25 Comments
Sep 30Liked by Duane Toops

the climb by miley cyrus

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I came very close to using a different title, because I wanted to avoid that association. Thanks for reminding that I should have, lol.

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Sep 30Liked by Duane Toops

oh, i’m sorry lol? 😅 but art begets art and the song is pretty chill imo

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lmao! No worries. I couldn’t help but hum the song while I was titling the piece. Thanks again!

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Artifactor is super useful! No wonder you've been enjoying it. 😆

Thanks for the find.

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Isn’t it incredible?! Such an amazing endeavor, wish I could come up with more ways to utilize it. I feel like everything I’ve done with it so far is just scratching teh surface.

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I found part of an Artifactor generation I liked, cut it out, made some post-processing changes, and used it as a base for a piece. That serves as a useful inspiration point. The piece, "Just Visiting" is here: https://substack.com/profile/229666-martin-hughes/note/c-70501757

There's a little something inspired from one of your works, which you may or may not be able to spot!

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Very Cool Martin! Is it the area down the left hand side?

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Yes!! I'm glad you recognised it—I didn't want to give any clues unless needed. And you nailed it immediately.

Your piece, "a practiced method of being", seemed a great example for the "Just Visiting" to almost be pulled away from. So an element of the piece has been stretched and cut, working almost to the side, drifting more the further away from home. For me, symbolic of finding no amount of previous practice necessarily working out when you're a visitor in a new place.

And so the practice begins once again!

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Sep 27·edited Sep 27Author

Really well done Martin. I appreciate the creative interplay, the thought behind it, and definitely the symbolism.

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Sep 27Liked by Duane Toops

Great work as always, Duane. And Cave's so well-considered with his thoughts as always. Have you read his letter regarding the use of ChatGPT? Highly recommended. He conveyed my feelings on the subject more eloquently than I, and before I was ready to articulate them myself.

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Thanks James! I'm a big fan of his Red Hand Files. It's one of my favorite blogs. I think I've read the one you're talking about. I don't disagree with him necessarily, but I also think the situation and the conversation is more complex and nuanced. There are those that want to cut and paste whatever AI generates and there are those that are ardently against any and all usage of it. I think there's a middle way. A way to use it responsibly. A way that utilizes it as another tool at the artist's disposal.

Writing for me is exhausting. It's one of my least favorite things to do. There's so much noise and chatter in my head,. It's is angst-ridden and excruciating. Trying to turn all the grappling in my brain into something coherent is beyond depleting. The struggle and discipline are important to be sure, but I have to take a step back and recognize that, at the end of the day, I'm a collage-maker, not a writer. And my energy reserves are best allocated to the making of collages. It becomes a question of resource management. In that way, I've used ChatGPT to bounce writing ideas around, whether for newsletters, artists statements, work statements, etc. It can be a mechanism to shepherd all my unruly thoughts into a structure I can start to work out from.

Often what it gives me is not quite what I'm looking for. But sometimes it inadvertently sheds light on a thread that helps me find my way, that helps tie the whole thing together. Sometimes it confronts me with so many bad ideas that it clarifies exactly what it is I do want to say, so can say it and then get back to the work making more collages.

I'm not sure if this is the best approach, but it's one that I've found helpful for the time being.

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Sep 26Liked by Duane Toops

That’s awesome; it’s a perfect fit. I love that you keep a box of special interest scraps .

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“special interest scraps” - that’s perfect!! Thank you!

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Sep 25Liked by Duane Toops

I love intercede between us! That phone dangling at the bottom of that strip of white!!! And Victory on the faithfulness of the climb is really great motivation, thank you. Keep climbing.

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Thanks so much Jenn! I keep a small box on my work bench filled with an eclectic mix scrapes and fragments. Once I'm almost done with a composition I riffle through it to look for interesting details I can add. That bit of phone had been lingering around for a while. Glad it finally found a home.

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"victory in the faithfulness of climbing" is something that I want written in the epitaph of my life.

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Same here! Thanks so much!!

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Brilliant as always my friend!

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Thanks Jason! Hope Daytona is treating you well!

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Sep 22Liked by Duane Toops

Love Nick Cave! Your collages are exquisite!

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so kind of you! The funny thing is, I’m not a big fan of his music, but I absolutely love his writing!

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Sep 24Liked by Duane Toops

Agreed! His music is not everyone‘s cup of tea.

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Red hand files fan? A way to describe how we live our lives, "fashion for ourselves a life worth living" is a very poetic way and reading this I think how many times do I forget this is what I am doing? Or should be? I think poetry for me, or any creative expression gets us close to create a wonderful life worth living. Gorgeous images as always and some of these bring some 70s vibe.

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Thank you! I’m an avid reader of the Red hand Files. can’t get enough of it. i think you’re right! So much of my creative is structured teh way it is because it is intended to create a ritual of daily living. A way to approach and engage with each day in a way that makes me grateful for my time here.

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