Capital "A" Art

Tanisa Reynolds-FrancisPersonal Narrative

Capital "A" Art

+Introduction

Tanisa Reynolds-FrancisPersonal Narrative

CAPITAL "a" ART

+Info

Illumination (Cont.)

Art is often seen as a trivial hobby that few succeed in, yet many engage with it at some point. Not everyone can create art, nor should it be limited to a select few. A growth mindset is essential for engaging with art. Creativity differs from art; it is a way of feeling and thinking that leads to a product or method, but the outcome can often be art. I used to think of myself only as a creative thinker, not an artist, believing I lacked mastery of my medium and needed more experience and guidance, despite graduating early.

Functionality is the reason behind everything you create in design, but I’ve realized that design is another form of art—equal and distinct. People often think visual artists only deal with the visible world, assuming we lack non-visual intellect. But math, science, and writing can also connect with visual arts. Is this piece classified as art to you now that there are several sensory elements?

Preparation

I can admit now in hindsight that I mostly did not call myself an artist because I did not truly know what art was. I knew what art was not. As a designer, you are trained to view art only through the lens of functionality. It is commonly said that the difference between art and design is functionality.

The Grid is something I must obey to give my artwork a sense of unity. It has become a self-contained barrier to art styles that are more abstract and less physically functional. I understand now that pleasure can also be clarified as a type of function and the rules of The Grid bar me from feeling comfrotbale to explore that side of artmaking and art reception and critque.

In other words

My experience entering the industry of design was a mirror-like reflection of what I assumed the very white-washed world of art was like.

The Bible of Design is the Grid. The Grid is an organizational system for layouts in print and on screen. Different grids serve various purposes. If you do not obey the Grid or intentionally disobey it, you are not a designer; you are an artist, and the piece is no longer functional. The Grid is a visual math tool that every designer must have in mind from inception to production to ensure functional accuracy. I learned that "things aren’t always meant to be pretty as long as they’re functional, and anything extremely pretty is meant to be art." I realized my aversion to modern design trends was actually an aversion to the Grid.

Preparation (Cont.)

I researched artist like Piero Manzoni with Germano Celant and deemed myself inaccessible to that level of talent. Somehow those people and their “talents” were inaccessible to me. I do not think selling human dung in a can or vacuum sealed bag is art.

thank you

The hesitation to accept art that doesn’t adhere to the grid or appeal to certain demographics was always very apparent. It is appalling that colonialism stretched it’s way through the artwork of the most oppressed people. The historical perverse view of art impacts how we view cultural art generated in this country and others. It lends itself well to the idea that Westernized view of artistic disciplines of performance, drama, and visual collective criticize black-art and black artists harshest. In "Thinking through the sociality of art objects", I found it strange that European countries have found themselves apologizing and returning stolen artifacts that held no value at the time they were stolen and harbored. Possession increased the value and level of artwork suddenly?

Illumination(cont.)

In Chapter 3, The Body, by Robertson and McDaniel I came to the conclusion that Grotesque Art is abrasive and while I understand its purpose, there is nothing reflective about grotesque art in many cases. It isn’t used as directly as it could be. It is an assumption of a near reality in many cases and offers viewers the opportunity to accept its almost tangible possibility. I’m simply not sure that grotesque art is meant to offer more than fear of something larger. In this case, I believed art to be an exclusive membership that understood the nuances and beauty within all artforms including this kind. Though I understand that art may not serve a function in the same way that design does, there is still a purpose and function included.

Incubation (Cont.)

People are often shocked when I tell them I spent most of my life as an artist but only identified as one three years ago. I blamed other circumstances for my work not being perfect in the eyes of the public. I believed I needed to work only with non-digital mediums, that I had to be extremely talented and wealthy to succeed, and that design was only for specific purposes, as if it couldn't be considered art unless it was a tangible medium. My grandparents supported certain artistic pursuits that aligned with their idea of excellence. In other words, they invested in what they found impressive and above average for my age. They did not invest in personal exploration of art, only artforms they recognized some level of talent. It was very evident early in my life that I enjoyed reading and writing and I never associated my writing passion and talent with art simply because it wasn’t visual. I was placed in several choirs, assigned to play the piano by ear and with sheet music, danced, modeled fashion garments, played sports, and managed to still feel like I wasn’t among the crowd that called themselves Artists.

INCUBATION(CONT.) In this case, I believed art to be an exclusive membership that understood the nuances and beauty within all artforms including this kind. Though I understand that art may not serve a function in the same way that design does, there is still a purpose and function included.

One of my professors described me as "biting off more than I can chew." Initially, it was a compliment; she appreciated my design thinking. However, she later noticed that I didn't fully honor the Grid. I made visible mistakes in this digital medium, and even though I knew how to fix them. I chose not to. If design serves a purpose, why must that purpose be so obvious? If it functions anyway, who cares if it looks functional? I found a loophole and faced a professor who viewed design purely as design. She criticized my work in my crucial senior year and called me a “designer by accident” who relied on luck to create great designs. I held on to that, not realizing I knew much about design and little about art until a few years ago. I was a poor designer and therefore never an artist.

Incubation

INCUBATION (CONT.) In this case, I believed art to be an exclusive membership that understood the nuances and beauty within all artforms including this kind. Though I understand that art may not serve a function in the same way that design does, there is still a purpose and function included.

Art is the process of expressing thoughts and emotions through whichever chosen medium is displayed or used for the purpose of intended communication and perspective sharing. It is a continuous exploration of the self that has several functions that are sometimes dependent upon an object. The intent to create what does not exist makes them an artist and their product the art. My perspectives have completely changed surrounding what is and is not art, who sets the tone around art, and the significance of cultural representation and curation. I see myself as an artist now.

Verification

The Grid makes my new defintions of art seem like a black and white subject, but art is now the opposite of that for me. It's should be broken and obeyed for the sole intent of the artist and the message of the piece.

VERIFICATION I doubt it. There was value all along. This notion that art has unnamed and faceless authority figures is echoed in the white and male dominated design agency offices.

Art being functional is a point of contrition because there is still a colonized view of where that relational function and study comes from. It is true that a work of art is conditioned by historically situated ideals, signifying dominant artistic practices in social and cultural circumstances. It is a direct look into what we allow and what any artist choose not to be limited by.

Verification (cont.)

CONCLUSION This artwork was confidently created with those who do not meet the often narrowly defined societal standard of artist. For those that rely on visual and auditory accomodations navigate life and art.

Belief, I’ am told, is the main ingredient to become a successful artist. It must be true since each artists definition of success is vastly different.

Art has several functions and placements throughout various cultures, as I gathered from the Art in Ethology Study. It goes beyond being another form of communication, but also includes familial ties, status, progress towards a new concept or idea, indication of lifestyle, and accessibility. It is beyond creating for the sole purpose of aesthetics, it is exploration of the self, environment, and societal circumstance. In that regard I falsely assumed that because so many things could be considered art that artists technically existed everywhere and that each had a signature medium they specialized in.

Illumination

The Grid constrains my creative process in the sense that I now do not accept anything that appears muddied to me. I' am so loyal to the rigidity of the grid that I only play with visual subject matter in an Avant-Garde manner.