In a single heart beat you appear.
The highest energy, the highest inspiration.
All the tool strokes happening simultaneously, freezing action in time.
Clay particules still suspended in the air.
Your eyes remain closed. Maybe it’s just a dream…
Millions of tool strokes..
Each one has a purpose.
Each one freezes inspiration in time.
Each one exists through my body, through my soul.
I’ve dreamed of you.
One day you’ve appeared. Out of nowhere.
Why you ? I have no idea.
I’ve known instantaneously.
You’ve let me in.
You’ve let me get to know you until I could literally breathe you.
We’ve become one.
Art as our witness.
Now it’s not about us anymore.
It’s about giving back the energy.
Sharing it in the purest way.
Until we meet again.
Different body, perhaps. But I will recognise you.
Mirror Soul
I love the sketching. Most of a sculpture’s energy is created at this stage. It’s extremely demanding physically. I said most of the sculpture’s energy is created here….. meaning that if I decide to leave it as it is, not going into the refining stages, then ALL the energy is contained in this impulsion.
Sometimes I wonder if the concept of mentoring still exists. The answer is probably yes, although it certainly has changed and evolved, just as we have as a civilization.
“Mentor/mentee” makes us think about a long term relationship between someone who has reached mastery in a given field, and an aspiring student whose hope is to one day become a master, effortlessly using a set of skills that will allow her/him to infuse her/his own personality in the process, taking the art to a new level . We imagine them spending days together, then weeks and years until the student has finally reached this level of mastery. We like to think about the mentor protecting the mentee until she/he has become more solid and is ready for the challenge to make a true difference in the world.
So how about today ? Well, after a few personal experiences, some good, most of them bad (we’ll see bad is often better than good in term of what there is to learn), it looks like this mentor/mentee romantic image is a thing of the past. Our society has led people to believe we live in a world of scarcity, that you should fear potential competition (how can there be such a thing as competition in the arts??).. if the opportunity of crushing the hopes and desires of a young innocent person arises, don’t think twice, you’ll save your ass from future threat and why don’t you admit it, it’s always fun to be mean when you have power anyway..
Today I am contemplating this situation with an unemotional detachment, wondering how I managed to “survive” (=protecting my desire to create art). Some attacks have been brutal, with hurtful words, intimidation, people taking me under their wing then violently closing the door without warning. Perhaps it all was a test. Not from these individuals. A test from the Universe (call it how you like): If your desire survives then you have this special license to try to reach unprecedented levels in your field.
In the end it’s all good because what happened had to happen for a reason. I just hope that the next potential Mozart won’t give up on his dream because of some people who see everything as competition.
By the way, other bonuses of surviving to this are the extra motivation, and the fact that it gave me a precise idea of my potential. If the best in the world thinks you are a threat… all good. I’ll keep my head down.
I also think that the mentoring concept has evolved into a more organic system: today you meet someone who naturally becomes your mentor, tomorrow the link is broken for whatever reason. We all evolve. You gave and took what was there to be given and taken. Then you move on with your life, as a new version of yourself, which creates a new dimension of opportunities to meet mentors. And so on.
None of them will play that role for life. Again, all good.
Apollo Magazine featured my work in their 2010 Spring/Summer issue. It’s been a pleasure to work with them. I created the sculpture aligned with the magazine theme, especially for the interview. This is one of the benefits of going away from commercial sculpture, and working with partners who support my art researches.
Clic on the image below and zoom to enlarge it so you can read the text.
On New Year’s day I was contacted by a US magazine who was interested in featuring my work and a short interview. After a few days of back and forth e-mails, the editor tells me that they have a Jan 15th deadline for the upcoming issue….. hum, that leaves about 10 days….Challenge accepted !
Pushing myself is what I needed to jump start 2010, after all this time away from sculpture. I knew it, I knew it was going to be intense… I also know that these are the perfect conditions to learn a lot.
Comfort Zone = Death.
This is certainly not my best piece, but this episode taught me unexpected lessons that will influence the way I work for the future projects.
To me this piece, “Show Off”, is the brother of “Vitual Kiss”. They both have influences from our world of today. An influence from Photography, Fashion and Beauty (with Show Off it’s more about emphasizing the attitude though).
A friend told me that “He has such a mythical stature, but looks like a funk master one might cross on the streets today.” Awesome. Getting closer to the goal. Step by step.
Have a great 2010.
Each year, people talk about the few new words that are added in our dictionaries. How about removing some of them ?
Today’s post is about one of those details that I think make a big difference in your mindset. One of those details we don’t usually reveal about ourselves.. “if I talk about it, people will judge me”, and all sorts of related selfconcious issues.
I personally chose to bust loose from the “what will they think” mindset a long time ago. Creativity basically is about coming up with a new idea that will make the old idea obsolete. The idea of innovation is rarely well received, it is the actual innovation that people like, once you’ve taken the step of action and making your idea real.
But back to our topic. Today I’ve chosen to share an intimate detail of my life with you. When we talk about results, we talk about attitudes, and what is “shaping” your attitudes ? The words you use when you talk to yourself. Obviously if you tell yourself “I am not creative”, there is no way you are going to be creative.
The great thing about words, is that you can change them as soon as you decide it. It’s not a long process. Once you have the desire to be your best self, the switch in attitude from “I can’t” to “I can”, is an immediate action and gift you decide to offer to yourself. Try it. NOW.
One of the techniques I used (and still do) is to make some specific words taboo. What a better way than removing these words from your environment ? Some will scream as I take my scissors and open the dictionary… my answer is, get rid of your limitations. Impossible ( by the way please, don’t ask me to use this word, ever again ), is probably the very first word to remove from your mindset / environment.
The “secret” I used to go from never having touched a sculpture tool of my life, to the result I enjoy today after only 3 years of practice, is not a technique. It’s an attitude, and words have played a major role in defining this attitude. Once you get it, no matter if you are a sculptor, a writer or a lawyer, it will work.
Details are everything. Details say a lot, in fact they tell you all you need to know, whether you are in front of someone, or in front of a piece of art. So watch how you treat details and watch your words.
Last year I had the pleasure to host and sculpt Hye Mee. This South Korean beauty wanted to Visit France, especially Paris and the Bordeaux/ St Emilion area where my main studio is. Hye Mee’s sexy humor, her infinite patience during our sculpture sessions, our shared laughs and experiences, are all elements that built unforgettable moments.
At this stage, the piece is still in progress, especially the intricate curly hair. It’s always a good idea to set pieces aside for a period of time. When you get back at them, anything that needs modification is obvious to the eye. If you have curly hair, feel free to send me some pictures for reference.
This sculpture was used for the production of my very first video. Fragment style, combined with chemical reactions, create this unique modern finish. No matter what I use, it’s all about creating things of today. Past is good…in the past. Of course we have so much to learn from our ancestors, but we are living NOW. Let’s create “now things”.
So take a look at what’s been created before, let the best of it infuse your soul, and go create something new. Let’s keep Evolution going.
Enjoy “Modern Africa” in the sculpture gallery by clicking on the picture.
– “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink. As a left handed creative, how could I resist to this book ?? Much more to come on the subject in the future. Book recommended by my amazing Gina Rudan. An interview of Daniel, along with my video on creativity, was presented during “The Experiment” in NYC.
– An early version of “Who’s Got Your Back” by Keith Ferrazzi. Thanks to Keith for having shared the manuscript before the book was published.
– “Emotional Awareness”, a conversation between The Dalai lama and Paul Eckman. I studied (and still do) Paul’s books about human facial expression. I’m big about meditation, so the book was
– “Busting Loose From The Money Game”, by Robert Sheinfeld. My friend Jorge Colón ( OBA founder ) told me about this book that gives you a totally new perspective on money and life. Interesting reading.
– “The Bhagavad Gita”, A walkthrough for westerners, by Jack Hawley. This is one of the books that I re-read regularly. It’s been called India’s greatest contribution to the world. Very inspiring. Bought in Deepak Chopra’s center in NYC.
– ‘The Bro Code”, by Barney Stinson with Matt Kuhn. This is Barney Stinson’s humour in a book. Barney is the character played by actor Neil Patrick Harris in TV show “How I met Your Mother”. “You live by the bro code, it was natural for you to own a copy” were the words of a very special someone when she made this gift to me. Although certain similarities are obvious, please, let Barney remain Barney, and Seb Zar remain legen……… wait for it…….. dary !! lol
Usually I start several books at the same time. With my busy schedule and the fact that I’m a slow reader ( only on books, not on internet/ articles and so on.. how strange is that ), it can take up to several month to read to the end.
Next on my list ? “The Power Of Less” by Leo Babauta.