01 Feb 2021
FIVE THINGS I RED: ISSUE 4
Here is a recap of five things in October that I have discovered and would love to share:
1. The Art of Movement and Abstraction
A few weeks ago, I experimented by using my body as a brush to physically engage with my artwork. The piece, "In Conversation", is probably my most honest depicting the emotions I felt the first few months in lockdown, of confusion, heartbreak, grief, anger, hurt and acceptance. The piece is part performance and painting, an ongoing experiment that is different from what I usually do. I have been drawn lately to work with concept over form, to leave viewers to come up with meanings on their own. The following artists inspired me to push the boundaries of my art:
2. "3 Science-Based Strategies to Increase Your Creativity" by Steven Kotler via TED
Illustration by Angus Greig
My best ideas come to me when I'm in the shower, and turns out there are science-backed reasons as to why. Steven Kotler mentions three strategies:
#1: Befriend your brain's anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). What fires up the ACC? The answer: A good mood. So was the idea of the lonely emo genius artist just a myth?
#2: Understand the importance of non-time and no one. I totally concur, and I'm even more glad my team has one day off exploring and experimenting on projects all by ourselves.
#3: Think side the box. Constraints and limitations drive creativity. Heck, the pandemic and lockdowns might be a time that will drive our most creative ideas.
3. Clubhouse
If you haven't heard of Clubhouse yet, now you have! Imagine joining a conference with many rooms where a bunch of speakers and audience congregate to discuss a certain topic. You occasionally get big names like Jared Leto, Marc Andreesen and even Elon Musk joining in on live discussions. Sometimes audiences get handed the mic to ask questions. It's on 24/7. That's Clubhouse.
The app is currently invite-only, but I wouldn't be surprised if goes public in the near future. If you're on it, let me know. I might host an art/design/creative-themed room sometime in the future!
4. "How to Be A Better Human" - a new podcast by TED
True story: I googled "how to be a better human being" last year and didn't find anything very helpful. Perhaps the pandemic triggered some sort of existentialism in me, forcing me to pause and reflect on what I wanted to get out of life. There's only three episodes on it as of today; I've tuned into two: "How to fund the emotional support you need right now (with Guy Winch)" and "How to challenge conventional wisdom - and change any industry (with Franklin Leonard)". Valuable advice and lessons.
I also want to do Yale's wildly popular course, "The Science of Wellbeing" one day when my next few projects are done.
Source: Fully Crypto
5. "Why art has the power to change the world" - an essay by Olafur Eliasson
Olafur reminds us the artist's role is unique and important, and that it is a responsibility to help people understand something with their minds, and to feel it emotionally and physically.
From Olafur:
"One of the great challenges today is that we often feel untouched by the problems of others and by global issues like climate change, even when we could easily do something to help.
Giving people access to data most often leaves them feeling overwhelmed and disconnected, not empowered and poised for action. This is where art can make a difference.
Art does not show people what to do, yet engaging with a good work of art can connect you to your senses, body, and mind. It can make the world felt. And this felt feeling may spur thinking, engagement, and even action."
Thank you all for the Pizza Fairy submissions! We had three winners last month: @wann_yingg, @fievel_w and @vincento_. A special thanks to Provisions Pizza who will be delivering pizzas to our three winners in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The Pizza Fairy couldn't go international because she's in lockdown in Malaysia...but next month, she's hoping to fly around the globe to deliver pizzas, so stay tuned for the next Pizza Fairy announcement!
Much love,
Red a.k.a. Pizza Fairy
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