Got out of bed early. Showered. Had some breakfast. Then I scooted off to downtown to have a mid afternoon hang out with Rollyn. It's good to relax for a bit before getting down to the serious dreary rest of the day grind. We couldn't get Portlandia to work on his computer because he didn't have the proper codecs. His Internet was dial up slow so I couldn't fiddle with it to get the proper codecs. So we watched MST3K: Soul Taker instead. And ordered pizza. That is my ideal Sunday afternoon. Cheesy movies, food with cheese, and a cute boy. Yes indeed. He had a script read through for a short film he is in, so I didn't stay long. Which is good. Because I had important stuff to get to doing!
It is also nice to get extra bike rides whenever possible. I'm biking a lot less these days and I think I'm noticing how I am falling out of shape compared to the days when I biked to school five or so times a week.
Stopped by Utrecht and got some more little sketchbooks to do Portraitoday in. Also Microns were cheap, so I got some more. Microns are cheap pens that work well with the type of moleskins that I draw in. I love how artists find their "thing" their "mediums". Mine, for sketching, are microns in size 01 and the floppy moleskins that come in 3 packs. They have a good line width and are not super precious, so if it explodes (like when I shake it to get the ink into the felt tip and I shake it too much) or if the nib breaks or goes into the pen...no biggie.
Got home. Got the latest episode of Top Gear downloading. Since that would take a while, I put on the kettle and got to reading the thesis paper Joan assigned us. It is an interesting read and it relates a lot to my project on several levels. It is about the craftsman and the artist and the differences. My main problem is he (Casey Brown, the writer) doesn't establish a definition for either. Are you a craftsman because you employee craftsman techniques? Or are you a craftsman because you make craft. Is it the technique or the product. At one point it seems to be the product because he talks about for something to be craft it has to serve the function first before aesthetics, and then he talks about this artist who identifies as a craftsman and uses the techniques but doesn't make objects that serve a functional purpose. And that seems more aligned with how Casey Brown is talking about the artist.
For me, craftsman are just a subjection of artist. Dad is an artist whose section of artistry is craft, mom is an artist whose section of artistry is textiles (as well as drawing and all sorts of things). I'm taking a little reading break right now and typing this up. I like blogging in chunks through the day. It makes it so I can relate stuff fresh on my mind better, and it helps me not stay up late with blogging. I hate making stunted posts because it is 2am and I am tired, but I still want to post. Anyway, back to reading.
*****
Okay that essay never quite established a definition of craft and art. It's good to know that if I'm talking about an either or type thing, I need to define the either and the or. If something isn't both and only plays between things, the things it plays between need clear definitions. Had some pasta for dinner and a beer with it. The beer actually helped with the reading. Nursed that sucker as I turned page after page. Removed the "WHAT DOES THIS SENTENCE MEAN WHY CAN'T I GET PAST READING THESE SAME 12 WORDS" anxiety that plagues me when it comes to "intellectual" reading. Getting through it is the first step to understanding. Worked on portraits and watched my Sunday night round up. I'll probably be up late. Have a little mini analysis to write. 750 words. This single blog post is over 700 words. And half of that is just about what I ate and who I hung out with. Anyway, back to watching Top Gear and working on drawing.
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