Taking risks is hard ans scary especially when it comes to art.
With fused glass and ceramics, there are steadfast rules like thickness, temperature, annealing and more. So while you can’t deviate in major ways, I can take risks in the type of art I’m creating. I hope that it reveals itself as I work through my art ideas surrounding the “dream job” of the stay-at-home housewife.
One way that I will be doing that is in the treatment of fabrics - I plan to replicate articles of clothing in ceramics by covering them in slip, firing them in the kiln and having the leftovers of the clay - a ghost image of was once fabric. Additionally, I will be casting clothing, too to see what is the most successful in sharing my ideas of the fragility of the role of a housewife or the ability to be a housewife in the modern day and only living on a single income.
Chef and food artist Melissa Rebholtz joined our seminar class this evening and explained the risks she’s taken to get her dream job. Working in restaurants and going to culinary school to owning her own farm to table business, she took leaps of faith and really found a way to make money doing the things she loves. She’s just another example of taking risks - even bigger than the risks that we can take as artists. If a piece of art doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world for an artist. You move on and try something different. Not being afraid of failure will make you a good artist.
Check out some of the stuff she shares: https://weelunk.com/local-nutrition-experts-share-tips-eating/
What was cool is that in talking about her lack of ingredient availability in winter time has made Melissa be more creative in her recipes, something she says she enjoys the challenge of. So perhaps, taking that leap of faith produces the best work - when we’re up against the wall or forced to use certain materials, how creative can we be?
Pretty cool, huh? The adrenaline sometimes produces the greatest stuff.
I’m reminded of an episode of Big Bang Theory when Sheldon tries to find the perfect mental state to work. The anxiety optimazation he calls it. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzqXxe9koBw