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.