I had such a terrific time visiting New York Academy of Art last week! Thanks to the staff and students for making me feel so welcome. As soon as the video of my talk is available, I’ll post it here. If you’d like to learn more about the school, you can check out their web site here.
Inspiration for Writers – Reposted from Amy Eyrie’s blog
“What Writers can Learn from Bruce Lee”
By Amy Eyrie (from AmyEyrie.com)
Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one— Bruce Lee
What can writers learn from Bruce Lee? He defied the odds. He adapted to his environment. He set high standards for himself. He was a creative force, inventing his own style of fighting, Jeet Kune Do, based on traditional Wing Chun. He was a philosopher and communicator who changed the way the West thinks about Martial Arts.
What did Bruce Lee think was important? He once said, “Training is one of the most neglected phases of athletics. Too much time is given to the development of skill and too little to the development of the individual for participation. … Jeet Kune Do, ultimately is not a matter of petty techniques but of highly developed spirituality and physique.”
As a teacher, Bruce Lee advised his students to “Be like Water.”
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
How do writer’s train? If you work as a journalist, you learn the five w’s— who, what, where, when and why. You learn to write a lead and to tell a story without bias. As novelists, we learn to plot, to create characters, to hear and reproduce dialogue, write complex sentences and orchestrate the dance of exposition vs action in order to create pacing and tension. When we train as writers, we read and play with words, work though the barren stretches, cram on grammar and spelling and turn sentences until they shine.
But these are just techniques.
What makes great writing is not just the quality of prose but the depth of the writer’s humanity. The “highly developed spirituality and physique” of writing is the development of the writer’s character. Are we compassionate? Do we adapt. Can we hold space in our minds as easily as we create ornaments of thought? Do we have a moral compass and empathy for all of life? Are we strong enough to face our own shadow? And finally, are we brave enough to write it down?
To do that, be water, my friend.
What I’ve Been Up To
I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been busy prepping for Sloan Fine Art‘s upcoming Aaron Smith solo exhibition in Los Angeles. We’re just hung the paintings – which are absolutely gorgeous – at a terrific space in Chinatown and it looks fantastic! Here’s all of the info in case anyone in LA would like to pop by, say hello, and see the exhibition in person:
Sloan Fine Art Presents “In the Snuggery of Airs and Graces,” new works by Aaron Smith. In conjuction with/at the Gregorio Escalante Gallery, 978 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles. Opening reception takes place Saturday, November 21st, 7 to 11pm. Exhibition runs November 22, 2015 through January 3, 2016. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 6pm. Closed for holidays on November 25 & 26, December 24, 25 & 31, January 1. Access images from the exhibition and read the press release here.
Recommended Reading
“Can the Single-Venue Gallery Survive?” by Judd Tully of Art+Auction is a terrific article about changes in the art world and the challenges many galleries are facing. Recommended reading for artists and dealers alike. Click here to read in full online.
Panel Discussion at The Midway in San Francisco!
The Midway is hosting a panel discussion & book singing for “Launching Your Art Career…” Sunday, September 27th, 4-7pm. Come join us! Admission is free. Drinks and books will be available for purchase.
Launching Your Art Career: A Practical Guide for Artists
Book signing and panel discussion with author Alix Sloan and contributors Ken Harman, Jen Rogers and Mark Wolfe.
Moderated by The Midway Creative Program Director Kelsey Marie Issel.
The Midway, 900 Marin Street, San Francisco, CA 94124
Sunday, September 27th, 4-7 PM
Please join us for an afternoon of conversation and inspiration celebrating the release of Launching Your Art Career: A Practical Guide for Artists.
With over twenty years in the arts as a Curator, Consultant and Gallerist, Alix Sloan was frustrated by the lack of practical career information available to young artists. Watching artists make the same mistakes, and ask the same questions, again and again, she knew there was a need and wanted to help. Sloan set out to write an encouraging, easy-to-read handbook she could use in Professional Practices classes but also make available and affordable to artists everywhere. With enthusiasm and contributions from a wide range of colleagues, the project grew and in July 2015 she released Launching Your Art Career: A Practical Guide for Artists. Topics covered include finding & creating exhibition opportunities, selling & pricing your art, writing bios & artist statements, creating an effective website, working with galleries, managing your studio, setting goals, networking, and more. Also included are an online resource guide and additional advice from over forty working artists and art dealers. Proving the need for a resource of its kind, Launching Your Art Career: A Practical Guide for Artists hit the #1 spot on Amazon Kindle books in it’s category and broke the top 10 for all books in it’s category. It has also received rave reviews from The Huffington Post, Juxtapoz and, most importantly, the artists it was written to serve.
In the spirit of the book, three Bay Area contributors – Ken Harman (Spoke Art and Hashimoto Contemporary), Jen Rogers (Varnish Fine Art) and Mark Wolfe (Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art) – will join Sloan for a panel discussion moderated by Kelsey Marie Issel at The Midway September 27th. Topics from the book will be addressed and questions taken from the audience. Admission is free. Drinks and books will be available for purchase. For more information about the event, contact Kelsey@theMidwaySF.com.
Wholesale Book Orders
We’re now taking wholesale orders for “Launching Your Art Career…” through Sloan Fine Art. The goal is to help small galleries, shops, etc carry the book in their stores by offering small minimum orders and generous wholesale pricing. Thank you to the fabulous Flower Pepper Gallery in Pasadena for being first to order! In addition to a super fun gallery they have a terrific, well-curated shop. I’m very pleased and flattered to be included! Learn more about Flower Pepper Gallery here: https://www.flower-pepper.com.