Deconstructing Frank Lloyd Wright
18 x 24 acrylic, © 2016

A month ago, I was on my way to a September art show in San Diego.  I was on an art high – making plans, painting, designing a post card and all those ancillary tasks that come, happily, with showing one’s work.

Then life walked in the door and said, “Hold on there, honey.”

The month unfolded with nonstop health issues that I never expected.  Nothing life threatening, but painful and, at least temporarily, debilitating.  So instead of continuing my happy work getting ready for the show, I’ve had to do a lot of other things that have been a lot less joyous.  And the show has been postponed until October.

There are lessons from everything in life and, as I try to see the bright side of this one, I know that this extra month is giving me time to rethink what I’m putting in the show, to rethink the titles I’ve been coming up with, and well – to rethink the whole matter of my late-in-life art career.  I’m stretching a point to call it a “career,” of course, but since I’ve had to give up ice cream, I’m holding on to anything that gives me the smallest pleasure.  Indulge me.

Last night during one of my middle-of-the-night sleepless in San Diego moments, I read an article in Forbes Magazine of all places about the ability of art and artists to teach marketing people a few new tricks.  The things that struck me most in the article were the reminders that (a) creativity is about emotion and connection, (b) citations (aka stealing) are part of it – jazz musicians know this and “quote” each other endlessly, (c) paradox, contradiction and deconstruction are part of all new and interesting art.

There’s more – see the link below.

But for me, the bottom line of the message is to have more fun and get back to the “what the hell” attitude that’s informed much of my life.  I’m already thinking of the new titles for the pieces which will, I can assure you, not be “Untitled” or “Study in Yellow No.  5.”

I’ll be conferring instead with the late Lewis Thomas who once said that people are not binary things.  We are not limited to “Yes or no.”  We have “Yes, no, maybe and what the hell, let’s give it a try.”

Thank you, Lewis.  And thank you, Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelliekarabell/2017/07/30/6-things-art-can-teach-you-about-brands-marketing-that-you-wont-learn-in-business-school/2/#19f26d61155c