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The Uncertainty Index
I have nearly finished Nassim Taleb’s Black Swan (yes, very late to the party). It’s a book about uncertainty. Some parts are very complex but it is written accessibly. The title of the book is based on the concept that for a long time, humanity believed swans were only white, until they came across a…
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Finding inspiration from daily life
I have a digital folder of photos I’ve taken as references that I would like to use to make paintings or drawings. They are ones that invoke pure inspiration. At times, they sit waiting to be made until I feel confident enough to tackle it. Eventually, I’ll find a moment to try one of the…
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Getting unstuck
I haven’t posted much this week on the social media side and it’s very easy to fall out of a routine. There’s some saying (perhaps from the Power of Habit book by Charles Duhigg) that habits take time to form, involving a cue, routine, and then reward. What I had set up was the realizing…
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Creativity and its source
By chance I came across the Malcolm Gladwell audiobook on Paul Simon (the Simon and Garfunkel Simon) called Miracle and Wonder some time ago with the Toronto Public Library’s ebook system. I hardly knew who he was beyond being able to recognize songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water. But I was impressed with Gladwell’s description…
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Finding Freedom in Art
I was watching a video by Liron Yanconsky where he says that if you are missing something from your art, it is this sense of freedom, and the only way to obtain that is to allow the art to flow through you, rather than trying to force it. The best times that I find I…
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Artistic voice
From a book Finding your Artistic Voice, there was a concept of doing what is uniquely yours and diving head deep into it. I’ve also heard of the concept (originally from Youtube videos by Struthless) from like making the same thing 100x over, and eventually you’ll get to what you actually want to create. My…
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Returning
I feel like I have a lot of ideas and just waiting to get back to making them happen. Being away from my materials had probably been refreshing and hope that I can use many of the reference photos I took. I also hope some exposure to Malaysia and Singapore art and architecture has rubbed…
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Morning Pages
I am listening to a e-book borrowed through the Toronto Public Library system called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron for tips on unleashing creativity. One of the first exercises is to do something called “Morning Pages” which involves handwriting 3 pages of whatever nonsense comes into your head right when you make up. This…
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Identity
I met up with other local artists to learn about how they go about doing their art and promoting it. While we talked about many things, one comment that stuck with me was about how no one comes about and grants you the title of being an artist. I imagined a fairy godmother that jumped…
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A new year
Inspiration is sometimes hard to come by. Keeping things neat helps free my mind to create. An empty desk has more possibility than a cluttered one. Inspiration though does not need to come from some fantastic event or happening. It comes also from the everyday life. These fireworks helped me on a piece I was…
