Artistic Paradigm: the means or an end?

On occasion, when I log into my gmail account to check for email messages, I’ll find that my younger brother Glenn is logged in too, and we’ll chat. We actually do this fairly often. It’s nice because we’re not only states away from one another, but also because he and I share similar interests, and we like to discuss them. Like me, Glenn is an artist. Second only to his wife, I’m sure, I'm his biggest fan. Although he’s my younger brother, I really look up to him. I’d like to take credit for having “trained” him as an artist, and I actually do joke about it with him. We kid around about him being my artistic version of the Star Wars Padawan Learner…a prodigy born of my masterful skills and brilliant and artistic teaching techniques.... However, I hardly think that simply being born first and “allowing” him to watch me draw while we were growing up qualifies me as a mentor of any kind. Yes, I showed him a few things along the way, and yes, I “graciously granted” him access to my pencils, colored pencils and drawing pads (with some prodding by Mom and Dad), but really, Glenn made himself. I was a good soundboard for his own good ideas, just as he was for me. While I can’t take credit for his talent or techniques, I will accept credit for helping him to gain the initial interest in art (I was, after all, probably his first introduction to anything artistic), and for being supportive of his pursuit of his talent’s development. There’s really nothing noble in that….he’s always just been my little art buddy.

Glenn and I have really gone different directions with our talents though. Over the years, I’ve become much more specialized, while Glenn has chosen to broaden his range of expertise. While I’ve taken advantage of my artistic talent to produce sellable artistic products and, yes, some good artwork, Glenn has excelled in his exploration of his own remarkable artistic capabilities. He’s done something that I’ve wished for and dreaded all at the same time. He has, through school and experimentation, artistically diversified himself. Glenn has not only enabled himself to express his many creative ideas, but he’s also enabled himself to do it through many different mediums. Where I’m limited to my pencils, colored pencils, some acrylic paint, and some great computer programs, Glenn has really extended himself. In addition to the skills I've learned he’s also worked with clay, oils & water color, chalk, and ink. He’s also diversified the applications of his art. He’s gotten into live model drawing and artistic anatomy, rendering and animation, storyboarding, video production & editing, and is currently studying at BYU while being courted by Pixar. I've focused my talent mainly towards the creation of product lines, reproducible pieces of art, and industry-specific logo design. I've been working towards establishing a name for myself and to implement business systems that are propelled by my artistic styles. I've learned how to use my talent to increase my chances of building a profitable business through website design, corporate logo design, software interface design, and the design of artistic products.

While art is certainly my means, it isn’t always my end. With Glenn, however, art is created for the sake of being artistic. I admire that. I have ideas and systems that I endeavor to establish, and my artistic talents enable me to achieve those goals. Glenn creates art because he love to create art…it just so happens that other people LOVE his art too, and therefore commission him for their projects. For me, art is a tool. For Glenn, it is the prize, in and of itself. Both of us love art.

Recently, while chatting with Glenn online, we started talking about a blog entry I had written a few weeks back called, “Working for Money”. In it, I wrote a poem that I had created to make a point. The poem is called “What am I working for?”. In a nutshell, it’s about a wandering tradesman who, while in the middle of his daily routine, stops to reflect on the purpose of that routine. He questions his inherited motives for working and earning. After deliberation and a powerful realization, he ultimately decides against continuing on his current path, and instead, takes a new one that will enable him to achieve a comfortable and enjoyable life in his old age. I originally wrote this poetic analogy to illustrate a point only. Once it was finished, however, I envisioned actually illustrating its verses for a childrens book. Being busy with other things, of course, this idea dropped into its place in my brain vomit book to be regurgitated later. Glenn told me that when he read the story, it jumped out at him. He said the words produced powerful imagery to him and that he could appreciate the message of the analogy. I was suddenly very proud of it and hopeful again of my original idea to illustrate it into a childrens book. However, the wheels in my head started turning in a different direction this time.

Needless to say, I’ve invited Glenn to work with me on the project. He as the illustrator, and me as the author. Between his amazing artistic talent and my words and direction, we might have something here. He was delighted that I would ask him to help me with it, and accepted. I was delighted because I had just employed one of my favorite artists. We’ve already discussed the idea in great detail and we’re both excited about it. We’re also both very realistic about it. It is, after all, yet another idea on our already-full plates. We’ve agreed that this project is estimated to take a long time to complete. Fortunately for me, the story itself is already finished. When asked when I wanted the illustrations to be finished, I simply told Glenn that we should just take it one image at a time, rather than trying to squeeze out the whole project at once. I think that will be much easier for us both...especially with our schedules. We’ll constantly have ideas to bounce back and forth along the way, and we’ll have the liberty to take the time to really develop the imagery the way I've envisioned it.
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I’ve learned…
that while some people converse with others to exchange ideas, some merely converse to be heard and deliver ideas. This second type of person isn’t interested in learning or sharing, but only in knowing and telling.

I’m glad…
that the CD which is stuck in my new car’s in-dash CD player is of MP3 songs that I compiled specifically to play to over and over. Hhhhhhh…… (C’mon Ty, stay positive…) Could be worse. The CD player could have chosen to permanently swallow a CD that only has ONE song on it that I like.

I wish…
that there were more than 24 hours in a day. Of course, knowing me, if I actually had more than 24 hours in a day, I’d probably fill them all up too, and still wish for more hours. Perhaps I should, instead, be thankful for the amount of hours I have in a lifetime.

I will…
not make a very good millionaire unless I first learn how to be a good steward over the few thousand that I’ve earned, managed and lost already.

I've learned, I'm glad, I wish, I will...

Like every other person on the planet, I too have made some new resolutions with the onset of a new year. Unlike most people, however, I don't really like talking about them very much. I think the biggest reason is because I don't want to raise the expectations of those around me and then face their perceived judgments of my perceived failures at the end of the year. Sounds like I'm trying to dodge some accountability there... hmmm.... another topic for another day I suppose. Anyway, moving on…

This year, one thing I’m going to do is to start a new “segment” in my blogging. Aside from the regular thoughts I might have about my daily occurrences as an aspiring entrepreneur, I’m going to include some short blurbs called, “I’ve learned…”, “I’m glad…”, “I wish…”, and “I will…” in my blog. These will, if nothing else, give me a more regular launching pad for my thoughts as a blogger. I think by declaring something I’ve learned, I am, in a sense, forcing myself to learn, well... something on a regular basis. It may be something new, and it may just be something reviewed and re-realized – an “Oh, right!” moment, if you will. By specifying something I’m glad about, I’ll be identifying things I’m thankful for, big or small. No one can be too grateful. The more thankful I am, the more generous I’ll have a tendency to be myself. Wishing for things, while usually in the context of only hoping or dreaming, will be more like aspirations for me. Things I can strive for. Sometimes people wish for things, however, that just ought to be so, without any other intention. I’m no exception. And finally, by saying, “I will…” I’m committing myself to something. For me, this is important. It keeps me goal oriented, motivated, proactive, and productive. So, here we go…

I’ve learned…
That Rob is much more talented that I thought. Rob, one of my 2 best friends, and a guy I’ve known since the 4th grade, has always been a very sharp individual. This isn’t new to me. He’s always been quick-witted, great at chess (a calculated thinker), and good with numbers. In fact, Rob even has a strange talent that proves how quick he is. Not many people know this about him, but if you were to give Rob a word…any word…he’ll be able to tell you how many letters are in that word almost immediately. It’s kinda weird, but it's pretty cool to see him do it too.

I’m glad…
That he had chosen to pursue a career in computer science because it gives me an excuse to work with him like we’ve always talked about! Because he’s learned so much about computer programming I can “employ” him as an independent contractor to work with me on my business ideas! I’ve got a lot of them, and he seems to be just the man for the job! Over the New Years weekend, he and I worked tirelessly day and night to further my LittleLDS program re-design. He’s come up with a LOT of improvements to the old program and has already got most of the revisions finished.

I wish…
That I had more money to pay him what he’s really worth, and that I could employ him full-time. I am paying him, but in my opinion, he’s worth a lot more. For now, however, he told me that he’s content to be working with me, and doing what he loves to do…programming!

I will…
Definitely be looking forward to working with Rob to finish LittleLDS CD #4, “Scenes from the Plains,” and subsequent LittleLDS as well as LittleArtist titles. I’m also looking forward to having his expertise on some of my concepts for other Tyed Art products and programs! We’ve talked about a few of them and he really seems to be up for the challenge! I've learned that a good entrepreuer surrounds himself with people who are smarter than himself. Rob's employment is a good step in this direction.

I’ve been working a lot on my LittleLDS product party model too. After doing a lot of research and taking some surveys, I’ve got some really great ideas on how I can improve the concept of the product party. I’m currently creating a PDF file that will be downloadable to anyone who might be interested in hosting one of these parties. I should have it finished within the next few weeks, I think. After that, I’ll be posting it on my LittleLDS website for public access. I’ve had some very interesting challenges in making this work, but have met them all head on. Kim has helped me a lot with many of these tough issues. She’s been instrumental in helping me work through some of the hang ups and dead ends. I’m really looking forward to starting the parties publicly. I don’t expect them to “take off” right away, but I think they will be nice tool to have if I’m ever approached again with the question, “Does LittleLDS do parties like Tupperware?”…..to which I will now be able to proudly reply, “As a matter of fact, we do, Ma’am, and you can get all the information on the website.”