My mother has always been supportive of my art when I was growing up. Well almost..... from about the age of 12/13 I started to seriously draw alot! So much so in the end its all I ever did in class and as you could imagine I wasnt the most popular student with the teachers. But I wouldnt have had it any other way. So much so that in the end I just didnt turn up for school ALOT just to hang out with my friernds n play music, play our instruments, make funny films while stoned off our heads at who evers house had their parents who at work all day at the time etc etc. They were good days.
Ended up getting expelled from that school. The one my dad went to........... and his dad.
You can imagine how that went down! Then I got explled from the next school for much the same thing. I.e. doing art in maths, turning up to school with a new tattoo, always stoned on grass and got very crafty with fucking with teachers. So they set me free. 
Its been almost 12 years since I got booted out of school. I have had seriously about 40 jobs between then and now. Including several years in the film industry. I threw that in to shoot docos with my own money in third word countries. Ran two of my own small companies. Have done alot of aid work.Traveled a fair bit. Did stints at university with very good grades. Which was good for my confidence as I pretty much got Ds through out my later years in school.
Now i'm founding a big art gallery with a youth out reach program to teach art to kids who have been down rocky roads. And have an environment for them to work in with myself and other established artists in inner city Sydney. This program came from an absolutly horrible time in my life (only 4 months ago). I will spare the details but it involved a close friend dying, myself very nearly being killed & a long stint in hospital as a result. As well as other asorted thing that would have been enough on their own, but it all happened at once.
My light at the end of the tunnel was to set this program up to help anyone who didnt have the friends and family I do who helped me get up and going again. Due to what happened to me I was give up to 9 months to recover. But putting everything I had into this project and doing art I skipped 6 months of the recovery process and now have a n amazing group of people working with me to run all this.
I have been planning the first exhibition in my gallery to be of my own work I did and am still doing that are directly drawn from the dark depths of my experience. I fugure its a good idea to show show case that you can turn awful into something productive and in the process you get out all the bad energy.
This brings me back to my mother........ as I mentioned earlier I was a shit and shit at school (even art class). I went back to uni for a while and saw i was getting good marks and that was kind of all I needed so I hit the road again and left. Art has been what has gotten me through alot of things and it is my life now. Its my passion and the love in my life.
At this stage in my life with whats going on with the gallery, I'm feeling ok about myself and have a healthy level of confidence in the things I do..................... UNTILL ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO!!! I havnt seen my mother for a while but she knows whats going on with all the working of the gallery and my exhibition. I was having dinner with her toningt (she is an amazing painter by the way) and she tells me I should stick to drawing because, as she said, "I know thats what your best at"!!!
Ok to cut a fucking long story much shorter (if anyone has made it this far?). As much as I thought I had my shit together and was strong enough to only listen to the good comments coming my way about my paintings..... Mum shattered me with one sentince. I cant even look at my paintings now!
She ment well & I will get over it. But my point is. Mothers never stop being mothers. And no matter what hard mother fuckers in life your used to. And how strong you become through a not so normal life. Your mother can bring you down with one sentance..........
Thats the power of love and respect.
Ended up getting expelled from that school. The one my dad went to........... and his dad.
You can imagine how that went down! Then I got explled from the next school for much the same thing. I.e. doing art in maths, turning up to school with a new tattoo, always stoned on grass and got very crafty with fucking with teachers. So they set me free.
Its been almost 12 years since I got booted out of school. I have had seriously about 40 jobs between then and now. Including several years in the film industry. I threw that in to shoot docos with my own money in third word countries. Ran two of my own small companies. Have done alot of aid work.Traveled a fair bit. Did stints at university with very good grades. Which was good for my confidence as I pretty much got Ds through out my later years in school.
Now i'm founding a big art gallery with a youth out reach program to teach art to kids who have been down rocky roads. And have an environment for them to work in with myself and other established artists in inner city Sydney. This program came from an absolutly horrible time in my life (only 4 months ago). I will spare the details but it involved a close friend dying, myself very nearly being killed & a long stint in hospital as a result. As well as other asorted thing that would have been enough on their own, but it all happened at once.
My light at the end of the tunnel was to set this program up to help anyone who didnt have the friends and family I do who helped me get up and going again. Due to what happened to me I was give up to 9 months to recover. But putting everything I had into this project and doing art I skipped 6 months of the recovery process and now have a n amazing group of people working with me to run all this.
I have been planning the first exhibition in my gallery to be of my own work I did and am still doing that are directly drawn from the dark depths of my experience. I fugure its a good idea to show show case that you can turn awful into something productive and in the process you get out all the bad energy.
This brings me back to my mother........ as I mentioned earlier I was a shit and shit at school (even art class). I went back to uni for a while and saw i was getting good marks and that was kind of all I needed so I hit the road again and left. Art has been what has gotten me through alot of things and it is my life now. Its my passion and the love in my life.
At this stage in my life with whats going on with the gallery, I'm feeling ok about myself and have a healthy level of confidence in the things I do..................... UNTILL ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO!!! I havnt seen my mother for a while but she knows whats going on with all the working of the gallery and my exhibition. I was having dinner with her toningt (she is an amazing painter by the way) and she tells me I should stick to drawing because, as she said, "I know thats what your best at"!!!
Ok to cut a fucking long story much shorter (if anyone has made it this far?). As much as I thought I had my shit together and was strong enough to only listen to the good comments coming my way about my paintings..... Mum shattered me with one sentince. I cant even look at my paintings now!
She ment well & I will get over it. But my point is. Mothers never stop being mothers. And no matter what hard mother fuckers in life your used to. And how strong you become through a not so normal life. Your mother can bring you down with one sentance..........
Thats the power of love and respect.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
Seriously though thats really amazing what your doing. Fucking AWSOME even. You just keep on being amazing and don't worry about what anyone else thinks it's about what works for you.
Hugs and Kisses,
and all i have learnt with my own work, writing-wise, is to keep the fires burning, no matter what even your loved ones say.
Z out.