"Outsider Art"

My sister and I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art this past rainy Friday afternoon, and the exhibit did not disappoint. This one was entitled 'Outsider Art', with an "outsider" basically being someone who has no formal art training. Artists included ex-prison inmates, clinically insane people, and farm workers. I saw a tower made of chicken bones! That was pretty intense, in a good way. It's amazing to see the art that people who never received formal education in art can create. And it's very inspiring.

Lately, I've been thinking about my own art. Am I "good" enough? Then I reminded myself, there is no "good" or "bad" art. A person can like or dislike a piece, but that doesn't make it good or bad. There are so many different styles, media, and approaches. I once saw a friend's work that I absolutely loved, and when I heard his process, I was thinking, "but that's not how you do it!", when I told myself, "hell, there are thousands of ways to create art!" That's the beauty of it!

On a therapeutic walk outside with my sister one night, I told her about my doubts as an aspiring artist. "I'm not going to paint you a pretty flower, or a realistic portrait, or a nice landscape", I said. Well, there's nothing wrong with that! "Maybe you would like installations", she suggested. And maybe she's right; it's worth a shot. I have grown to take interest in installations, in fact, another friend emailed me a website that featured an installation , an ironic look at death and violence. Okay, maybe I don't need to go that morbid, but installations could be fun.

I've also taken a liking to comics art, thanks to my best friend, a self-proclaimed comics nerd. That sketchy, almost un-finished, spontaneous-looking art that grabs your gaze appeals to me. Plus, there are so many different styles of comics art. And it's a very convenient way to tell a narrative (something I love to do with my art).

So, I guess along with the soul-searching I'm already doing, I will do some art-soul-searching as well. Artistic creativity has always been a part of me; I can't imagine myself without it. Lately, I've been going through that post-grad depression, and my art has been suffering. But, it can be a form of therapy, something to get my anger, fear, frustration, and hopes out into the open. Without scaring my mother. She often gets frightened by some of the words that come out of my mouth ;-)

I live in a good place for artistic inspiration, especially if we're talking satire. Think Dada art (love it). Sometimes, I feel as if I am trapped in a black hole, a foreign country where I don't speak the native language. It is possible to feel like a stranger in your "home". Don't fight it, embrace it. Use it productively, creatively, SLAM IT WITH ART!