jem_raid

<p>Hello all,<br /><br />Reading through this thread I see questions that have passed through my mind on many occasions. What is art? Is it the artist stating it? Is it someone else stating it? How does anyone begin to make it?<br /><br />If it's of any use I'll relate my experience briefly, I knew what I wanted to do but was scared of the expertise needed and having to learn about making montaged images from nothing very much. I started out trying to make figurative montages that would become still images and when that didn't feel right to make slowly crossfading self portrait figurative videos.<br /><br />It may seem Susan has happened upon a style that seems very narrow, yet within that she makes a huge variety of images, probably ones that we would all take and have everything sharp and in focus but then she applies her style to them. In fact every style is narrow but once into it the ideas that gradually emerge broaden out.<br /><br />Creating a style is one way into it but of course for as many people who have a style there are 1,000's of others who are quite happy to make something that makes them feel creative and who couldn't care less about a style.<br /><br />I have a sneaky feeling that everyone knows what they want to do but like I did they prevaricate and do anything but tackle it for fear of failure and the scoffs and sneers of those who don't like it. I reckon that's why we end up with the 'kittens and cottages' it's nice and safe.<br /><br />My answers to those questions; whatever the creator says it is, someone else agreeing does help, so does some accolades from exhibitions and festivals and lastly from my own experience to take two totally unrelated images and montage them, see what comes out and suddenly the muse will come back into the room.<br /><br />Cheers - Jem</p>