The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

Learning To Trash The Perfect Plan

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(Pic #1) The perfect set. Who knew? Josh knew.

Embrace what’s taken away.

As an artist, you know the inspiration can come from anywhere. But you have to be open to that inspiration, and sometimes, the preconceived notion we have about a piece, can actually stifle that.  Last weekend I had finished painting a couple of new jackets and wanted some creative photos of them.

(Pic #2) Our newly-recruited model “Ainslee” helped bail us out.

Typically, on Memorial Day weekend, we often head to Santa Barbara for the day to check out the i madonnari chalk festival at the historic Mission. So the idea struck me, how cool would it be to get shots of me (or preferably a model) wearing the jackets against the backdrop of all that quirky, colorful pastel street art. So off we went. Unfortunately we arrived early Saturday morning, so most of the artwork had not been completed. No great backdrops to shoot against. That plus the fact — that with so many people walking around — a clean photo was going to be hard to get.

I stood on the steps of the Mission looking over the courtyard where all the chalk artists labored, and knew with absolute certainty that this was a wasted trip. I had the picture in my head, I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, but there was no way to make it happen.  Time to go home. That’s when my husband said, “Hey knucklehead, turn around.”

So I did. And suddenly I was facing the front of the mission. He pointed and said.. “Go pose against the wall.” The pink pillars, the texture of the whitewashed stone were stunning. So we shot there. I even found a model in the crowd who agreed to help us out. I love these shots, even though they were nothing like what I had envisioned.

I had closed myself off to other possibilities because I was locked into that one “ideal” image.  Josh wasn’t, so all he saw were opportunities. So here’s the lesson I hope I learned: knowing what you want to create beforehand is a good thing. Thinking it’s the only thing worth creating can prevent you from seeing extraordinary possibilities.

(Pic #3) Ainslee  duet, courtesy Photo Shop.

 

Jan 01 — Need A Resolution? Press Play!

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(Pic #1) Young artists at play, Van Ness Recreation Center, South Central Los Angeles.

Solution for our grand delusions

You now have permission to trash impossible declarations like, “I’m losing 50 pounds this year.” There’s actually a better one. Research shows the pressure and unpredictability of the past two years have left us tense, depressed, and anxious. The solution, according to one Harvard psychologist — is PLAY.

Dr. Natalie Dattilo, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School says, “Adults desperately need to have some fun — and for the sake of our mental health — there’s no time like now.” — Doctor’s orders.

Whether you’re shooting hoops, or throwing clay, Dattilo says play has enormous health benefits, like a pumped up sense of well being:

Mood – Play makes us laugh, releasing endorphins that lower stress, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, Dattilo says it has the power to reduce both physical and emotional pain.

Brain health – Play improves memory and nurtures critical thinking.

Inspiration – Play fosters creativity by getting us out of our tired, routine headspace.

For ideas on spontaneous acts of play, I turn to my 6-year-old niece Mickey, who, in this video (below) has stopped showering for a moment to express herself artistically on the glass door. Children do this naturally, unexpectedly, and fearlessly. My resolution this year is to embrace my own 6-year-old self and start kicking some creative ass.

Free Art! Wait, What?

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(Pic #1) Interior, sidewalk “cube” gallery in Seattle, Washington — a community project that operates on the premise “take one, leave one.”

It’s definitely a different kind of “public art.” And people are flocking to it. It’s a simple white cedar box on the curb, measuring 15 x 18 inches.

You may have seen little roadside free “libraries” in your town. I’ve seen many in suburban neighborhoods like Nashville. Same concept…. with a little more “hands-on” love.

(Pic #2) Artist Stacy Milrany and perhaps the tiniest free art gallery in the world.

A Seattle artist named Stacy Milrany decided it was the perfect time to bring a little joy into the lives of her Queen Anne community neighbors. The idea came to her after her mom was diagnosed with cancer, and she wanted to send a daily work of art to her to ease her anxiety over chemotherapy. Pretty soon friends contributed their own pieces —over a hundred — and they were all just roughly 4 x 6 inches each.

When the pandemic hit, Stacy knew it was time to expand, and bring some light into these dark days. She painted 500 more works, and encouraged her instagram followers to donate art to residents of nursing homes and those isolated from family..

(Pic #3) The gallery comes with perfectly sized miniature “visitors” to offer a sense of scale.

Then, last month, the brainstorm hit: in these challenging times, art can make a difference. “Welcome to the smallest free art gallery in the world” she said. “If you like a piece, take it. And please leave another one for the next art lover stopping by.”

Now while the gallery operates on the honor system, mysteriously there’s one piece missing. Someone lifted one of the not-for-sale plastic figurines. It’s a 7-inch chef making macaroni and cheese. Stacy made posters saying “if you know of Chef’s whereabouts, you may return him with no questions asked.”

Art is a serious business.