fawlkie talkie

sending this into the void.........esp. b/c none of my friends know i have this thing, yet"}..... does the frustration ever cease? it's so difficult to communicate with people sometimes when they don't understand what it's like to have a learning disability. tonight...again..during class, right in the middle of beginning to talk, as soon as i opened my mouth, the words raced through at a millisecond's speed and everything was past and disappeared. i then had no idea what i was going to say and had to express that after everyone was staring at me. it is mortifying that this persists over the years. i've become used to it, but sometimes it bothers me worse than others. i try to place things into perspective and in reality, so many others have more struggles, so i am thankful that it is not as bad as it could be. however, it is difficult. i guess it makes it more difficult when people think of me as a regularly functioning human-being and tease about me being the space cadet, when in reality, i have a legitimate problem.  ...and i have a really good sense of humor and am easy to laugh at myself, but after three decades of the same taunt and misunderstandings.....the bloom is off the rose. *sigh* ohwell, what can you do. move on, move forward.......

gotta love'm didgies

this makes me smile every time"} *gish**gish*

attempting to break new ground- clay in a contemporary world

   Breaking new ground as an artist is not an easy task, especially when every idea has been done and the only originality lays between our fingertips. Also, it does not help when clay in the contemporary world most often equals craft only. Being a ceramic sculptor and sometimes utilitarian clay artist, I have difficulty seeing various clay works not being breathing works of art. The whole craft underdog sentiment with the upturned noses from the "real" contemporary artists does not impress or move me. One would think all artists would be the ones capable of seeing the artistic merit in those labeled as craft artists. 

    Often I struggle with the notion that slap and go artists, who throw fancy around their concepts to an art work that is not even well-crafted or compositionally successful, demonstrate the divide the most. Somehow the art elite would rather celebrate the easy edge of pretension and pretending instead of those who take all steps in the creative process with the purest intentions. Although, I do not support this harsh critical eye towards craftspeople, I do not intend to further alienate us or our material preferences- I wish we would all step back and support each other. 

     When attempting to make your individual mark in the art world, it is more difficult when the cards are stacked against you before you begin from medium alone. Then when the trials and errors come from how you decide to tackle your vision, it's an entirely new fiasco.

However, this is where I see the adventure in being a clay artist. How do you express yourself and your fresh viewpoint of tired ideas successfully? To be continued......