I've just finished this inspirational trip and accumulated so much information
about places that I love and feel some strange familiarity and connection too.
So what do I do now?
What to do with all this stuff?
How do I maintain momentum?
As I travelled I not only maintained a blog about the journey,
and took nearly 2000 photos,
but I kept a journal, a written account of each day of the trip.
I've always kept visual journals.
These journals, of which I now have 14 spanning 21 years,
are a constant source of inspiration.
They are not filled with finished art works,
but words, doodles, cut-outs and pastings, ideas, thoughts and
musings that have entered my being over time.
It's like hoarding mental stuff that I can't afford to throw out,
just in case I need it one day.
First book, Adelaide, 1990
Most recent book, number 14,
started about a month ago,
in Paris.
Euro trip 2011, first entry |
Paris-Lausanne train ticket |
Prawns and Dali |
So it's a little bit of overload at present and I'm not sure where to start.
And what's more,
the work I had hanging on my easel before I left is still there,
and annoying the hell out of me.
I can't reconcile it. It grates, it frustrates and played on my mind constantly as I travelled,
because I knew I would have to come home and face it one day.
It's strange when you invest so much time in a piece of work,
and it fails to "sing".
I've spoken to a number of people about this work,
to get some feedback and they tend to agree.
It's safe, too easy to read, and doesn't intrigue.
There is a lot more unpredictability and energy with my other pieces.
So that at least is my starting point.
I love the story telling/comic book/words aspect but need to find a new dynamism.
Well, the comic image you posted looks awesome. Pity the story isn't gripping (if what you say is true). You must need a good hook hey to pull it all together and give it meat. Something that gives depth and meaning to your life maybe.
ReplyDeleteWho knows...
I burnt my 20 odd journals recently. It was a bit sad but strangely liberating. At first I wanted to keep everything and tear out pages but then I thought... what will I do with all of this stuff?