Comments on: Top early Flickr inspirations (part 1)

By: Arty Smokes

Arty Smokes — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:57:13 +0000

Jean’s comment is another one of those casually sexist comments indicating that men should take pictures while women should be models.

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:58:48 +0000

Dear Miss Aniela,

I accidentally came across your account on Flickr, and thought the work is wonderful. You look beautiful in your photography, and I can’t help but wonder, why aren’t you a model already? I suppose if you were even approached, you’d want to stay behind the camera as well. Anyways, keep up the good work and keep taking those pictures!

Jean D.

By: Miss Aniela

Miss Aniela — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:39:49 +0000

Cheers a’smokes! I know there must be more than one person reading my blog but it’s the controversial ‘essays’ that seem to get the most comments, rather than posts like this one, so to have your palpable and eager response really encourages me to go rambling on and on just for you! ;))

“I’d really like to hear what other things, such as paintings, books and films have influenced your work. …do you suffer from identity crises like the more neurotic method actors suffer? …do you sometimes wonder who the real you actually is?”

I’d love to try and list my non-Flickr inspirations after my three Flickr blog posts… ones from Balthus to Enid Blyton… and, for example, films sometimes play a direct role in the titles of my work, such as Don’t Look Now and Dial M for…
and I’d also like to try and answer your other questions…

for now I’ll go and eat my (non-existent) Easter egg.

By: Arty Smokes

Arty Smokes — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:27:59 +0000

Well I checked out all the links and was very impressed, found some new favourites and followed leads to more brilliant work. I’m getting addicted to flickr and I can barely hold a camera! It’s all so inspiring. Some of the portraits make me want to learn the craft, but other pieces were so awesome that I just thought “I’d never be able to compete with the likes of that, so I don’t think I’ll bother.”
I was most surprised to find that my favourite of the artists you linked to in this blog was Gianluca. I normally shy away from anything surreal as I have a taste for realism in all the creative arts, but his pieces were stunning.
I can’t wait to see the top 5!

By: Arty Smokes

Arty Smokes — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:19:42 +0000

I wondered if you’d seen my comment about this on the Balthus blog from a while back, so I just went and checked back. Thanks for that.
One of the most clichéd interview questions is “So who are your influences?” (it’s particularly common for musicians, who probably hate having to answer it so often) but it’s a good question to ask because the answer can be very illuminating.
This blog is a great way of promoting other artists. I’ll shortly go and check out those flickrers and maybe develop a new obsession to get me through the night!
I saw one of your older pieces was inspired by a Kylie Minogue video. The admission of such an inspiration was a breath of fresh air in what can be a very pretentious industry. I’ve said elsewhere how I hate it when artists claim to be “completely original” or just reel off a list of “cool” or “worthy” influences.
No one likes being pigeonholed by the media, but I think it makes sense to fess up about the source of ideas, so that the viewer can view your art work in some sort of context.
One of the problems is that many people will automatically put you - as a female artist - in the same pigeonhole as other women. While there is a link between your work and that of Sam Taylor-Wood and Cindy Sherman, for example, it would be lazy and sexist to only draw those links and forget all about Balthus and many other male artists. A couple of your pictures have used light and shade in a way that reminded me of Vermeer, for example. I can completely imagine you as the girl with a pearl earring.

I’d really like to hear what other things, such as paintings, books and films have influenced your work. When creating a scene, do you feel like you are acting a part? If so, do you suffer from identity crises like the more neurotic method actors suffer? (I know it annoys you that people think the person in the photos is the “real” you, but do you sometimes wonder who the real you actually is?). Do you play music while working? God, I could ask you questions all night…