Don’t Say HUH … Say What!

artwork by Jamie carter

Don’t Say Huh?…Say What!  This article is written Not just for Artist but to inspire anyone who loves  being creative …

    O.K., I admit this sounds like a strange title for a document about creative development…but it should be stapled at the top of our easels… or maybe at least written on the bathroom mirror…kind of like a mission statement for art…
    Let me tell you the story behind it and maybe you will understand why.
     You see, the title words came from my daughter, Melinda, when she was about 3 years old: She knew a lot about the difference between HUH? And WHAT? … And  through the years, I’ve  learned a lot about the difference, { and the wisdom} between the words also….
     Melinda had picked up a little habit of saying “huh?” every time I  would ask her a question…  such as, “ What are you doing, Melinda?” And she would answer “HUH?”: I would ask again “Melinda,“ What are you doing?” and she  would answer “HUH?” Again! She was not going to give me a direct answer that would explain her activity , and she hoped that if she pretended to not hear  or understand me…by saying “HUH?” ,she could just keep doing whatever it was she was comfortable doing for a while longer, and…She hoped I would  give it up and go away…so she could  continue to do whatever she was doing and not have to change her behavior…
  Finally, after a  long series of HUHS, I had had it ! The “Listen Up” Mother voice  said “Melinda… do not say HUH to me one     more    time… When I ask you a question and you do not hear or understand you say WHAT… not HUH… WHAT… Do you understand ??” {I would like to write the angelic words “Yes , My Sweet Mother…’ here… but the truth is she just nodded and probably ran off to play.}
 Now,  I was not sure if I had made any impact with this lesson on words  until she began to correct all  of the adults when she heard them say the word HUH.
  She would frankly give them a candid look and say “DON’T SAY HUH?… SAY WHAT!”  Yeah… She knew the difference between the 2 words… big time…and threw it right back at me and all of the other adults who said it…  You see She was wise at 3 ..and  She  had figured it out that when adults want to avoid change, do not want to stop what they are doing, or  change from a comfortable activity….“huh”  [or even the more non- committal version “uh-huh”] is the easy answer , whereas the word “what” demands a problem solving process called thinking! And THINKING is usually  followed by  new brain cell activity .“Huh” means and demands no real answer. “What” demands an answer with a solution. Rats! Some kids are just too smart for their own good! But  I do need to thank Melinda, for all the “Whats” in my life. She didn’t let me get away with many  HUHS and all the WHATS  made me a better Mother and a better artist by making me question everything and look for the answers and solutions, I could never get away with a “HUH?” again without hearing Melinda’s challenge back at me  ringing in my ears “Mommy… “DON”T SAY HUH…. SAY WHAT!”
 Does it make sense to you now why you need to staple the phrase “Don’t say HUH say WHAT” to your easel ?It is the difference in a mediocre attempt done with the HUH mentality that only demands a continued  activity of sorts….versus the WHAT that demands a “ reason why” and puts a question mark in front of every subject… which word do you want as your “ artistic mission statement”  HUH OR WHAT?
What about it? What do you think? What If you choose What?   Or if not  just nod Uh-Huh…the best of the non committed word statements … and go back to doing things the same old way.
The Practical Case of the Whats!
No matter what you choose to draw, create, or paint… WHAT you first need to think about is the true reason you want to paint, draw, or render it in some way….
Ask yourself: What…What… What…and  a few What if’s…
What makes  this subject or image appeal to me? What if I  want to paint this…. as a loose impressionistic painting? What do I need to learn? Or What if I want to paint it where it looks realistic What would be the best way to do it?
What is it I want to express emotionally?  What would it look like if I tried to paint the feeling of a hot humid day,  foggy and very still… no wind blowing; with a  lone tree barely peeking through the mist… Mysterious and hauntingly beautiful.. What if I made it into a  special card for someone? Or a book cover illustration?
4.What would I name it? What time of day do I want to feel like it is? Morning? Night? Afternoon? What colors are the morning colors? The Nighttime colors? Etc. 
 5.  What medium do I think would best express the feeling or mood I am thinking  
about? OILS… Watercolor? Pastels? Think and answer all the WHATS before you start.. it will save  you time,  supplies…and a lot of frustration… after that just think…and believe in the statement….
What if I  become a really good artist? What if I become a success! Then you can replace the WHAT IF’s with the words:
                                                I DID IT!

On The Cover of a Magazine

There used to be a song with that line in it… and in the last year or soI have been honored to have a few of my paintings gracing the covers of a few magazines… and saw a couple of “how to” articles written and published in some others.  This is another way I get to  see my creativity put to use for the enjoyment of different folks.

Crosstitchers in The United Kingdom got to see this in the Sept.2010 edition

If you visit Hot Springs Natl Park this is on the visitors guide!

A Case Of Rejection: Trends versus Art

The Iris By Vincent Van Gogh

It”s happened to any artist  who has ever stepped out of their studio with a piece of artwork for the public to see…  rejection!  or acceptance and/or validation…Some like it, others hate it, and some just flat out refuse to even see any value in it.[ Much less want to spend their hard earned money on it.] But a true artist just keeps on keeping on…they have to create …it is in them to do.

  Thinking on that theme…. let”s consider  the painter Vincent Van Gogh…He was unique…but not popular at the time…His unseemly style was flat out rejected and laughed at by the critics of the day. In Vincent’s case, his method of painting was thickly applied pure pigment  laid on brick-like with a compulsive sincerity. His style, at first the butt of jokes and swift elimination from juried shows, stood out for its seemingly amateur crudeness and naiveté. After all the polished works of the Salon, Vincent’s efforts couldn’t be missed, they stood out like a sore thumb. In his novelty, Vincent was one of the artists  heralded as ”the cult of the new.”

 He didn’t limit his subject matter…He painted landscapes, florals, boats, dreams, visions, struggles, had an appreciation of nature and composed visual narratives of his angst. Something for everyone. Yet no one was buying it… probably didn’t match their decor.

Looking  at his epic life story: Innocently, and by default, Vincent pioneered the benefits of poverty, failure,  thus “the Starving Artist Syndrome”  and He lived with  the suffering and reputation of being “mad”.  His tragic life and  genius has now been packaged and sold as a commercial enterprise.

 Years later…   Enter in  a  band of modern dealers and critics who promoted Vincent to a new breed of entrepreneurial collectors–who embraced his suffering and rejection as a reason for his talent… collectors who bought and convinced  others about  the worth of the tragic artist and his unique work …not because of the trends, but because of the paintings and the artists’ desire to paint how and what he wanted too…in spite of everything else. These visionaries who collected his work would go on to found great collections and place the artwork in public museums. Vincent’s work had crossed the line from rejection to infamey forever. 
An early death ensured a finite opus:  A small, interrupted supply of art insures rarity, dealer control and the potential for  resell…recognizable prints, posters, books, potholders, key-chains and mugs. This type of merchandise would insure that Vincent was granted the sort of familiarity that the average people can get their heads around. And as for the upscale and smart collectors…they watched as his Iris painting was one of the first to break into the record books as a  painting  that sold at auction for over a million dollars…

   I just wish he could have known what his future would look like . I am sorry that He never felt the warmth of acceptance or the comfort of money in his pocket. But I am thankful that He was mad enough to continue the work…regardless of the rejection and laughter. He persevered… and left the  gift of his genius for us. We are  enriched and educated by it. Thanks, Vincent ….How We  needed your  inspiration. 

      “I do not know myself how I paint it. I sit down with a white board before the spot that strikes me. I look at what is before my eyes, and say to myself, that white board must become something.” (Vincent van Gogh)