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There’s a kind of artist I revere who is so deeply committed to expressing the singular nature of their work that it becomes almost self-destructive. For me, Wesley Kimler and Sharkula come to mind – I think of them almost every day. Kimler, in addition to being my mentor for over a decade, is a painter infamous for his cavernous warehouse studios and the theatrical ragers periodically thrown inside, alongside pet foxes and parrots, massive contorted paintings of figures blasted into abstract glowing kites and seascapes, and for publicly calling out the (shake your fist with me) corruption and nepotism of the Chicago art world. Sharkula, (aka Caviar Brian, Thigamahjigee, Sherlock Homeboy, Dirty Gilligan, among others), is a goofball genius rapper who is recognizable to anyone that frequents Chicago’s Blue Line for selling CDs of his over 40 different albums and mixtapes, named things like Martin Luther King Whopper With Cheese, and delivered wrapped in Xeroxed paper with his tags and scribbles all over them.Both of them are devoted, in the religious sense, to their work in a way that I find deeply inspiring, while being a foil to every capitulation that I give into daily.
Jul 19, 2023
Related Recs
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I sometimes tell this to the architecture students I work with.
I believe that most great artists are sorta insane in that they allow themselves to become fully obsessed with an idea and have it take over their brain. Like Kusama putting dots on everything. Basically, submit yourself fully to an idea and iterate on it endlessly. Learn from it. Let it take you somewhere beautiful
Jul 17, 2024
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i feel like it’s this constant debate but the thing is? there’s millions of artists/musicians/etc out there, so i find when you want to hold on so tightly to someone, you’re closing yourself off from other artists that could be similar or way cooler but not a terrible person
obviously there’s a distinction between a faux pas, mistakes before growth, or being deeply consistently horrible, but i absolutely think that’s a distinction worth making…
we only have so much time on this earth, and our time to consume art and music and film and literature is fleeting, so i’d rather spend it on the works of people who have earnestly made the world a more beautiful place and exploring art to find those !
May 20, 2024
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As a person who leans in to independence and does not seek out companionship (I like when I find others organically but it’s not something I’m seeking ) and knows that I’ll die alone (as we all will but some think otherwise) I like art from others like me. Will share specific artists tho in another rec but ppl like Marc Maron and Anthony Bourdain make me feel seen .
Feb 2, 2024
Top Recs from @sam-rolfes
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I already adore Saunders’ short stories, but his recent book that delicately outlines the mechanics and flow-states of both storytelling and story-reading often leaves me in a state of deep, sublime appreciation of life itself – melodramatic, I know, but I’m serious. It’s one of those books where I’ve basically transcribed the entire thing into my notes because every page is such a crystal clear revelation.
Jul 19, 2023
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The idea of being able to fly with like 25 huge oversized bags at ~$50/bag is so wild to me. I was clued into this by a lighting designer for a number of big music acts, and while I haven’t tried it personally yet, there are enough Reddit posts about it for me to feel confident. It would be absolutely clutch if you’re touring or traveling with a lot of heavy gear. Basically you just mock up a badge in Word or MS Paint or whatever that says Media, (it’s remarkable how truly shitty it can look from what I hear), laminate it, and then go directly to the ticket counter and say you need media rates for luggage. I also just love that this kind of esoteric industry trick still exists.
Jul 19, 2023
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Dec 10, 2023