We’ve all stumbled across them in our travels, especially those of us with a yen for the unknown. You know, that meandering little bit of crumbling pavement that pokes innocently into the woods. “I wonder what’s down there?”. We wonder and wonder, then U-turn and wander. There usually are no lines, and often no pavement. Still we forge ahead, knowing that inevitably, the fun will end at a bullet riddled sign or at some guy’s driveway. Let’s just hope he has a sense of humor.
Artwork often reminds me of a dead end road. Sure, the connotation may hint at negativity, but it rarely ends that way. I recently veered onto an unknown road while working on a new piece. There were no rules or precedents, I had never attempted this type of design before. Well…. inevitably, my attempt ended at the proverbial bullet riddled sign. The idea was not sound, I figured it wasn’t going to work, but I just had to try. When that road ended, I simply shrugged my shoulders and made a U-turn.
It’s said that art imitates life, and it does. Don’t curse misdirections, embrace them. Seek the unknown, explore. It’s how we learn our limitations, our tools’ limitations, and most of all we learn that it’s perfectly OK to turn back and try another direction. We never know until we try. Sure, it’s frustrating at times, but I keep reminding myself that many dead end roads will often reward with an interesting pile of scrap laying in the weeds just beyond that bullet riddled sign.