Hello, Restless Sleepers!
What are your dreams telling you?
I dreamt I was lost
on endless emerald sea
soaring seagulls laughed
Stealing From Your Subconscious
has become permanently attached to the idea of “stealing like an artist”, which also happens to be the title of his phenomenal, best-selling book about creativity.I love this idea and as a collage artist, I don’t only steal from other artists, I also from myself. I listen to my dreams and fleeting thoughts and instead of trying to suss out a meaning, I use them for inspiration for the more surreal aspects of my work.
I find the logic of my dreams to be unfathomable. But I recognize there are deep truths interwoven with threads of abstract images, strange colors, and surreal storylines.
Because my primary medium is collage comics, I also steal from old comics. I often reuse shapes, backgrounds, and images from old projects in new comics. I may tweak the color or the perspective. I might use something in a completely different context. everything I find in the public domain or that I make from scratch becomes an asset I can use later.
Part of my process is to see how many different ways I can combine things I’ve used before to make something new. Everything in today’s has been used before. Usually, I add some new elements to the mix. But this poem seemed to call for only reused and recycled stuff. If you read these comics regularly, I’m sure you will recognize some of the images.
I also view all of my comics as existing in the same surreal multiverse. Reusing images helps tie all of my work together.
Plus, all of this stuff is always floating around in the subconscious soup that is sloshing around my skull as I move through the world.
How does your subconscious affect your creativity?
Publishing Update
Starting in October, I’m making. a few adjustments to my newsletter publishing schedule. I will no longer be publishing on Fridays. The weekly haiku/poetry prompts will be published on Wednesdays. Members will get exclusive posts on Tuesdays and Thursdays (but everyone will get the free haiku comic I post at the top of each message).
This change allows me to better serve the readers who have generously chosen to pay for my weird work. It also allows me to have more time to create time-intensive projects like the graphic essays I’ve published for the past two Mondays. This change will also make it easier for me to publish longer projects likely books and zines. Lastly, this change is designed to keep me fresh and prevent burnout.
Thank you for all of your continued support in reading, liking, commenting, and sharing my work. You make it possible for me to do this!
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
It was Picasso who told “Bad artists copy. Good artists steal”
“I also view all of my comics as existing in the same surreal multiverse. Reusing images helps tie all of my work together.” Love this idea of yours.
I love Austin’s book! And his other two, Show Your Work! and Keep Going are just as good.