Monthly Archives: October 2017

Out, Standing in the Field

Posted on October 29, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

I, like many people, have struggled to maintain hope, in recent times. There are many reasons to feel a loss of hope, as there are things going on in the world that seem to have only one possible end-point. It … Continue reading →

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Art Predated Language

Posted on October 25, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

As a species, homo sapiens sang, fashioned crude tools and drew before we talked, wrote, did sums, or created designs. I’m lead to believe this is true. We were artists, in a very practical sense, long before we were anything … Continue reading →

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How to Nudge, Not Yank

Posted on October 25, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

Recap Regular readers will recall that, not so long ago, I talked about untold stories – the stories we don’t tell ourselves, as a population, but which we urgently need to articulate, to avert existential crises. My reasoning was that … Continue reading →

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Coming Back To Life

Posted on October 17, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

Time goes by fast. This year marks ten years of painting, for me. Before then, I didn’t paint at all, but since then, I have painted reasonably consistently, despite the ups and downs that life has thrown at me. I … Continue reading →

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Creative Tensions

Posted on October 16, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

Everything seems to be in tension, lately. Creating always involves a form of high wire balancing act, without a net. They tell you there is one right way to solve all your creative difficulties, but is there? Any brief survey … Continue reading →

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Intellectual Inactivity

Posted on October 15, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

Not everyone reads books or listens to music actively. Some never visit museums and art galleries. Quite a lot of people don’t dance or sing, or play an instrument. They don’t design, craft or make anything. They have no relationship … Continue reading →

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How Deep Is The Ocean?

Posted on October 11, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

I have a love/hate relationship with music streaming services. I hate the way they compensate artists and songwriters. However, it’s undeniable that they’re a treasure trove of long-forgotten, obscure tracks that would be otherwise unavailable. The other day, I was … Continue reading →

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Everything is Not Fine

Posted on October 9, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

It’s the complacency that infuriates me most. In academia, you will hear learned, well-read, peer-reviewed, intellectual debate about where ideas come from and why they represent the world as it is: perfect, timeless, constant and immutable. The sheer arrogance behind … Continue reading →

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A Better Way to Compete

Posted on October 3, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

They tell me that the best thing about Capitalism is that it’s best at creating fierce competition, as if that’s the only way to make anything good. They claim this is the only way to cause progress. I don’t think … Continue reading →

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Some Remarkable Similarities Between Art and Engineering

Posted on October 1, 2017 by tropicaltheartist

My wife, while reading one of my blog posts, said something I found surprising the other day. She said it was rather sad that I didn’t talk more about my engineering, on this site. In her view, I approach art … Continue reading →

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