Another Sketchbook Project

I've been working on another Sketchbook with the Art House Coop. This one is called The Fiction Project and is supposed to be comprised of at least 51% writing. And like the other project, I received a random topic to help give me some parameters to work within. My topic is "This is where we start".

Instead of writing a fiction story and adding pictures to help explain my words, I decided to create pictures and then use words to help explain my images. I've only created about 7 pages and have another 33 to go. I'll keep you posted.

So, after thinking about my topic, "This is where we start", I decided to make my theme about different states of being. At the time that I decided to use this theme, I was intending on exploring the different states of being experienced by those affected by any kind of mental illness. I wanted to explore everything from mild anxiety or depression to extreme fragmenting or psychosis. There isn't enough general awareness about such states and I wanted to contribute (even in this smallest way) to generating awareness about them. But after drawing a few pictures, I realized I could only draw from what I've experienced (whether it be my own state of being, something I've read or my experience of someone else's state etc). I realize this was too limited. So now I'm incorporating all states of being (ie emotional states, perceptions of self, perceptions of others in relation to self, internal conflict, thoughts, memories,perceptions etc). Regardless of what state of being I'm depicting, they are all MY observations or experiences. So, the images are all subjective expressions.

I have to go make dinner now but I wanted to write more. I wanted to describe why I'm allowing myself to create very child-like images for these Sketchbooks. And I wanted to write about what artists paint and whether it matters whether their inspiration is derived from intrinsic or extrinsic sources. I recently had a lengthy discussion with a friend about artists and their various states of being as well as the validity of certain kinds of art - particularly art that is self taught and strictly inspired by one's own emotions, thoughts, perceptions, memories and experiences. But, I am hungry and need to eat so I will leave those topics for another time.