Art as Transcendance

'Demonic Transcendance' by Harlequin Chameleon, 2012

In about 2012 I was sitting around a table in a grimy sharehouse with a strung-out looking fellow who had been expounding to me the benefits of sketching on hard drugs. We were both outcasts from the much cooler group in the next room (who were actually doing the hard drugs) and so by default had started our own group using a texta and a piece of paper as social buoyancy.
As the sketch changed hands it developed into a mess of disparate patterns, shapes and faces. When I got home I scanned the sketch into photoshop and flipped it. From this Rorschach mirror technique a demonic cat-like creature appeared. I was studying graphic design at the time and used my new skills to endlessly repeat and copy/paste pieces of the sketch. For a night and day I worked relentlessly, sculpting the detail and following the work where it wanted to go.

Looking back on this piece I reflect on who I was at the time. An intense, sexually frustrated young man with strong artistic drive and few social skills. I think of how i've changed. I like to think that little angelic beacon like figure at the top of the piece has become stronger and led me on to better paths, tempering the raging fires of my youth.

I'm here in Steem because I believe there has never been a better place to share creative work. Free from Facebook's quagmire of advertisements and posts about stubbed toes and lost phones. I look forward to sharing not only my music, art and writing but the stories of their process and creation.

This process is a source of endless wonder to me. The ability of art to transform pain, boredom and struggle into works that inspire and heal. It truly makes life worth living and life would suffer without it. Of great comfort is the realisation that hard times and suffering have often been the fuel for my best artworks.

I truly believe art is for everyone. To engage in a form of creative self expression can have innumerable benefits for your mental health. To learn a musical instrument can open up new paths of communication and indeed I have many friendships built solely from jamming.

So often we see Artists as seperate, aloof, magical beings that have dedicated their lives to the perfection of a craft. It can be crushing to the confidence to compare yourself to these people. Especially when you place aspirations of a career or social success in your craft.

To be a successful artist or musician, lots of people have to like what you do. But sometimes great art is not meant to be for everyone. To place the worth of your work on how it is recieved can rob you of the amazing benefits creative expression can give to yourself, your family, your friends.

So much banal, boring art is made in the pursuit of success. Paradoxically it is only ever the brave, soul baring and often selfish works that break new ground, achieve true lasting success and contribute to the legacy of a creative field.

I'm here on Steem because I believe the story's and struggles behind the artworks are as great as the works themselves. My posts will often include a song or an artwork along with a story of the people, travel and places that surround them. I won't be shying away from discussing deeply personal issues either as I believe that artistic expression and personal development are intrinsically linked.

I do hope you enjoy my posts and I look forward very much to interacting with you.

David Gillett aka Harlequin Chameleon