Pingg

I was a pretty quiet child. In fact, I didn’t start talking until I was 4 years old. Nothing would crack my silence. Instead of expressing myself vocally, I spent my time listening, observing and doodling. During the first four years of my life, I developed the skills that have made me the keen observer I am today. As I result, I tend to find creative inspiration in many of my simple daily observations.

Growing up I didn’t have many toys. I spent my days visiting my imaginary world of doodles filled with colors, shapes and textures. When I wasn’t doodling, the television was my source of entertainment. This picture of a TV standby screen, is what I stared at for hours while I patiently waited for regular programming to resume.

Loretta Grayson, an artist like myself who is inspired by TV testing patterns, has created her twist on the familiar television screen. Her integration of patterns and colors brings me back to my childhood starting into the colorful television space. Check out her blog! It’s amazing to see her unique process for creating each piece.

Ever wonder where electrical wires end? When I wasn’t watching TV, I was often staring into the sky wondering just that.

My obsession with electrical poles persisted throughout my childhood, and they became quite significant sources of inspiration when I moved to Chicago to pursue art. What I miss most about Chicago are my daily rides on the L train. Compared to the MTA, which runs underground, the L run above ground – this gave me great views of the city the electrical wires sewn into the sky. The movement of the wires was hypnotizing. My definition of a moving canvas. It was extraordinary to see how the wires converge and diverge, go in and out of and in between households, twirls and unwinds, and how it danced in front of my eyes. I loved the strong contrast that these black wires created against backgrounds. I loved how straight they were yet their movements were so unpredictable.

This photo is a part of a series that was taken by James Mundie. James cleverly used an unusual angle to highlight the contrast between the white background and black wires, to give the photograph an abstract painting-like quality.

Lastly, what inspires me the most is the people with playful minds who treat the world like their playground. For example, “Invader” is a street artist who is inspired by the Space Invaders game. He travels around the world pasting the overly simplified and pixelated characters from the game in mosaic tiles on buildings, bridges, streets, etc. His artwork is definitely eye-grabbing, and I’m sure that anyone who runs into his work can’t help but to stop, stare and wonder.

What is his purpose of using these characters and the concept of the game? Why does he pick certain places? What is he trying to say? His artwork is definitely eye catching, and anyone who comes across his work can’t help but to stop and look for a moment. His intention is to stop us from constantly running in the race or chasing after what’s in front of them in this ongoing world? When was the last time you actually took a closer look around you and let yourself to be absorbed in the moment and in the place you’re in? Instead of constantly trying to define “what I like” or “what I want”, when was the last time that you allowed your surroundings to inspire you? It’s interesting how Invader uses the elements from an old arcade game, because maybe he’s asking us to go back in time and remember how we used to be when we were young, when we were able to stay happy in our imaginations, which have been replaced with materialism, goals and greed as we grew up.

Stop running for a moment and take a look around you. Maybe that great getaway or the vacation you’ve been working so hard for is not too far away from you.  All you need to do is to let your imagination to take over and see where it leads you.