There was a reason why my Mum used to berate me with a phrase which still rings in my ears: “Procrastination is the Thief of Time Neil. Stop talking about what you’re going to do and just do it!”
Like A Rolling Stone
I’ve been banging on about only wanting to make art which is “Hard Wired” whilst not answering the question of what I mean by “Hard Wire” and actually making a start. I’ve told myself I must get it straight in my own mind first before setting off in a particular direction. After all, wasn’t it Dylan who asked: “How does it feel? To be on your own, with no direction home. A complete unknown, like a rolling stone.”
I can’t blame my lack of progress on the lack of a proper anvil anymore. It sits there in my workshop, in all its hugeness, waiting for the crash and bang of real work. But there you go, I digress, again. And did I mention that I’ve tidied up my studio all ready for action? Just waiting for me to get my arse in gear!
Time to get the stone rolling, one way or another.
Hard Wire
So “hard wired”, for me, means choosing subjects which are already imbued with a back story – whether it be in historical fact, mythology or fiction. My job is to try to bring some aspect of that story to life. Such that the imagination of the onlooker is emotionally engaged, however fleetingly.
So who might my potential subjects, or victims if I fail to do them justice, be? See “Hard Wire – Sculpture Or Musical Musical Cheese? That Is The Question” for my musings on that.
Stand And Deliver
I’ve been toying with Prospero. My imaginary agent has been in negotiations with him for some time… My idea is he’ll sit for me with his magical books but his people are proving difficult to deal with. Miranda, Ariel, Caliban and Sycorax herself are all in his ear demanding sketches and proof that I can do them justice. It’s all a bit of a storm in a tea cup really.
Dylan is even less communicative with me than he was with the people at the Nobel Prize for Literature. Woody Guthrie has refused to entertain anything that involves an electric guitar and I do get the point.
Merlin replied but asked that in future I don’t contact him and he’ll contact me. Beowulf is, apparently, up for anything as are Harry and Megan, but their price may be beyond my pocket!
So decision time….
Bob’s my uncle. He stood on the shoulders of Woody. After all it’s better to try and fail than to never try at all.
And the anvil awaits.
