November 18, 2010
October 19, 2010
Confusion Mess Beauty - Its all Art!
Art Now. As a young artist it’s a topic I think about most often. What meaning does my art have? Yes, art is about commenting and reacting towards society but what happens if I want to speak about myself? What happens when I want to speak about my family? What happens when I just pick up my paintbrush and just create with no meaning intended?
Art in today’s contemporary society has lead to the question - what is art? After all art can be declared as anything - however the artist perceives the world around him. After all art is a reaction to society. In South Africa, right now, Ashraf Jamal says - we are in the post post Apartheid stage. We have found ourselves in a stage that deals with both the past and the present. The past by older generations, who are still dealing with the anger and pain of apartheid like Brett Murray and we have a new young generation who never lived through Apartheid and don’t have the same burdens to bare.
As for the new young generation we are in a completely new and different world - a world of digital technology, social networking and complete freedom. No more do we fight for ideologies that once were deemed as bad and the good has become something now not worth fighting for, as our generation is filled with apathy. We are vein human beings, basing our lives on communication interaction, pop culture, digital technology, consumerism and self entitlement. As far as artists go, we are looking for something more.
Today, when representing who you are, it is always important to stay true to yourself while growing as a person. “Horizons are continuously shifting” and as the Y generation of artists come about, they are dealing with such issues. No longer is identity based on race, culture and beliefs but more based on the self. As artists, we know and feel that there is more to life than what the media feeds to us. For us, we are dealing with personal identity. We want to get to know ourselves, which so many people of the Y generation have forgotten about and the older generation never had issues of “trying to discover me” as they were in the middle speaking about racial segregation, human right destruction and the greed for western power.
Our war and fight is one of hedonism, personal space and personal politics. I want to know about me, the way I move the way I react to people, the way I see people, the way people see me and the way I see the world. Perhaps Zanele Muholi isn’t dealing with issues of race because of Apartheid but issues of race according to who she is and how she feels. That’s all that’s left for us right now – a personal debate with the self.
South Africa’s art community is now filled with all sorts of different generations all dealing with their time and place in the world. The 80’s artists going against Apartheid, the 90’s dealing with the after math of Apartheid and the 00’s with themselves according to Zen Marie. As I said earlier art is a reaction to society and as young artists we are doing exactly that – reacting to the rest of our apathetic brotherins.
Maybe our confusion of mixed messages is ok. Maybe in order to move forward into a new art era, artists are needing to wade through their emotions. We need to deal with social and personal identity in order for the future. Art critique comes after reflection. So let artists take time to reflect. Let us use our imaginations and let us look at ourselves, let us talk about ourselves. Maybe that’s all that’s needed a little bit of TLC time searching ourselves in a world where personal space is so limited as we all get drawn into a world of digital take over. Let us find out who we are first then maybe, we can look at our future and what it installs. For now let’s just play. Let us be free, young and inspired.
October 09, 2010
October 04, 2010
Choice and its not so defining moments.....
Choices. They are a defining moment in my life. Often I don’t even realise it. I go along with life, only realising the next day the point at which i chose my destination.
It’s simple really, when i make my choices (no matter in what state of mind) at one point in time the choice i made was exactly what i wanted at that time. Which leads to my reassurance that i’m living life the way i want. However, some of the choices i make are indeed mistakes and often lead to my own downfall - which only supposes the that i will learn from my mistakes but, sometimes the learning process is the hardest part.
How to pick up the pieces 101, that’s a book i need to write in most often. It’s a book that i need to write in and read over and over, perhaps then i may learn. I just can never seem to remember the road to take in a specific situation and crossroad in my life. The situation - well lets just say it has something to do with the male species. Yeah, those creatures out there that us girls are attracted to, sigh.
They get me every time, and im not talking about the whole "i like you, do you like me" situation, it's a more tricky situation than that. Its the issue and events that should lead to the "lets be a couple stage" but with a few bumps along the way that i seem to forget to break over...
(never edited the punctuation and such, kind of wrote as i thought - it continues with the finding my words story. im feeling much better and have found my words - the key: LIVE FOR YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE! you should try it!)
September 09, 2010
September 08, 2010
Creating Words
I haven’t written for a long time. I’ve been feeling like i have lost my words. So today I’m going to find my words, I’m just going to write. It’s the hardest part though, finding what to say. So I’m going to speak from the heart. Just to put it down in black and white. And as the thoughts come.
Every now and then in life we lose ourselves and when we lose ourselves, we have to come to a halt. We have stop, look around and take a breath. I have been on the most difficult journey the past year - the journey of finding joy. By joy, I mean myself and i suppose in the end the overall outcome is to find the adjective too.
Joy, the word, definition - happiness. It’s something that I have forgotten. I’ve entered an entirely new world on my own and have had to start life for myself this year. It’s been the most wounderful experience (meeting new people, learning, experiencing and living a new life) but at the same time I have been going through the most tough life changing experience.
The adventure of finding myself, has been a hard process and one that will continue but in this specific journey I’ve lost my way, taken a few wrong turns and gone through a few red robots and now, Im filling up with petrol. I’m going to start on a new route and a new road. I always thought that people need to find themselves, but it’s not about finding one self it’s about creating oneself. So heres a few thoughts on how I have lost myself and my journey of self discovery.
Personal identity has always been my biggest challenge. I’ve always just wanted to be accepted by people, for people to love me. So each time I’ve met new people, I’ve changed myself as one does, however, not in the right way. I’ve changed and become someone else, I’ve taken pieces of people, mixed them together and created someone but, in the end, I’ve never created myself. I’ve created someone I’m not too sure about. I just went on week detox and got my head together again. I started taking the puzzle pieces that i had in my head and pieced them together. I spent time with myself and my head and began to do things for me. I found that i started to just be me and it’s the most happiest I have been this whole year. I just took my soul and said right you have nothing now, you just have you, start to create you. And I did. I jingled and jangled and started to piece my thoughts into myself. I have realised I don’t need to be someone I’m not because in the end all we have is ourselves and if we don’t make ourselves happy and love ourselves then what do we really have in life. I’ve been so insecure this year about myself, how I dress, my persona, my quirks that I began to be my own worst enemy. I was my own Simon Cowell and my opinion started to become one I hated. I got so worked up into worrying, that I forgot to just chill and live for me because when I’m living for me, just being me, it’s when I’m most satisfied because in fact your heart knows what your feeing and what your feeling is correct and not a lie from pretending all the time. Then that’s the point of life.
I’ve to know it’s all in my head and that people love me for me but it’s hard to believe. It’s silly, yes, and it needs to end because if I don’t end it, who will? It’s going to be a hard journey but one that will be exciting and fun and new. I’m free and I’m young and I have the world at my feet. I need to “buk up” (as my father would say) and just be joy.
That’s all the words I have for now. I’m off to find more...
Every now and then in life we lose ourselves and when we lose ourselves, we have to come to a halt. We have stop, look around and take a breath. I have been on the most difficult journey the past year - the journey of finding joy. By joy, I mean myself and i suppose in the end the overall outcome is to find the adjective too.
Joy, the word, definition - happiness. It’s something that I have forgotten. I’ve entered an entirely new world on my own and have had to start life for myself this year. It’s been the most wounderful experience (meeting new people, learning, experiencing and living a new life) but at the same time I have been going through the most tough life changing experience.
The adventure of finding myself, has been a hard process and one that will continue but in this specific journey I’ve lost my way, taken a few wrong turns and gone through a few red robots and now, Im filling up with petrol. I’m going to start on a new route and a new road. I always thought that people need to find themselves, but it’s not about finding one self it’s about creating oneself. So heres a few thoughts on how I have lost myself and my journey of self discovery.
Personal identity has always been my biggest challenge. I’ve always just wanted to be accepted by people, for people to love me. So each time I’ve met new people, I’ve changed myself as one does, however, not in the right way. I’ve changed and become someone else, I’ve taken pieces of people, mixed them together and created someone but, in the end, I’ve never created myself. I’ve created someone I’m not too sure about. I just went on week detox and got my head together again. I started taking the puzzle pieces that i had in my head and pieced them together. I spent time with myself and my head and began to do things for me. I found that i started to just be me and it’s the most happiest I have been this whole year. I just took my soul and said right you have nothing now, you just have you, start to create you. And I did. I jingled and jangled and started to piece my thoughts into myself. I have realised I don’t need to be someone I’m not because in the end all we have is ourselves and if we don’t make ourselves happy and love ourselves then what do we really have in life. I’ve been so insecure this year about myself, how I dress, my persona, my quirks that I began to be my own worst enemy. I was my own Simon Cowell and my opinion started to become one I hated. I got so worked up into worrying, that I forgot to just chill and live for me because when I’m living for me, just being me, it’s when I’m most satisfied because in fact your heart knows what your feeing and what your feeling is correct and not a lie from pretending all the time. Then that’s the point of life.
I’ve to know it’s all in my head and that people love me for me but it’s hard to believe. It’s silly, yes, and it needs to end because if I don’t end it, who will? It’s going to be a hard journey but one that will be exciting and fun and new. I’m free and I’m young and I have the world at my feet. I need to “buk up” (as my father would say) and just be joy.
That’s all the words I have for now. I’m off to find more...
August 30, 2010
Oppikoppi - Sexy Crooked Teeth
After the FIFA soccer world cup, I was looking forward to period of relaxation and detoxification. Little did I know that Oppikoppi would come and change all plans of any kind of immune system building.
Oppikoppi - Sexy Crooked Teeth was held this year for the 16th time from the 6 -8 August 2010. The legendary Northam farm in Limpopo was filled with fourteen thousand festival goers with one idea in mind - partying .The music festival was bigger and better than ever before with a total of 86 artists including the Canadian band Billy Talent to headline.
I will warn you ‘Koppi is not for the faint hearted. When asked to describe the festival all one can say is sex, drugs and rock n roll. However, there’s a lot more to it. Some people think they know how it works, others are still figuring it out and some have no clue.
Among the thorn trees and rocks, a village grows, with running water, roads, plenty of toilets (although there never are enough) and food stalls which is a big help for your four days of partying in the bushveld (which is never pretty). I’m talking, dust, dirt, sweat, beer and the determination to stay calm and party on. It’s a chaotic frenzy of jamming to the best South African music and meeting new and old friends. It’s the power to be able to turn a blind eye to not showering for four days and being able to still go out and find that person to keep you warm for the night. It’s the strength you get to set up a camp site, sleep in a tent, make a fire and if you’re city slicker it’s the strength to survive in the bush with absolutely nothing but what you bring with and for some, it’s fourteen hour sleep one has once home. And that’s why people love it!
SA’s most renowned rock festival is definantly something any music lover should experience. Four stages (including an electro tent) hosting top acts like The Narrow, Van Coke Cartel, New Holland and Flash republic makes for three days of complete contentment. Arno Carstens said it best “Koppi is as much a part of SA culture as vuvuzelas.”
Oppikoppi - Sexy Crooked Teeth was held this year for the 16th time from the 6 -8 August 2010. The legendary Northam farm in Limpopo was filled with fourteen thousand festival goers with one idea in mind - partying .The music festival was bigger and better than ever before with a total of 86 artists including the Canadian band Billy Talent to headline.
I will warn you ‘Koppi is not for the faint hearted. When asked to describe the festival all one can say is sex, drugs and rock n roll. However, there’s a lot more to it. Some people think they know how it works, others are still figuring it out and some have no clue.
Among the thorn trees and rocks, a village grows, with running water, roads, plenty of toilets (although there never are enough) and food stalls which is a big help for your four days of partying in the bushveld (which is never pretty). I’m talking, dust, dirt, sweat, beer and the determination to stay calm and party on. It’s a chaotic frenzy of jamming to the best South African music and meeting new and old friends. It’s the power to be able to turn a blind eye to not showering for four days and being able to still go out and find that person to keep you warm for the night. It’s the strength you get to set up a camp site, sleep in a tent, make a fire and if you’re city slicker it’s the strength to survive in the bush with absolutely nothing but what you bring with and for some, it’s fourteen hour sleep one has once home. And that’s why people love it!
SA’s most renowned rock festival is definantly something any music lover should experience. Four stages (including an electro tent) hosting top acts like The Narrow, Van Coke Cartel, New Holland and Flash republic makes for three days of complete contentment. Arno Carstens said it best “Koppi is as much a part of SA culture as vuvuzelas.”
Three Queens, Three Choices
One of my favourite scenes from One Tree Hill, Season 6, Episode 1
Old Guy : Three simple Cards. Three beautiful ladies. It's real simple son. All you got to do is pick one.
Lucas : Alright
Old Guy : Come on now son. Three Queens, three choices. Just follow the heart.
Lucas : That's the one.
Old Guy : Well, well. Looks like you found your Queen. Not many do. How did you know which one to pick ?
Lucas : I guess I always knew.
Old Guy : I want to tell you something son, it's the most important thing there is - love, finding the right person to spend your life with.
Lucas : I know I made the right choice.
Old Guy : (Laughs) That's where they get you, thinking you got a choice. Love finds you son. You don't find love. Its got a little bit to do with destiny, fate, whats written in the starts, and a lot to do with the simple fact that most women are smartter than we are. And wily. But if you want to believe that you had a choice in the matter, I'd say you made a good one.
Lucas : Why is that ?
Old Guy : Because she showed up. And she sure is pretty.
<3 <3 <3
May 17, 2010
A state of Apathy
It’s that time again!
Time to write but what to write?
Hmmmm, I have no idea.
Well for one, a friend and I have been discussing apathy.
Apathy, definition: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm.
In the world almost every day, we come across such people.
They tend to be excited about life, but tend to do nothing with the excitement.
They are those people that we all look at and say "wow, they could do so much if they just stopped messing around". Upon discussion, Jasper (the friend I was speaking to) and I decided that we are seen as one of those apathetic people. Majority of you would disagree, however, it is true. For most of us. We all are excited about life and there's always that one passion, but do we really care.
We say yes. Yes, we do care. The problem is that we all care too much. We all have a passion, mine being art and I don't know about you, but I feel like I don’t ever use mine. Art is something I love more than anything. It's that one thing that hooks me every time, without fail. Not just the beauty of a work, but everything behind it too. The history, the meaning, the process, the exhibition. It’s the artist and the change they are trying to make, even though majority who view the work, don’t actually give a shit.
It all comes down to a way of thinking. Those that look at the art and try to understand why there is a huge giant wall, made out of tin cans, blocking the pathway as you enter campus. It’s those people who I'm referring to. The ones that look for meaning. It’s us who appear to be apathetic. In truth, we're the ones who care the most. We're the ones who want to make a change. We're the ones who want to take a stand. We're the ones that feel so much excitement and love for a certain subject that we do nothing, because in reality it gets us nowhere. We aren’t enough to make a change. So instead of fighting for what we believe in we tend to walk around in oblivion, in our own worlds. We almost have too much passion to do anything about it. And that ok.
I don’t really have a point to, it’s just simply an idea. A realisation, that I have a passion. A passion that I want to be involved but can’t simply because I love it way too much and trying to change anything would be way too hard. I love it so much that I’d put in so much effort and time that in theory would waste all my time and get me nowhere. Make sure you have a useless passion too, because I’m almost sure that one day that passion will light its fire and maybe we’ll get over our apathy and actually do something with it. Just saying.
Time to write but what to write?
Hmmmm, I have no idea.
Well for one, a friend and I have been discussing apathy.
Apathy, definition: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm.
In the world almost every day, we come across such people.
They tend to be excited about life, but tend to do nothing with the excitement.
They are those people that we all look at and say "wow, they could do so much if they just stopped messing around". Upon discussion, Jasper (the friend I was speaking to) and I decided that we are seen as one of those apathetic people. Majority of you would disagree, however, it is true. For most of us. We all are excited about life and there's always that one passion, but do we really care.
We say yes. Yes, we do care. The problem is that we all care too much. We all have a passion, mine being art and I don't know about you, but I feel like I don’t ever use mine. Art is something I love more than anything. It's that one thing that hooks me every time, without fail. Not just the beauty of a work, but everything behind it too. The history, the meaning, the process, the exhibition. It’s the artist and the change they are trying to make, even though majority who view the work, don’t actually give a shit.
It all comes down to a way of thinking. Those that look at the art and try to understand why there is a huge giant wall, made out of tin cans, blocking the pathway as you enter campus. It’s those people who I'm referring to. The ones that look for meaning. It’s us who appear to be apathetic. In truth, we're the ones who care the most. We're the ones who want to make a change. We're the ones who want to take a stand. We're the ones that feel so much excitement and love for a certain subject that we do nothing, because in reality it gets us nowhere. We aren’t enough to make a change. So instead of fighting for what we believe in we tend to walk around in oblivion, in our own worlds. We almost have too much passion to do anything about it. And that ok.
I don’t really have a point to, it’s just simply an idea. A realisation, that I have a passion. A passion that I want to be involved but can’t simply because I love it way too much and trying to change anything would be way too hard. I love it so much that I’d put in so much effort and time that in theory would waste all my time and get me nowhere. Make sure you have a useless passion too, because I’m almost sure that one day that passion will light its fire and maybe we’ll get over our apathy and actually do something with it. Just saying.
April 29, 2010
Forever Young
When I left school, life as I knew it was ending. I had a new life to begin: a new place, new people and new ways.
The journey thus far has been interesting. I gave grown as a person in so many ways. I have realised that life and its happiness won’t come from objects that we acquire along the way but rather experiences. An object can get lost and broken, and the happiness you may think you gain from that object will fade and you’ll move onto the next thing. A moment is different. It’s everlasting and you learn so much more. Instead of spending my Saturday afternoon at the newest mall (not that we have any here in Grahamstown) I spend it in the botanical gardens with friends. We take our blankets, music, paper, pens and we become children again. We spend our afternoons chatting, doing art and laughing.
When we come into this world all we have is our imagination and as kids we share that imagination and get lost in a make believe world. As we grow up, that world fades. We have shit to deal with, whether it be yours or someone else’s and eventually we forget about our imagination. We forget that we really can be as young as we feel. Spending the afternoons in the bot gardens, has reminded me that our imaginations will always be there, that it still is there and playing with your friends in the park, painting, drawing, and pretending is ok. Everyone is as young as there heart allows them to be. So go be young again, take your friends and family to the park this weekend and just play. It’s ok to get lost in a make believe world every now and then because that make believe world may just get you through life. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
The journey thus far has been interesting. I gave grown as a person in so many ways. I have realised that life and its happiness won’t come from objects that we acquire along the way but rather experiences. An object can get lost and broken, and the happiness you may think you gain from that object will fade and you’ll move onto the next thing. A moment is different. It’s everlasting and you learn so much more. Instead of spending my Saturday afternoon at the newest mall (not that we have any here in Grahamstown) I spend it in the botanical gardens with friends. We take our blankets, music, paper, pens and we become children again. We spend our afternoons chatting, doing art and laughing.
When we come into this world all we have is our imagination and as kids we share that imagination and get lost in a make believe world. As we grow up, that world fades. We have shit to deal with, whether it be yours or someone else’s and eventually we forget about our imagination. We forget that we really can be as young as we feel. Spending the afternoons in the bot gardens, has reminded me that our imaginations will always be there, that it still is there and playing with your friends in the park, painting, drawing, and pretending is ok. Everyone is as young as there heart allows them to be. So go be young again, take your friends and family to the park this weekend and just play. It’s ok to get lost in a make believe world every now and then because that make believe world may just get you through life. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
April 27, 2010
The Story Matters
I am now officialy a blogger!
Im so excited.
I have so many ideas, toughts and queations that i want share with the world and now I can.
Lets share...
Because one day when we're all dust and teeth and kicked up bits of skin - dancing in our skeletons - our words might be all thats left of us. The story Matters.
Im so excited.
I have so many ideas, toughts and queations that i want share with the world and now I can.
Lets share...
Because one day when we're all dust and teeth and kicked up bits of skin - dancing in our skeletons - our words might be all thats left of us. The story Matters.
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