Matthew Diffee and Mother Sea Turtles
Are you a mother sea turtle? If you’re a creative person, maybe you should be. That’s the advice of Matthew Diffee, and I think he’s right.
Matthew Diffee Interview
Human Demo: New Yorker Cartoonist Matthew Diffee Shows How To Be Creative – Forbes
… Among Diffee’s pieces of advice for aspiring creative people is this aphorism: “Be like a mother sea turtle.” By that he means lay a hundred conceptual eggs in the sand, then swim off and don’t fret over what becomes of them. Most of them will never hatch; most of the hatchlings will get eaten by predators. That’s not your problem. Your task is just to keep laying eggs. …
In a way, when he says, “Your task is just to keep laying eggs,” I’m reminded of the Cult of Done Manifesto, where Bre Pettis says, “There is no editing stage,” and “Once you are done you can throw it away.”
As artists, I think we can be held back by fear of failure. In our heads, we’ve already become critics, even before picking up the pen, pencil, or glue stick.
It’s important to just go for it, and allow serendipity to play a part in the dance we call creativity.
a lot of people have been summarizing Matthew Diffee’s SXSW 2012 talk. (It must have been tremendous. If anything could make me think about braving the crowds — and heat — of Austin for SXSW, the comments about Diffee’s talk might be it.)
And finally, here’s one summary that I like a lot. Click on the link and scroll down to the section that starts “Best sesh.” I think the summary at the very end of the article is the important part.
SXSW Day 3: It’s all about Bob (Marley) and creativity – Vancouver Sun (blog)
SXSW Day 3: It’s all about Bob (Marley) and creativity. Matthew Diffee, a cartoonist whose work appears in the New Yorker, defined his YEP! approach to idea generation at “How to be an idea factory” session at SXSW.
… Caffeine kicks starts the “Process”, so he sits down with an empty sheet of paper and doesn’t stop the free flow of ideas until the paper is full and the pot of coffee is empty.
How he does it: He simply starts with a word or phrases and then applies the following: Add things to one of the ideas…
And, speaking of Bre Pettis, if you’ve never made an art shrine in a book, here’s his video showing one way to start the project:
About 10 years ago, I taught a class like that at Artfest. I have no idea how Pettis took only 20 minutes to cut the pages; some of my students spent the entire day cutting. (Yes, that was the last time I tried to teach that as a one-day class.) Usually, the cutting took me about an hour and a half, with breaks to keep my hand from cramping as I held the cutting blade.
During those breaks, I’d work on elements that would go inside the art shrine. I’ve always liked tooled metal, similar to the journals Tracy Moore created, so I found ways to include some sheet metal (doesn’t have to be very thick) in some of my altered books and art shrines. To stamp the words into the metal, I like a good, heavy tooling set like this one. (Some of the lightweight sets sold at arts & crafts stores… they just aren’t sturdy enough to hold up for very long.)
And then, I’d go back to cutting more pages in the book. It was tedious, but the finished altered books made it worthwhile.
Today, I’d probably do a lot of the cutting with a Dremel tool or something. Yes, it could accidentally gouge some of the back cover, but if you use Pettis’ idea of putting a felt liner there, nobody will know if the Dremel got a little out of control.
I’d also consider using a wood burning tool here & there, along the inside edges of the opening. That could look cool and antique-ish, and cover any raw or weird areas, as well.
Tea staining could work, but it won’t be as good at disguising “oops” areas where the blade may have been sloppy. And, in a single-day workshop, the tea won’t dry quickly enough to move to the next step — sealing the edges — unless you use something like an embossing tool (heater) to dry the pages.
After whatever edge treatment I chose (if any), I’d cover the edges with clear, matte finish acrylic gel medium, so the pages would hold together, but it wouldn’t look too obviously glued. (For some projects, I might mix in some small, dried leaves or glitter, depending on the effect I wanted to create.)
This next video starts with some altered book ideas, but he’s using a board book and cutting out part of each page. Then, he wanders into some interesting mixed media techniques that might work well with the first (shrine-style) altered book, above.
I hope those give you some creative ideas!
With thanks to David Locicero for telling me about Matthew Diffee’s interview.
Groceries in Your Backyard – Back to the Future?
Frugal and healthy ideas from 1917.
I’m about to swing wildly off-topic here. Blame it on my addiction to old newspapers and magazines. I cruise through them for cool images for collage, and — the next thing I know — I’m suddenly learning about handmade lace, pea soup recipes, or raising chickens.
When I was a kid, I was convinced I’d grow up, buy a farm, have six wonderful children, and live a very domestic life.
That’s not quite the way things worked out.
However, I find myself saving newspaper clippings. Lately, they’ve been about gardening and self-sufficient living. We’re going to need a house for this, of course. The hens wouldn’t be happy in my apartment, and the balcony is a little small for birds too large for a birdcage.
Still, I read the article at right, and it makes sense to me. We’re throwing food down the disposal (or into the trash or the compost heap) that could feed hens that would produce eggs… nice healthy eggs that could be a major part of our daily diet.
In my opinion, there’s a lot of logic missing in daily life. What began as convenience in the early 1950s (or earlier) has wandered down a weird path. Food my grandmother grew in her backyard, and tasted fresh and delicious, is now shipped to us over thousands of miles. It costs a ridiculous amount to buy, it’s not as fresh or delicious, and it comes packaged in plastic that contributes to the landfill, big time.
Worse, the cost of shipping food cross-country is climbing due to soaring gas prices, and those plastic containers — which originate as petroleum products — are going to be more expensive, too.
*blink*
Yes, eat your veggies, but — more importantly — grow your own veggies.
And, as I re-read this 1917 newspaper clipping, maybe hens are worth considering.
Journaling – Part of the ‘Happy Secret’
Journaling is included in this TED talk about the “happy secret” approach to living a more fun, productive, rewarding life.
It starts with how you feel, and how positive you are. Your emotional level — how happy you are — determines how happy your life events are.
Click the Play arrow to watch it. The video is about 12 minutes long, and very worthwhile.
If you’re in a hurry (though I hope you’re not), the screenshot below shows you the point to fast-forward to. Start at about the 11 minute marker. (The graphic, below, is a screenshot… click on the video above, to watch it.)
All of those suggestions can help. Of course, “meditation” will mean different things to different people, from prayer to conscious meditation, and from time spent admiring art in a museum, gallery or studio, to the simple act of “being there”… being in the moment. However, I believe that the more of these elements you can include in your life, the happier you’ll feel.
In the context of this website, the idea of journaling each day — making notes (words, images, a recording, etc.) about one happy event of that day — can make a big difference in your happiness.
Of course, the studies were based on a 21-day practice of… well, whichever of those choices seem most appealing to you.
In some cases, people will become happier the first day. Others will need to acquire or develop the habit, and — somewhere around day 21 — the person will pause and realize that she (or he) is feeling happier. Colors seem brighter. There seem to be more opportunities, more fun, and more whimsy in daily life. Serendipity is in your favor, and life is better.
I’ve always been an enthusiast of journaling or keeping a diary. Now, there’s evidence that it can improve your happiness, as well.
Got Snow? Snowman Alternative
Across Europe, unusual levels of snow — and freezing temperatures — are a sharp contrast with the “June-uary” weather we’ve had in much of the U.S. this winter.
This weekend, I see reports of six inches of snow expected in some parts of the U.K.
So, when I was browsing old magazines and newspapers, this article caught my attention. It’s about a “snow devil” alternative to a snowman. It sounds magnificent, and ideal for an outdoor art projects.
The article is from the San Francisco Call, published on 4 February 1912.
Here’s another tip: When I was little, my mother used to give me the tops of beets — some of the beet, with the green plant to use as a handle — and I’d “paint” the snow and ice with the beet. The color was a wonderful magenta.
I’m sure you could create interesting effects with this “snow devil” with natural coloring, like from beets (or the water you cook them in). You could also use food coloring, or diluted Dr. Ph Martin’s dyes or radiant colors, or even some watercolors or acrylic paints, mixed with water.
(The problem with the latter might be an environmental issue. I’m not sure that the small amount of acylic paint would make a huge difference, but… well, you can look into it if you decide to add color to your “snow devil,” and acrylics are what you have on hand.)
I think this “snow devil” would require several coats of water so it’ll last for awhile. When I was little and we made igloos in our backyard, we’d coat the snow with buckets and buckets of water. Between each “layer” of water, we’d let everything freeze solid, and then add more water, and so on.
If you create a “snow devil,” I hope you’ll share photos!
1917 Newspaper Article – Innocence? Naivete?
I love old newspapers and magazines. Sometimes, when I’m browsing through them, I see an article or an illustration that I can hardly believe I’m seeing.
This isn’t the strangest photo I’ve ever seen in an old newspaper, but something about it struck me so very odd when I saw it today.
I mean, really, today’s woman would have a very different view of where Surgeon Smith’s hand is… wouldn’t she?
(You can click on that image to see the newspaper clipping slightly larger.)
I don’t mean to be bawdy or perverse. It was just one of those newspaper articles that reminded me that times have changed a lot in the past 100 years.
And, it was also a reminder that you may find wonderful images for collages, if you browse the old newspaper collections at your public library. Though you usually can’t take the newspapers out of the library, you can photocopy or photograph the image. Then, at home, you can create (and improve) a digital copy on your computer.
Not all images are as startling as this one. However, if you spend just a few minutes looking at pre-1922 (public domain) newspapers and magazines, you may find images that will inspire interesting collages or other artwork.
Ask at the reference desk of your public library. Not all regions keep old newspapers. (In warmer climates, insects or mildew can make paper storage a liability.) Nevertheless, you may be surprised to learn about the old books, magazines, and newspapers that are kept in “the stacks,” where the public rarely notices them.
For an artist, especially someone who’s fascinated by history — and, in this case, the role of women — it can be an adventure!
