So it’s been a, politely, inauspicious and anticlimactic start to the year. We’ve had our victories (seriously, I’m published now, a short story, in a magazine!), and a share of growing setbacks. I find myself in this kind of narrow void, a holding pattern reminiscent of the early days of COVID for that feeling of waiting for the things I’m used to in life to resume (mainly work… I do like what I do). Besides getting a decent bit of writing done, taking into account that I will never feel like I’m getting enough done, the past few weeks have been defined more by opportunities missed (some involving Pottery Barn) and long stretches of waiting. Some of my friends think it’s good that I’m finding myself with time to be unproductive and sort of relax. To them we say, not today!
But I do desire some comforting things. Let’s talk about art.
I like art. I recently broke down crying in the MFA (both for it being the first time I’d been to a museum in two years and for a story all of my friends are already sick of that I have written a poem about). I’ve started following a lot more artists on social media lately, both simply because it’s pleasant to have a wide range of aesthetic pieces dotting my regular social media doomscrolling and because I take a lot of inspiration for writing from looking at art (even if it’s just, you know, ~vibes~)
To that end I recently redid my writing space/desk, removing the various certificates and awards and stuff from a former life dedicated to academic and personal achievement to put up a series of prints and drawings and other bits of art that I can sit before and feel inspired by. One of my friends recently retweeted the line “art creates art creates art,” a really nice reinterpretation of Man Creates Art Creates Man.
I think my overly-simplistic adaptation of that’s creativity begets creativity, but they mean the same thing: staring up at these works reminds me that there’s some worth in just making something. A couple of the pieces were made by artists I know personally, (friends!), Some I’ve collected on my journeys, others I’ve bought online or gotten as Patreon gifts (support artists, man). Some are massive, some are stickers on my laptop. Altogether, they’ve helped transform an otherwise everyday space into a shrine to all things creative and inspirational. There’s something priceless about that, and I can only hope I am able to live up to the wonderful pieces of inspiration sitting (literally) above me.
The Art!
I’ve compiled a basic list of the key works I’ve collected and my reflections on them. Whenever possible I’ve tried to link to the artist in question, acknowledging that many of them have multiple accounts on multiple platforms.
1- “Behind Schedule” from SimzArt. Hey, remember the constant refrain in the back of my mind asking why I write like I’m running out of time? Here we are, a print purchased for both its name and its aesthetic. Honestly everything SimzArt does has just such a deep, detailed, and inspiring sense of fantasy blended into striking moments of life that it was hard for me not to buy everything I could from their store (pending). But this piece remains my favorite- hard at work with a hot beverage in a cluttered creative space and always feeling behind schedule. It’s commiserative as well as inspiring, and I love having it so prominently featured. The rest of SimzArt’s art is no less inspiring and detailed, I highly recommend checking it out.
2- “Pop” from Jenna Bolusky. This was one of those pieces that I saw and knew I had to have. Jenna and I went to Stetson together, and I was always a huge fan of their talent from my time spent wandering the galleries and interacting with the artists on campus. Those of you familiar with the ongoing Freedom and Control series will know Eilatek, one of the four main characters who “forced her way through adversity with that gleam in her green eyes and her gleaming silver pistol.” The original draft of the first book simply has the file name “Eilatek,” at that. She was the first conceived character, her story and her personality and visual aesthetic fixed from the beginning. Jenna’s attention to detail here blew me away, the minute details or an ornate pistol set against shiny bubbles a fantastic contrast of all the things that “pop,” and show so much of the artistic impulses I adore. As the books continue, I know I can look up to this and be reminded of where my stories really began, and feel appreciative for how far I’ve come.
3- “Swept Away by the Beast” from Madalyn McLeod. I bought this while living in North Carolina, the second piece of art I bought intentionally for the purpose of decoration and the first tied directly to my desire to write fantasy. What energy here! There’s all the beautiful visual of the lines and coloring that almost remind me of stained glass, contrasted with the growing sense of ominous purpose as you notice the beast, the gun, the growing clouds. There’s conflict here, progression, and narrative. What more could I ask for in a piece designed to help inspire my own fantasy stories in the future?
4- This Print by Mari Hanley. A lovely print from my best friend! A reminder of all the creative people in my life and the support we offer each other. Mari’s got me a few pieces of art over the years, but to have this piece they actually made hanging around is a nice memento to the beauty of real friendship and the warmth of knowing and having creative, caring people in my life!
5- Dionysus Sticker from Overly Sarcastic Productions. Okay, I don’t really know if this sticker itself has a name because I bought it in a pack, but I need this both for my actual career, sommeliers got to sommelier, and for a reminder of just how indebted I and so many creative and history-loving people to OSP. From their forever enriching trope talks to all the highlights of the wackiness of history, I know I am both a better creator and person for all the work they put into helping people navigate all the depths and conversations of knowledge. So… yeah.
6- “Chasing Winter” by Maxine Vee. Another one of those things I just had to have, and the reason I am now a patron of Maxine Vee. It has all this vibrant energy and drive. You can almost hear the pounding hooves, the ragged breaths, the rushing water and whispering leaves. Its an in media res moment of action and tension that’s as compelling as any single story, and an invaluable piece of inspiration to have around my creative space. I adore this thing. I have more prints on the way, and I’m always excited to get them.
7- “I’m Gonna Build Me an Empire” Sticker from Beth Crowley. I’ve written… a lot… about writing and music. My latest WIP’s playlist just topped sixty-five songs. On that list, perhaps none is as important as “Empire,” by Beth Crowley. It stands in the pantheon of amazing fantasy writing songs right beside Halsey’s “Castle,” Imagine Dragon’s “Ready, Aim, Fire,” How to Train Your Dragon’s 2’s “For the Dancing and the Dreaming,” Game of Throne’s “Rains of Castamere,” or “Song of the Lonely Mountain” (I like Peter Hollen’s version), while keeping its head high and its army ready. To have this sticker as a reminder of the power of music in writing, and as an ongoing jab to keep that work in progress going (oh is that main character out to prove madness and greatness can share a face) is incredibly powerful.