Public Speaking

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I had the opportunity to speak to the New Haven Rotary Club during a lunch meeting at The Gallery at Elemar in New Haven, CT. It was a very cold day. Only a few came to the lunch because many people is out of state or inside their houses. Truly it is very cold out there. Nevertheless, it was a good group of people. It is the second group this week where there are more men than women. The previous night I had a painting party with equal number of men and women. Believe me, that is very rare for me. Generally, there are more women or no men at all. What does it have to do with public speaking? Honestly, I have no idea.

The important thing here is the satisfaction of sharing about the healing and learning benefits of art with this fine group of individuals. Public speaking is one of my passions. Speaking about art and cognitive psychology is a great combination for me. Public speaking reminds me of my stand up comedy days. The difference now is that the approach is a little more serious. Being able to speak to people about the things I am passionate about is exhilarating and so much fun. The interaction with people is great too; the questions, the comments, the interest and the considerations. It is all great.

March 13th I go back to the gallery to speak about online media tips for artists. This is going to be fun. In the meantime I keep busy with revising the book, the art, and the sculpting and painting parties, along with a lot of personal stuff. At the same time I remain available to speak at groups and organizations. I hope to continue providing a fresh look at art not only as a profession, but also as a connection to our existence. There is so much to learn about people and so many things that can be done with art and through art.

The Creation

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Please, allow me to share with you a portion of the book I’m writing. Technically I finished writing it. It is now going through the first revision. I waited a week from the time I finished writing it to the first revision. That helps me to see it like it was the first time. I don’t consider myself a writer but I am truly having fun with this. I wanted to share this with you:

We all know the story. In the beginning God created heaven and earth, then the creation story continued. God spoke the word and it was created. That is the real deal when it comes to voice recognition, voice-activated systems in action. Creating man was different. God spoke to himself and formed man from the dust of the earth creating a bond between man and nature, and moreover, a bond between God and man as he breathed the breath of life. Man was not only formed in God’s image but also received the essence of God inside. Why is that so fascinating to me? Sculpting!

Sculpting the figure allows me to feel like I’m sharing the moment of creation with God. I’m creating a bond between the figure and the material I am using and providing life, in some sense, to something that had no life. I am sure that a lump of clay on the table is not going to form itself. I form the figure. I decide the shape and thickness of the muscles, the proportions, and each curve means something. It all makes sense. The process of sculpting is physical and it is spiritual. Each sculpture shares my DNA and the RNA of the material, but it also shares part of my essence.

It is going to take almost a year to complete the sculptures that are included in the book. I honestly can’t wait to see it all together with the pictures and be able to read it surrounded by the sculptures. I hope you enjoy this sample.

Online Media for Artists

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March is going to be a very interesting month this year. The agenda for the month could look overwhelming. Our agenda looks crazy between work, basketball, moving, me turning 40 (just wanted to throw that there), sculpting and painting parties, workshops, presentations, and classes. Not to mention writing for the blog, reviewing the book, and working on my sculptures. Time management is a great thing.

Overwhelming and crazy are two words that could well describe online media for artists specially when it comes to social media platforms. “There are so many!” “It looks so complicated!” “They take so much time!” “I rather be creating than wasting time in front of the computer.” “I don’t want a slave of that.” Those are just a few answers I get when I talk to artists about online media. The fact is that social media is not complicated at all and it only takes time to set up, but after that it only takes as much time as you want it to take if used effectively. On the other hand, many artists don’t know how to use online media even if they wanted to.

I ask a few questions in order to establish an analysis or pre-assessment of the situation (I am an instructional designer and the analysis is one of my favorite areas of practice):

Do you have an email account?

How often do you check your emails?

What kind of phone do you have?

Sounds silly but those questions can provide more information about online aptitudes than you think. I could add some other questions regarding having an online presence but at this time think about those three questions. After the presentation in March I’m going to write a few postings regarding the subject and the experience at the event. I am sure that the discussion is going to be very interesting. I learn a lot from people’s questions. I am not the kind of teacher that tells people what to do and how to do things. I just help people making sense on their own and adapting the information I provide according to their own needs and goals. I don’t consider myself an expert at anything but being me. That I’m doing pretty well so far.

Do Not Overcomplicate Things

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There is a new tendency in our society to overcomplicate things that are by nature simple. Why take 100 steps and many turns to reach something that is reachable with 3 steps? I am not talking about the common core curriculum in case you are wondering, but since you mentioned it, that’s a good example. It happens in music performances too. Watching the Grammy Awards (no, it is not a competition for grandmothers. That would be the Granny Awards; although most of these artists are really old) I can tell how songs that are not necessarily good were over-adorned to make them somehow ‘better’. You know a true musical artist when they can sing and don’t need too much around them to be good. It happens in visual arts as well. We can tell when a painting or a sculpture, or whatever it could be art nowadays is overcomplicated. We see it in how people organize events. I’ve been in too many corporate meetings that get nowhere because people can’t reach a decision on things that are simple.

I grew up in a household where we didn’t have an issue making or doing good things that were indeed simple. For us it has to look good without too much. We never had a need to gold-plate what was already beautiful in its simple form. One of the most important aspects I learned is being satisfied to provide a great atmosphere for our guests by being there and relating to them. I interact with people in all my shows because that’s the right thing to do. It is more valuable than art on the wall, expensive wine, and gold-plated glasses, while the artist stand scare or overconfident in a corner expecting some kind of recognition instead of acknowledging the people who makes the show successful. People need people interaction. I don’t care how much society wants to complicate an event, at the end what people need is people, a friendly conversation, a smile, someone they can relate to.

In 2010 I had my first opportunity to show my work. I learned a few things about putting together a show and I follow that plan for my shows since (see How To Prepare For Your Show) I have now my first chance to give back and organize a show for a few friends. I am not going to participate directly in this show as an artist. Although my work has a permanent exhibit area in the gallery this is their show. It indeed provides curator experience for me which is great. Nevertheless, I do not overcomplicate things. I have a good idea of the work I’ve seen from the artists, designed the blueprint of the show, created a to-do list for them and for me and all we need to do is to work on each of the pieces and put them together. There is no need to over-adorn what is already good. The reception requires a few more details but I already noted the vision for it. Again, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It is going to be great and I can’t wait to give you all the details so you can join us.

Observation and Perception

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Observation and perception are two of the most important skills for visual artists to develop. Yes, these are skills that can be developed. I won’t buy into the belief that you are born with them, and even if you do you need to exercise in order to get better at it. It is the same with every talent. If you don’t seek to develop the talent and rely only on the natural-born talent I might be dubious if there is passion involved. Those who are passionate for what they do and love are in constant pursue to get better at it. Talent development requires practice, effort, experimentation, and lots of work.

Observation requires much more than just looking. Observing requires deeper attention. Through observation we can notice things that will challenge logic and sense. In research language the observation process is a way to collect data. It provokes a detailed examination of the phenomena under analysis. This examination goes beyond looking and transfers to all senses.

Perception is like adding another sense; a sixth sense if you will. Perception creates a mental impression from which observations can be understood and interpreted. It is this conception or notion of reality that facilitates making sense of the information we receive. Perception can interpret external and internal information simultaneously and provides meaning to the observations.

In art these two elements are combined for the artist to make sense of the creation process adding meaning to the artwork. I try to mentally document how through observation and perception the elements acquire visual correlation in one cohesive sculpture or painting. I observe where a curve is not complete or following an angle with fluidity and through perception I can define where to fix it to make visual logic within the intention of the piece.