Guilty Admissions
by Roy Mackey
Here are some confessions of mine. Sure my theories are full of holes but every theory has holes in it. Just the same that does not keep people from following them. That is just life. We all have holey theories but as long as you don't focus on the holes you can be fine. I learned this by watching the world around me. I have though learned that it is better to follow holey theories that have big followings. Not that the size of the following makes the theory any better but it does make it more socially acceptable.
Aug/20/2012
IT'S TIME TO CONFESS....
I have been wanting to do this for a long time and now I finally am. The truth is... I "hate" art... I actually have for a long time now. Not my art and not all art but most art. I find it boring, dull and a total waste of time. I don't like going to art galleries, museums, art openings or art shows thus I rarely do. I never waste my money on art books or magazines. I am not even slightly interested in studying the past and who did what unless I found some gem cheap and want to flip it for some profit. Maybe if I had more time "left" I would but I don't. Generally I could care less who did what and when.
Personally I see little value in looking back. Mostly because I don't want whats back there to influence where I am going next. Think about it... when was the last time you saw an original car design that did not look like a upside down banana with wheels? It seems these days there are two designs, the one I just said and a re-hashed update of older cars. One reason for this is accountants cant design cars. They are only looking for something that will "for sure sell" in order to keep the share holders happy. Sure when it comes to art we are always influenced to some degree but the less the better for me. I have developed my artistic style and technique and just want to dream up new areas I could take those skills. Rodan does not want me doing a tribute to his work. Sure a normal accountant might think it is a good idea marketing wise but where is the originality in that? Because of this I not only don't need but also don't want "inspiration" from any of these sources either.
I have often had people tell me I should check out "Joe Balowski's" or some other AMAZING artist's work as I would love it. This is almost never the case. (I have still not figured out why this is so common other than they find my work lousy and hope that it might help me get some better direction... mind you they might just be trying to make conversation I guess) Either way I love doing what I do and could care less what they are doing. The less I see of other peoples art the better especially metal art. Now this is not because I think I am so great either. Actually the opposite is more than true. There are far better artists than me almost everywhere you look. The amount of great talent out there these days is incredible. I just don't want to be influenced away from my own inner thoughts and inspirations. This is mostly why I like keeping to myself art wise. To me doing my art is about getting an inspiration and then bringing it into reality. It has nothing to do with them and what they are doing or how good they are doing it either. I don't want to do something cool "like" they are doing. What for?..., they are already doing it. I want to dig around between my own two ears and try to come up with an original inspiration. It is pretty simple actually. If they are doing what they love then that is great. They likely don't need me to hold their hand while they do it either just like I don't need them to hold mine.
I just came up with this vdio on Wimp that supports what I had already said above.
Sure I know I am "supposed" to like art, have neon hair, drink like a fish, be addicted to drugs and have had a harsh childhood but unfortunately I don't but then again don't really care either. I also don't care if I hang out with other artists either. People are people and what they do is kind of irrelevant. Almost everyone I meet is interesting in one way or the other whether they are artists or not. The truth is all I want to do is to be able to compulsively do my own art based on the inspirations I get. I also want to do this pretty well non-stop as my life flitters away before my very eyes. It is just the way it is.
I have realized for years that because of this I make a lousy "artist". Artists, like a lot of other groups, have very strict "Dress Codes" to say the least. Mind you not all artist follow those codes to a "t" just like not all lawyers follow their dress codes. But there is a tendency for most to. I don't fit that code well. I have a very organized studio, I rarely drink, never take drugs, never apply for grants or ever protest government funding cuts. In my opinion that has nothing to do with me no matter what anyone else wants to say or think.
Sure I love doing my art which is obvious because I do it a lot and threw away the better part of my life doing it. But I do a lot of things a lot but that does not mean I want to hang out with others doing the same thing. I drive a blue Chevy truck but don't want to be part of the Blue Chevy truck club. I am not saying there is anything wrong with going to the Blue Chevy truck club meetings at all. In fact it would probably be a hell of a lot of fun. It's just not for me though. I would rather tediously whittle away my time making some stupid thing out of metal.
Now I do admit I do live in a building full of artist's which is very strange in itself. Artists are likely the only career where they build special buildings designed just for them. Think of it… when was the last time you heard of a Doctors building where the only way you could live there is if you could prove you were a doctor? Or even better have you ever heard of an "inventors" live work building. Why not they are as important as anyone else. How many inventors are there out there slogging away in old garages and warehouses etc?
Now a lot of "real" artists say it is because we are "special" Of course when they say "special" They are referring to its older meaning before it became a softer term for those with certain physical or mental disabilities. For me though I live here because I am too afraid/lazy to move to the country where I grew up. Sure the rents are cheap out there and the government can't watch every move you make but there are mosquitoes and snow to shovel. Not to mention lawns to mow and wood to pack. I am not man enough to bother working that hard. In fact that is also why I became an artist in the first place. It was the perfect excuse not to work like normal people.
Now just because I "hate" art does not mean I hate all art. In fact that is why we likely have over two hundred pieces of artwork from different artists in our collection. If I bump into some art I like (usually cheap at a garage sale) and can afford it then we buy it. Not a big deal. After all if you look at art investment wise you would have to be a fool to not invest in as much art as possible. If you have read some of what I say on this site it is pretty obvious at how great a deal it is. Just the same I am not nor never will be a member in the Art Buyers of America club. Not my gig.
I have also invested in silver but don't feel the need to run off to every "buy silver now" convention there is. Or become a member of the "Silver Society" what for? Just buy a little silver and locker away in some bank vault somewhere until it goes way up in value then sell it.
All this is not a big deal really. In fact you can do the same. You can actually like something, get involved in it and yet not take on all the extra trappings that normally go with it. Sure a lot of people may not like it but who cares. I remember when I was restoring and riding Harleys. I think it has softened a bit now but back then the "dress code" was almost militant. You know… Harley t-shirt, black leather jacket, black leather boots, wallet with chain, Harley belt buckle, dark shades etc. My fuchsia t-shirt, running shoes and faded jeans got me more dirty looks than a suited lawyer preaching capitalism at Woodstock! Now I am not saying here that there is anything wrong with being part of some bigger part of your interest. Not at all it is just you don't have to if you don't want to. At least for the next while anyway until our freedoms finish sneaking out the back door of parliament on the backs of homeland security and political correctness.
Added Tedious Ramblings
Back when I restored my second Harley I finally broke down and bought some black leather (sissy skin) as I called it back then. Not because I was afraid of doing any "skin on gravel" but just because anything else was too cold. My saying back then was "if you ride with risk you ride with care" There are a lot of strange statistics that kind of support this thing. Apparently every time a state (US) brings in helmet laws the death rate goes way up, but that’s another unpopular story most people would rather not hear. Especially if you wear or sell helmets! The point is to remember that life is a bit of a game and you can chose to play it how you like. With the help of well intended people that freedom is soon going to be gone. So now is your time while you still can.
So if you live in a vinyl village house, don't make a lot of money and think you can't afford to buy art because your neighbor said it is foolish think again. You can play this game how ever you like. Just because you live in tacky house doesn't mean you have to throw away your money on a big screen, life sucking, bank account drainer. Sure your friend won't approve but hey who cares what he thinks... right... Oh, and just to note and I never take advice from my friends. The reason? It's pretty obvious that they must be as dumb as me if they want to hang around me. If they are as dumb as me they are likely as rich as me. Thus if I take their advice then I will likely just end up where they are... the other side of the same fence.
One last thing... thinking of buying some art but hate my junk. Here are a couple of hot tips... Ms. Rachel Berman, seriously don't say I never told you so..., Mr. Chris Blades, if my New York connections serve me well and The next Motherwell... Marta Baricsa, and not just based on my biased opinion either. I have one more that I may reveal soon but have to buy more of his work first.
CheerZ!!! and see you at the next "I do what I want" meeting!!