by writer Yiyun Lee featured in the October issue of Harper’s about this very thing: aboutness.
This paragraph, in particular, made a lot of sense to my quandary and to my questioning:
“A while ago, I was shocked to hear some aspiring writers discuss a story by first stating the aboutness of the work. To me, aboutness seems a concern for propagandists and influencers. Yet plenty of books are equipped with a GPS system of aboutness: you will be delivered to your destination, without the danger of going astray, without the need to detour. Many writers face the demand for such a system.
I am still not sure about the direction I will go in the end, at least as far as this project and the presentation I will give in November to my MFA faculty and colleagues. I’ve sent a file to the printers in LA and will soon see the work on 8mm Japanese silk. I believe the silk will reinforce the duality between the fragility and the strength. Cool. Let’s try it.
Everything is about learning. The stitched pieces may be about more than I think they are.
If there’s a mantra it is this: Follow the impulses. The creator drives the bus. I may or may not take that exit for LA and the silk. I may or may not keep sewing in. I won’t let get of the wheel.
Amy,
Bravo to you for experimenting. It is interesting how trends emerge and become popular, somtimes to the point of visual exhaustion.
For example, IMHO, we have become oversaturated with images of people’s relatives ‘painted over’.
Will the same thing happen with the about
-to-be over-saturated flurry of ‘sewing on’ images.
(Note: the term saturation here of course not referring to Hue Saturation Luminosity-HSL)..
That being said, be true to yourself. Make your own bus to ride on. There is a time and place for every innovative creative voice. HSL aside, shine with your own true-to-you luminosity.
Happy Fall
Thank you, Sue. I believe I am coming to understand and fully appreciate the gift that is the MFA program (MMW+C). Self-study and a definite course of self-navigation. My mentor (Charlotte) made it so clear to me that I must follow my intuition and my curiosity. What could be better advice? And Howard said exactly the same. Of course! I’ve made a huge shift from b&w to color, and from DSLR to medium format. Yes, it takes me about 5 minutes to make a photograph! Hahaha! I have no idea where the road will lead. I just love the feel of my feet on that path x
You are on an exciting adventure and fortunate to be working with Charlotte! (she was my academic thesis advisor. And with Charles as my studio thesis advisor, I am appreciative to have worked with their collective creative intellects..I hit a pot of gold.)
Journey on. Our year 5783 may have many hidden secrets yet to be revealed.
(And remember, it’s not the gear you use; it is the eye and vision behind it.)
I realize I did not respond to the point about trends. I’m not concerned about trends. Didn’t even know that intervention with mixed media was a trend, as it has been around for a long time now. For me, it’s about finding the language (visual) to express what I want to express. As Sondheim so perfectly it in “Sunday in the Park With George”:
[DOT, spoken]
Are you working on something new?
[GEORGE, spoken]
No.
[DOT, spoken]
That is not like you, George.
[GEORGE]
I’ve nothing to say
[DOT, spoken]
You have many things.
[GEORGE]
Well, nothing that’s not been said
[DOT, spoken]
Said by you, though, George.
That’s the mantra…!
Hi My Amazing Friend. Stay curious and experiment with everything you so desire!! Experimentation helps you explore things you might not have, add new things to your practice, and connect to your inner passion. You already know. Cheers to you and thank you for inspiring me and many others with your journey.
Big hugs.
Thank you! xx
I’m so enjoying reading these exchanges and about the creative path you are on Amy. Your enquiring vigorous mind, always challenging, always asking, will lead you to where your intuition is already guiding you. Forward ever deeper my fearless friend! Can’t wait to see the work!
Oh, that is just the best. Thank you, Sal x
Amy – love reading your blog and all the responses to it. I’m betwixt and between on a project right now and hearing your story was helpful. Sounds like the MFA was the right move for you!