There are tools for every project and craft. When it comes to artistic expression, there are many combinations to consider. I’ve worked with a variety of different things to turn an idea into something tangible. I work on paper, canvas, human skin, steel, wood, interior and exterior walls and anything else that can accept paint or ink. My usual implements of destruction range from pens, pencil, brushes, aerosol, Bishop Rotary Tattoo Machines, clay, wire, paradors, silicone, latex, digital, and the discarded remnants of forgotten things.
Still, there are other tools that we often dismiss due to the simple fact that we take them for granted. These tools are your biological. Your eyes, the tools that allow you to see your work as it progresses or pick out those random frames of awesomeness from the mundane that you see everyday. They require stimulation in order to work the way we need them to. That means observing the world and training them to see the beauty in the everyday, in the natural world. These windows of the soul process the work of our contemporaries and predecessors into our brains so we can take fresh approaches to what visually inspires us.
Our hands do the work. They draw, write, build, sculpt, manipulate materials and instruments and accent your emotions as you work. I try to keep my mitts in good condition with a Balisong, and juggling. I try to test my ambidexterity on every piece. Between drawing and tattooing, my hands are my livelihood so I avoid risking them with violence or taking unnecessary chances with improper tools or operating with no protective gear.
Then there’s the mind that churns through the ideas and accumulated knowledge to create something amazing. The mind contains that voice that motivates and deters you during the process. It’s also the filter that absorbs all of the information you take in and alerts you when it’s finally understood. I read a lot to nurture the mind. Philosophy, fiction, history, occult, mythology, fantasy, sci-fi, horror and every single book I can find on art, artists and the business. I Contemplate the seemingly easy situations and make snap judgements on the difficult ones. Hagakure taught me that. I listen to an immense selection of music from Gregorian Chant to Mambo, Heavy Metal to 80’s Post Punk. Some days are not complete without Doo Wop and Soul. Some moments require hip hop and Jazz. Music is the language of the soul and if we’re not putting heart and soul into our artwork; what the hell are we doing?
Then there’s physical strength; it allows you to hold poles and rollers, allows your endurance to come forward when the work requires you to shift to an awkward position or hold in a pose, bent over a tattoo client or at the drawing desk. Upon waking, I work out, eat right, shadow box, and stretch. I try my best to get enough sleep despite having issues with insomnia sometimes. That will always be a work in progress but the effort is solid.
I’m interested to know what you guys do. What tools do you use? What’s the most Important tool in your kit? How do you maintain them?
The Outsider is Me 