Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Monotony

 There's been a lot of turmoil at the Daily Planet lately. The editor in charge of "Keeping you Safe" section of the paper has resigned (or so it seems) and there's 3 other positions open. It seems everyone, including the copy boy, has piqued curiosity. Personally, I don't really care, but I am enjoying " the show ".

My focus is still drawing...while still trying to hide my secret identity as, Iamscribbles! Yes, Iamscribbles, mild mannered fueler at an "international airport" just east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, who disguised as Michael Hopkins, is secretly heading for adventures beyond this local...however, for now I must remain at the this location 5 days a week, only returning to my fortress of solitude only after punching the time clock...only to rise again in the morning, and relive my own little constantly repetitive version of the movie, Groundhog Day. 


Monotony. During my previous incarnation as a Bartender I had the same problem. I was beginning to liken everyday at work to the movie, Groundhog Day. To get out this predicament, 
I thought the answer was to work someplace (or around something) that you enjoy (aviation!). I gave up bartending and figured I had pretty much found my happy place here at the local “International” airport.. However after 2 years, I have destroyed that theory by recalling how much I love the creation process (art). With that minor self realization, I was back in the movie, "Groundhog Day". When I realized this, the next thought was that the only way to get around this dilemma is to turn the brain off for 8 hours a day and just do it. I had tried this previously while bartending and it worked. However, one must realize that if you turn off your brain, you also turn off the creative portion of the brain. If you're a Creative, like myself, this is not good and leads to lack of creativity (well, duh!). Which has been my problem for a few months. So the original plan (to get through the monotonous day at the Daily Planet by turning off the brain), didn't work. Luckily, I've figured this out before my creative brain shriveled up like a prune and died. The answer? I needed better control of my brain. After much research, self analysis and practicing, I now know how to get through the monotony. I keep the brain on, focus on creativity, while using the minimal amount of brain megabytes needed, to get through the day at the Daily Planet.


In conclusion, I believe that controlling one's brain, utilizing its space effectively and controlling positive and negative thoughts, is a major key to happiness and success. Here's an example...Let's say I'm trying to go to sleep at night and I have a negative thought that keeps me from sleeping. Instead of concentrating on that negative thought and losing sleep over it, I have developed a way to shut off those negative thoughts, relax and sleep. Sounds unbelievable? It does indeed, but it works and I'm being creative again!


Sunday, April 18, 2021

More Random Thoughts

It appears my blogging is down to once a month? Note to self...you need to blog more often.


Random thought #1. Is digital art real? It’s occasionally very cool. Like other art, some of it fascinates me (of course some of it I loathe) however, if it only exists on a computer chip on our personal devices, is only displayed on social media and doesn't have a physical form, is it real? Same with books or digital downloads of books (of course, a digital download is not really a book, it’s just a story), I prefer the real physical books made of forests (sorry tree huggers...however recycled paper is ok with me as well). It just seems to me we are headed to a point in the future (probably beyond my lifespan) where our entire society will only exist on our personal devices (or maybe it already does?). Does that mean we are already living in this society? What happens, if for some reason, the internet crashes and computer chips and their contents become worthless? Most of our society would be lost and some fascinating art would no longer exist, albeit in the creator's mind. As for me, I would be drawing pictures and writing this blog in a notebook that nobody would see. Well...I guess, nothing much would change.


In case you haven't visited recently, the Michael Hopkins Caricatures Online Store still exists. I’ll be adding more art soon. By the way, I’m still looking for a gallery to display my art, however, in case this doesn't happen, my brain is working on other options...including opening my own gallery  


Random thought #2. I am considering getting a booth at the 2021 Reno Air Races to sell, display and market, my Aviation Caricatures.  It's expensive, but the benefits might outweigh the expense? 



Random thought #3. Speaking of my aviation caricatures, those seem to be my most popular artistic forms of expression (i.e., most popular drawings). This really doesn't surprise me. I find creating aviation caricatures the most enjoyable aspect of my profession. When I create aviation caricatures it seems less like work and more like, well...just drawing and enjoying myself. It’s not that I don't enjoy creating  caricatures of people, it's just that I seem to  put more pressure on myself to get the caricature exactly right, when creating a caricature of a human vs. creating an airplane caricature. Actually it’s probably the fact that I like being around aviation, more than I like being around people. 


Just kidding...maybe..