Friday, December 3, 2010
Blog #27: CJ Frei....my bizarre muse.
So today I received a compliment that's I've never liked. It usually comes from other artists who see my work and typically is something along the lines of, "You're so good. So much better than mine. I shouldn't even bother/I should just quit" It makes me feel like pooh. While I'm glad to get the compliment and to be i guess admired, if there's one thing I've learned in Art Foundations 108 its that you don't have to be the best drawer/painter to be a great artist. There are multiple ways to express your creativity and if you having a passion for art, NEVER quit.
I'm reminded of boy I used to go to highschool with named CJ Frei. I've mentioned before that I used to frown on classmates who used to "doodle" in class. Well, CJ was one of those doodlers. But in my defense the boy had among the lowest GPAs in the class but now I doubt those two had a significant amount to do with eachother. He was in my artclass and whenever we would be given three weeks to complete an assignment/project, he would get started on it right away. Doodling in class, talking about it, getting the teacher's input....I, I wouldn't even get started until maybe two days before the due date. When we got our grades back, I usually got an A. He would get something around a B. He simply didn't have the technique. I have always been able to draw. Despite never practicing and not drawing anything for MONTHS at a time...it's just a freak ability I have. I used to hold that fact above his head. That even with my minimal effort I would outdo him. (I was a shithead in that regard). But when it came around to thinking about college, he wanted to go into art but his grades were so low that he couldn't get into any art schools. I ended up getting accepted to School of the Art Institute of Chicago which was one of the top three artschools at the time. And I was offered a decent scholarship.
I turned it down. I was so arrogant and fixed in my highschool success that I was afraid of having anyone criticize my artwork. But more than that. I just didn't have the passion. I was incredibly jealous of CJ. He wanted it more than anyone to be successful as an artist. And I didn't help him pursue that dream by ever once giving him a true bit of encouragement. This guilt is a reason I've come back to school to study art. It really is something that I turned my back on and took for utter granted. No more. No more.
I'm reminded of boy I used to go to highschool with named CJ Frei. I've mentioned before that I used to frown on classmates who used to "doodle" in class. Well, CJ was one of those doodlers. But in my defense the boy had among the lowest GPAs in the class but now I doubt those two had a significant amount to do with eachother. He was in my artclass and whenever we would be given three weeks to complete an assignment/project, he would get started on it right away. Doodling in class, talking about it, getting the teacher's input....I, I wouldn't even get started until maybe two days before the due date. When we got our grades back, I usually got an A. He would get something around a B. He simply didn't have the technique. I have always been able to draw. Despite never practicing and not drawing anything for MONTHS at a time...it's just a freak ability I have. I used to hold that fact above his head. That even with my minimal effort I would outdo him. (I was a shithead in that regard). But when it came around to thinking about college, he wanted to go into art but his grades were so low that he couldn't get into any art schools. I ended up getting accepted to School of the Art Institute of Chicago which was one of the top three artschools at the time. And I was offered a decent scholarship.
I turned it down. I was so arrogant and fixed in my highschool success that I was afraid of having anyone criticize my artwork. But more than that. I just didn't have the passion. I was incredibly jealous of CJ. He wanted it more than anyone to be successful as an artist. And I didn't help him pursue that dream by ever once giving him a true bit of encouragement. This guilt is a reason I've come back to school to study art. It really is something that I turned my back on and took for utter granted. No more. No more.
Friday, December 3, 2010
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This post was written by: Franklin Manuel
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