Monthly Archives: June 2014

A Shift in Cool

Posted on June 29, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

It used to be that the most rock and roll thing you could do was to smash and burn your instruments on stage, after a gig.  That was a potent and visceral symbol of rebellion and of “sticking it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Change in Direction

Posted on June 27, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

This week, I painted something that was a little different and which got a good reaction from my friends and family.  The difference was that I covered the canvas in black paint, with some acrylic medium mixed and painted with … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Gifts of Your Grandparents

Posted on June 27, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

For reasons that are not clear to me and probably for no particular reason, I was thinking about my grandparents this morning, all of whom are now sadly deceased.  It occurred to me that much of who we are is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How This Blog Came To Be

Posted on June 26, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

The story of how this blog came to exist at all is actually quite interesting, so I thought I would share it with you.  A few years ago, it was obvious that I was enduring my life, not living it.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Messy Careers

Posted on June 23, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

One thing that seems to characterise highly creative people is that their CVs are messy.  You don’t see a career path that starts with a solid plan and then proceeds, by logical, linear steps, toward a goal with a clearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Athazagoraphobia

Posted on June 21, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

Athazagoraphobia is the fear of being forgotten, ignored, abandoned, or of forgetting, especially if it’s by people you care about deeply. Phobia is a strong word.  It’s that point where a regular fear, which everybody might have, to one degree … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Race to the Bottom

Posted on June 20, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

We know about companies and artists that compromise their work, hoping to pass off the degraded item as the real thing, because they feel their customers cannot afford to pay full price.  While this can be somewhat dishonest, if deception … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

It’s Not the Gear

Posted on June 20, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

We are convinced by marketers that to sound like our favourite, brilliant band or guitar player, or to paint like our most admired artist, or to take pictures or make movies like the professionals, we need the equipment that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuanced Mediocrity

Posted on June 18, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

I’ve had a bit of epiphany.  It was provoked by this blog post, written by a very good friend of mine, no stranger to bravely putting his own work out there and standing behind it: http://blog.iancackett.com/2014/06/18/the-importance-of-risking-being-mediocre/ The point made was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Critical Disclaim

Posted on June 12, 2014 by tropicaltheartist

I could have equally titled this post “Critical Disdain”.  Why are critics so vitriolic about the art they critique?  It’s not compulsory to have that art in their lives.  They could equally well ignore it, not view it or refuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment