Over the last couple months our family has been dealing with quite a lot. Specifically, it’s been my mom and dad who have been dealing with it the most. For years now my dad has been dealing with pain issues stemming from a botched back surgery years ago, a botched open heart surgery, and now nerve issues in his lower back. This has caused long term severe pain. And over memorial weekend my mom was diagnosed with MS. All of us are now trying to figure out how to deal with this and what the future holds. Beyond the typical things any family goes through with this type of thing, it has also caused me to reflect on my artwork, my career, my attitude and most importantly life. It’s been an eye opening experience and one that has made me realize I don’t want to miss out on life because I’m heads down on the computer every hour of every day. As I’ve been reflecting on this there’s been some real moments of clarity over the last 4 days.
In this journey I stumbled upon a letter today that I felt needed to be shared. There’s a lot of wisdom in it. And while the core of it is meant as a response to an aspiring artist on how to become a better artist I think there is additional deeper wisdom between the lines. It speaks to me “lift your head and see the world around you. Don’t just look at the world around you, but see it.” I’m sure many of you, like me, have been introduced at some time or another to the art of H.R. Giger. My first introduction to his work was when I saw the very first Alien movie. Who I wasn’t familiar with though, until today, was his agent, Les Berany, who also happens to be his close friend. Les is clearly very much a part of Giger’s life. I’m guessing it was because of this that he took the time to respond to a fan’s email. The fan wrote “I’m an aspiring artist and a big fan of Mr. Giger’s work, and was wondering if you could possibly give me some advice? Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated, particularly if you could guide me as to what courses you feel would be of most benefit to me.”
Les responded to the email saying…
“Dear Aspiring Artist:
Here is my advice. Think of it as a five-year plan:
Take whatever courses you find the most interesting.
Study closely the work of the Old Masters.
Stop making art that originates only from your own imagination.
Stay with one technique until you perfect it.
On any given day, always be in the middle of reading a book. When you finish one, start the next. Fiction, nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies, history, science, psychology, or how to build a kite. Anything but go easy on the comic books.
Buy and read the first 6 pages of newspaper every day and also the editorial commentaries. Skip the entertainment section. Su Doku is fine. Do the crossword puzzle.
Fill up a sketchbook every month with pen or pencil drawings of the world around you, not from your imagination.
Buy a book on figure drawing. It’s the only art book you will ever need.
Until you can draw an accurate portrait of someone, you don’t know how to draw.
Stay away from the airbrush. You’ll never master it, hardly anyone ever has.
Visit every museum in your city. Often, until you have seen everything in it. Every kind of museum. Not only the art museums but, of course, those as well.
Forget about contemporary art by living artists, at least for the next few years.
Stay away from most art galleries. Go to art auctions. That’s where the real action is.
Learn to play chess.
Take a business course.
Talk to you mother or father at least once a week.
Stop going to the movies until you have rented and seen every film on this list. http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html
Do not watch television unless it’s the news or documentaries.
Do not use an Ipod.
No video games, either.
Learn a foreign language.
Learn to cook.
Spend 8 hours in a hospital emergency room.
Save up money so you can travel to a foreign country within the next five years.
Do not litter.
Avoid politically correct people.
Vote in every election or never dare to utter a political opinion. You are not entitled to one.
Buy a digital camera and take photos every day.
If you see nothing interesting to photograph, you will never be a good artist. Keep only one photo of every ten you take. Delete the rest. It will force you to learn how to edit the garbage from your life, to make choices, to recognize what has real value and what is superficial.
Visit an old age home.
Listen to classical music and jazz. If you are unable to appreciate it at least as much as contemporary music, you lack the sensitivity to develop into an artist of any real depth.
Go to the ballet. Classical or Modern, it doesn’t matter. It will teach you to appreciate physical grace and the relationship between sound and movement.
Wake up every morning no later than 8 AM, regardless of what time you went to sleep.
Learn to play a musical instrument.
Learn to swim.
Keep your word.
Never explain your art. People who ask you to do so are idiots.
Never explain yourself. Better yet, never do anything that will, later, require you to explain yourself or to say you’re sorry.
Always use spell check.
Stop aspiring and start doing.
This will keep you very busy but it can’t be helped.
In my opinion, this is how you might, possibly, have a shot at becoming a good artist.
Hope this helps,
Les Barany”
