Blog Archives
Head in the Clouds
Nothing.
I’ve been trying to think of something to write about, but nothing is coming to mind. It’s downright perplexing. Hmm? Perhaps what I need to do is “space out” for a little while to clear my head. Alright, let’s give this a try.
Convention dictates I should be laying outside in a field or at the top of a grassy hill while gazing up at clouds shaped like Abraham Lincoln or a spaceship (is that cloud just shaped like a spaceship or…). The past few days have provided us folks in Columbus, Ohio with some of the most majestic cloud formations to date this year, which is a sign for great potential to finally clear my head and get focused.
The childhood exercise of staring openly into the vast sky is not only relaxing, but remarkably sedative. Vague images of favorite characters and entire cities in the sky spark our imaginations to run wild and see things we never thought possible…or, quite frankly, never knew we were capable of seeing.
The clouds, though thousands of feet above us, appear so intimately close sometimes. And, in addition to their surreal proximity, their density is also continuously called into question. Can these cloud formations, that have been looking like grand kingdoms lately, really hold no weight at all?
Are clouds simply an imaginative mirage?
Do you see a spaceship? The girl of your dreams? Heaven?
Despite the literal composition of clouds, one thing is certain: we will never know what they are truly made of until we fill our heads with them.
P.S. This music will help in your daydreaming journey:
P.P.S. Trust your instincts on seeing a spaceship…really!
What Will We Look Like in a Museum?
The incredible power of looking at a painting or sculpture is imagining what the artist was thinking over a period of time that took him or her from a blank sheet, or even nothing at all, to a colorful, even transcendent, finish. What was the thought process? The inspiration? The meaning?
Art is a fantastically ambiguous medium that stirs up emotions and reactions that range from happy and joyful to curious and confusing to sorrowful and heart-breaking to inspiring and magnificent. In some senses, art is universally objective and other times is purely subjective to the viewer.
Starry Night (of the 19th century) is beloved around the world. The perception of a vase from Ancient Greece with a story illustrated around the top rim is more subjective.
I wonder what the defining piece of art will be for the 21st century (so far)? What image or shapes will resonate with entire generations?
I have a strong inkling it won’t be a 2-dimensional painting or marble sculpture, but instead will be an experience.
Ask yourself: What is it like to live in the 21st century?
Whatever you decide, be inventive.