"She's from another time, but she was not at odds with the times. The times were at odds with her. I think when a person moves to their own kind of clock, spirit, flow.
If we were living in an environment that allowed us to be exactly who we are. You are always in congress with yourself. The challenge is, how do we fit into the world that we are around? Are we allowed to be exactly who we are? Was Nina Simone allowed to be who she was? As fragile as she was strong? As vulnerable as she was dynamic?
She was African royalty, how does Royalty stomp around in the mud. But still walk with grace? Most people are afraid to be as honest as she lived."
- Ambassador Shabazz
I took the time to sit and watch the beautiful documentary "What Happened Miss Simone" recently. Instantaneously sparks of inspiration lit up inside me, as I watched the history of this incredibly strong woman. Each person in this world lives a tremendously uncertain life. The path of Nina Simone, was lived fearlessly. This took her deep into her passions and she shared them in her honest language of music. As the world unraveled before her eyes, the threads that tied her to it seemed to me, pull tight like the cords within a piano. Her voice came down in deep vibration hammering on each of those cords. The vibrations released shook the world, and woke up static hearts. The echos reached the ears of many as the civil rights revolution had ignited. Her flame caught wind and those who were touched by her became a roaring fire. A force that traveled throughout the nation and still burns to this day.
Life seems to work in cycles, as one part dies another is reborn. The balance of all living things on this planet depend on this circle of cause and effect.As far as we know this is the only planet we have, so the necessity to protect it is more prevalent than ever to maintain this balance. In our current state we are on the cusp of an ecological downfall, due to a lack of awareness and activity towards preserving what we have. There are many resources on what we can do to help. One of them is a fantastic film called Fresh. Fresh shares the value of maintaining the balance of life, especially through organic farming. This film not only touches the lives of fellow farmers, but to all of mankind. While in the midst of viewing it, I began to feel very emotional. Hopelessness came over me as thoughts of how over produced and consumed we are in this becoming material world. The reality that this has been so embedded in our way of being, makes the challenge of restoring a stronger balance in nature seem nearly impossible. Although I already understood the weight of the situation and currently try my best to live as consciously as possible, there has to be more that I can do. An important lesson I have learned in life is that I can't change people. They have to make the decision themselves. But what will it take for people to open their eyes? I drove home that night feeling taunted by all of the littler strung along the sides of the roads, most of which I noticed were bags, cups, empty big fry containers, all from an assortment of fast food businesses. Will it take a huge reality check for people? Like the kind you experience when a close friend passes? to help you realize how short life really is. And if so, when we get to that point, will we have dug ourselves too deep of a hole in our own waste to dig ourselves out? Education and awareness are our strongest tools in order to take the first steps to preserving out planet. I believe many people blindly follow these consumerist trends out of mostly, convenience and also the fact of acting unaware of the depth of the decisions they make. As Joel Salatin, an organic farmer from Fresh states, "Part of our responsibility as stewards of the earth is to respect the design of nature. " There is always a give and take, Ask yourself how much do you take? Within all of your actions through out the day, and what are you giving back in return?
The one and only, Elton John... Also accompanied by a cute lion
Here is a fabulous video about the great "Circle of life" to send a jolt of nostalgia through your bones.
In life, the destination of where someone wants to go is a small fraction of the journey as a whole. Often times, whether it is a road trip or a goal theywish to achieve; the journey becomes an obstacle in their way of getting to where they want to go. However, the journey to me is just as important and in some cases even more important than the destination. The choices one makes along the way determines the outcome of the end goal. For example, creating an art piece. Like most things in life, nothing seems to go as planned. Smudges, lines, and occasionally paw prints from pets spontaneously make their way to the paper. The artist could stop and start over each time, but after committing multiple hours to your work, starting over would be a disservice to their precious time. So improvisation comes into play, as one learns to incorporate the "mistakes" into the grand scheme. More times than not, the final art piece is something more unique and personal than the original plan. This is a metaphor for any journey. On any trip I have taken, I am forced to act creatively and spontaneously when the unexpected inevitably arises. As a kid, my family and I would take a lot of road trips. I have vivid memories of these car rides. I would take my Walkman with me and out of a collection of discs with titles scribbled on top of them, I would choose the perfect mix I made specifically for this adventure. The music would begin and the world that drifted past my windows would warp into a world of my imagination. Power lines as they swiftly moved past looked like the pages of a symphony, with each of the sparrows perched perfectly like music notes. My eyes seemed to close in as if I was half asleep, I'd trace the silver lining and soft curves of the mountains like a giant asleep on its side. Time would slip away and when we'd get to our destination, I would sit at the hotel and paint all of the scenery that I captured along the way. I did some research this past year, curious as to why music triggers such shapes and unique hues for me. As I suspected, I am not alone. There are many forms of these dual senses. Psychologists and neuroscientists have named this phenomena, Synesthesia which is described as "the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part
of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body." For me, I feel like sounds have shapes and colors, its almost like watching live Fantasia.
Music is always a part of my journey. One of my favorite musicians that is guaranteed to put my mind into this dream like state is a talented band from Oregon called Mimicking Bird's. I saw them play about a year ago in Spokane, Washington. This band never seizes to amaze me. Paired with trans like loops the lyrics sang by Nate Lacy guarantee to take hold of your imagination.
-An art piece I made on vacation in Omaha, NE.
Synesthesia (also spelled synæsthesia or synaesthesia; from the Ancient Greek σύνsyn, "together", and αἴσθησιςaisthēsis, "sensation") is a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.People who report a lifelong history of such experiences are known as synesthetes.
Happiness, is simply complex and awfully wonderful. I truly believe it is a wholesome light that lives within each of us. It is not something you spend your whole life looking for; it already exists withing you. So why is it that we feel like we are on this endless search for happiness, constantly hungry for more?
One Tuesday afternoon, my professor had us begin the class by doing a stress relief exercise. Each student was to take a moment to write a list of five different things that bring you happiness. Afterwards she had several students around the room share a few items off their list. Some of the happiness shared in peoples life's where thing like, family, heath, children, and skills. The exercise concluded that not a single student in the class room had anything material on their list. Yes, money becomes necessary to economically provide for doctors, to maintain certain people's health and money is useful to purchase tools for some trades.But essentially life itself is what makes one feel true joy.
We spend so much time making money to provide bigger and better things for ourselves, we forget about the little things. It almost becomes a competition of who has more. The bigger house, faster car, and newest TV screen. All these things gained also come with consequence, but we as a society automatically tend to only see the privilege of what all of our consuming provides not the repercussions. The bigger house that you own, with twice as many bedrooms than you and your family could fill is not only using up more natural resources such as; water, granite, wood, gas, ect. It is also taking up more space on a planet that is reaping the effects of over population and causing animals to be pushed out of their homes. Just so you can sit your butt on that laz-e-boy throne in your castle. The bigger better car you drive is polluting the air you breathe. While 90 percent of the time extra space in your new car is completely wasted as you drive alone amongst all of the other single passengers in cars. And what better way to experience the life you view through your television than experiencing the world in the highest definition available, reality.
It it is also important to think about where the items you are buying are coming from, like factories with poor labor laws. Or possibly, if things like diamonds are being harvested by people who are losing their hands to provide them, by scraping the earth for its treasures just for some shinny tradition someone started. Not only being conscience of where the items are coming from, but where will they go once you are through with them. Plastics can be found at arms reach of nearly every American, this man made material was created in the early 90's for war. Since then, plastics have multiplied with nowhere to go but landfills and our ocean because they are not able to decompose. The chemicals and material used to create plastic are being found within our food and the water we drink. There are many pros to the luxuries you spend your life to obtain as well, but it is important to think outside of yourself and weigh out the possibilities. Is it really worth it?
Consumerism is so deeply imbedded into society that it makes it nearly impossible to live without it. I'm not saying to go live in a tent with your family, just to think a little deeper about all that you consume. Instead of only seeing the reward. Try to visualize the whole picture of how your actions effect the world. I truly believe that material items bring temporary joy, for the fact that at any moment, they can be taken from you. Wholesome good actions and entity's in this world are permanent and bring lasting happiness. If you are looking for something to brighten your day, look no further, the light that lives within the sun and provides chlorophyll to the plants, is the same light that lives within you.
Tiffany Holman, Watercolor, Swimming through The Pines, 2013
"Provisionally 'I' practically alive
Mistook signs for signified
And so since I’ve often tried
To run them off a cliff like Gadarene swine
and tied my thought-ropes in anchor bends
wondering whether we were someone better then,
or maybe just better able to pretend
(and what better means to our inevitable end!)"
- Mewithoutyou, Fox's Dream Of The Log Flume
Down the crooked paths, winding through history. Music and art playfully embellish our past through folklore. These story's passed through generations creatively put a spin on life. Some tales intended on teaching the young, and some to tell of current life experiences. Most of folklore takes form orally, and is shared through song, stories or chants. The music culture is deeply rooted within folklore as country, bluegrass, and the blues all are derived from traditional American folk music and consequentially also from Europe. There is a great chance that a percentage of the music you are listening to through the radio in your car has some connection to this background.
Today, this genre still leaves an awakening trail through our history. Artists have a way of surfacing the truth in blatant honesty. One of my favorite artists that holds to this nature is a a band called, Mewithoutyou . You wont find cheesy love or breakup songs on any of their albums. Only stories that tell a witty unmasked truth. I had a chance to see them in the city of roses, Portland 2014. While in the audience I noticed there was a sense of brotherhood; as we all stood together, chanting, and fighting for the same cause. This is a band that is not only masterfully impressive on all of their albums, will blow you away at a live concert.
Visual, art also leaves its mark in history and shows us stories of the past. The art piece you see at the top of this post is a piece I made in 2013.This work is an optical illusion, if you look closely you can find 10 different animals hiding within it. The style is my interpretation of a folk type of art. To the left you see a painting one of my best fiends; Ross Christensen (to my right) and I collaborated on for our friend Micah's (The stripped dread head to my left) van. We used inspiration from a song called "The Fox The Crow and The Cookie" by Mewithout you for the design. As Micah makes his journey down the West coast, our history touches the life's of many people. I wonder if one day in the far future someone will come across van and recognize it as a piece of folk history.
Standing in the grocery line, I overhear the conversation of two women. They are rambling on about the youth, and making comments like, "did you hear they are not even teaching cursive in school anymore!?" This is a hot topic that has been repeated like an echo through my ears for the past several years. It is not just gossip, it is a fact, as I have discovered from my clients that teach in grade schools. We have moved as rapid as your cell phone updates into a digital age. Some have been born into this lifestyle, playing with ipads and cell phones before they could even talk. Others moving progressively as we shift into this sifi like stage of life. There is also a large number of people who do not want to accept this change in society and choose to stay as far from it as possible. Honestly, I am as big of a fan of cursive handwriting as the next baby boomer. I use this traditional form to write everyday. The truth is, I find people my own age who studied cursive in their curriculum and have a hard time reading it. Many of them would much rather use a digital communication than write out a neatly written letter to a loved one. I'm a sucker for the old fashion ways of doing things. I still like to hand write letters and postcards to people. I have not worked into a digital form of my artistic trade. There's something so significant about using your basic motor skills to create on mediums as simple as a piece of paper. I have an instagram @tiffcatann, but that is the furthest I have gone towards digitally sharing my art.
The digital world is on the rise, there is no doubt about it. It's taken and given many jobs to the masses. I can't help but to find myself in wonder of what is to become of the traditional art world. Like many things, technology has become a main counter part of art. I have also observed how most of the students in my basic drawing classes are taking that class as a foundation for careers like computer gaming design, digital marketing, and graphic arts. I've been digging my heels in the ground for a while now, trying to stay true to the good ol fashioned way of drawing something. Its definitely time for some change. There are many things to fear about this new world. I have seen many artists having to report fake users who have stolen the art from their page and attempted to take credit for the things they didn't do or pretend to be that artist for publicity. There are people stealing images of an artists work and using it for thing like their logo or tattoos without credit to those who spent hours doing work for that piece. People copy and pasting art to take and tweak as their own without permission. Fear is something that out of nature for survival, we all tend to acknowledge in our minds before seeing the good. But the truth is, there is so much positive that comes along with this. The digital art world does many things that the traditional can't. Not only can they both be developed beyond reality through imagination, but the digital world has special effects and features that the physical world can not obtain. The digital world has created so many opportunity's for the both styles of art. Now we are free to share globally and in less than seconds display work to inspire everyone. It's created jobs for not only the masters of painters, but anyone who has a creative mind. These are all such exciting ideas to look forward to. I just may try to dip my toes into this virtual world myself. Knowledge is power. The more we know, the less there is to fear. I'm looking forward to this opportunity for artists everywhere to make themselves know.
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto For doing the jobs that nobody wants to And thank you very much, Mr. Roboto For helping me escape just when I needed to Thank you, thank you, thank you I want to thank you, please, thank you The problem's plain to see: Too much technology Machines to save our lives. Machines dehumanize.
