It has certainly been a while since I've done this, so I'll jump back in with a topic that more than likely take a few blogs because of my inherent ability to not be able to shut the fuck up.
As a very visual creative, (and I'm sure there are a lot of others that will identify with this) you meet a lot of people in your life that leave you feeling that you've just met someone that is the complete opposite of you as a person. In terms of everything. Politics, religion, diet, recreation, attitude, language, basically everything. To be honest, this last year has been one of the worst for ripping aside the veneer of tolerance for differing opinions. It happens a lot anyway. Really. Most of the time.
Always.
Over the years I've received a lot of offers from people to collaborate on art projects. They are often genuine people that I respect and admire, and they mean well and are legitimate offers made by people wishing to connect and bridge artistic philosophies in the hopes that the end product will acheive a depth that would be unattainable as separate solo efforts. Maybe the outcome would be explosive and exciting. If it could ever be started. If it could ever be finished.
If only I gave a shit.
The underlying philosophy behind the concept of an individual visual artist's work is a deep understanding of self. From everything we, as artists do, from the abstract to the technical and precise, it is through our own personal lens. What we create is what we have internalized, processed, and experienced - those understandings of things come together through our creations. In terms of visual arts (paintings, drawings, engravings, sculpture, etc.) they are very personal journeys. A solo meander through the humdrum existence that is human life - pausing, reflecting, breathing, and appreciating the little things that provide an undercurrent for the glasses through which you view everything.
It is for that very reason that collaboration would never work for me, and maybe many other artists. It goes from a solo meander appreciating the beauty and the mistakes inherent in the human condition to an annoying road trip with someone that refuses to fucking shut up while you may be in the midst of a cathartic moment or breakthrough. Trying to enjoy a peaceful drive with someone that is sucking down Doritos and sounding at the same time like they're trying to pull start a gas powered woodchuck - or someone that has to pull over every 15 miles to take a piss. Or, just an asshole that laughs incessantly like an anxious donkey at facebook and tries to show you memes while you're driving and trying unsuccessfully to listen to Bach. You just can't make a coherent piece from an odd couple like that. Unless there was a clone made from myself deep in a bunker somewhere in the Sonora desert that I haven't met yet, I won't be collaborating with anyone.
It is possible that even though I'm a self proclaimed expert on being an introvert, that I'm wrong. After all, I am an artist first, then a bunch of other stuff, and humanitarian, well,....last. There are plenty of collaborations that do work - just not in my life experience. That is part of the underlying philosophy I mentioned earlier. All the things in life - beauty, neglect, tranquility, abuse, mistreatment, love, fire and ice lead us to where we are individually up to the moment to make us who we are. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to express it in a way that others are able to relate to.
In the next one I'll explain my way out of this.
Take care of yourselves and each other.