Author: Melis Fusco

 

 

 

Last month I had the pleasure of visiting  Off The Map Tattoo Studio in Grant’s Pass Oregon. It was my first time ever visiting Oregon, and I must say it gave Colorado a little competition. I arrived with the all to familiar nervous, anxious, first time exploring butterflies that I feel in my stomach while starting a new journey.  Off The Map Tattoo Studio shares it’s name with Jeff Gogue’s Grant’s Pass location. I had a few days of tattooing lined up, and was very excited about that, however I was more focused on the plans I had made in advance. I coincided my guest artist spot around Jeff’s painting workshop. I had this trip planned out for about 10 months, and it seems the longer it takes for me to plan anything the more anxiety builds for the trip.

 

 

 

 

I have had a busy schedule and allot of traveling going on since the spring. Much of my traveling was for tattooing, however with the previous Paradise Artist Gathering  in New Mexico last March and now this painting workshop under the instruction of Jeff, I found myself more out of my bubble this year then any other year prior. It was a small topic of conversation between a few of the artists and myself, which made it more clear to me that getting myself out of my bubble and into more artistic environments has not only been very inspiring, but has also aided in me feeling more comfortable in my creative world one stroke at a time. To sit along side artists,  and  open ourselves up to learn from another artist who, like Jeff, works very instinctively and seems totally comfortable within the niche that he has created for himself; it all has such a positive out come that I encourage you all to get out of your bubbles and put yourself into another creative environment.

 

 

Whether it is trying another medium you are not familiar with, or even better yet, to become unfamiliar with a medium you were once in-tune with.  In my artist life, I have taken the initiative and signed up for classes whether inside or outside the tattoo community, and I must say some of my favorite workshops have been outside of the tattoo community. Don’t hesitate to see what your local community college or artist group is doing, and get involved every once- in-a-while.

 

Taking Jeff’s workshop really simplified the process of oil painting, and I really enjoyed that!  Coming from a background in art education, I have tool boxes upon tool boxes full of all sorts of paints. With a simplified pallet and brushes, I understand his process and can add it to my own painting recipe.

 

This year alone I have painted more paintings that I will not be selling, and I am ok with that because I know my future paintings will benefit from the time I spent stepping outside of my bubble. I encourage you to do the same!   Autumn is around the corner and that is a great time to sign up and get inspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the painting workshop I had 2 free days before my tattoo appointments, so I rented a car and headed over to Crater Lake.  This was one of my bucket list trips for a long time now and I could not pass up the opportunity to see this magical place.  I arrived at the lake and was just speechless to how beautiful it was, and it really felt magical. I was alone and was far from scared. I hiked around for hours, until the sunset. Then I stayed until 1 a.m. to capture some night time star scenes, but unfortunately the half moon was not on my side it was so bright! I did get a couple shots so the night time excursion was not a total wash.  It was an inspiring and fulfilling time to explore before getting into tattooing, and those four days set me up for some creative tattooing sessions.  I still feel the effects of that today and I hope it will continue.

 

My last day was free so what else to do then float the Rogue River with Jeff’s wife Kim. What a blast we had,  beautiful scenery, great conversation, some light snacks and local beverages aided in an awesome bonding day for us both! As well as some ‘yard sale’ events caused by some large wake from the local tourist speed boats. We will just say that someone got some free gear along the river and it wasn’t mine…. eeeecccheemmmmm…. (kim) hahahah   Seriously though, a super fun day, a great end to a great week. Thank you so much to Jeff and Kim for their hospitality as well as the always supportive Off The Map crew. I will be back… in the mean time, here are some other photos I thought to share… I took soooo many but heres just a few. Enjoy!

Hell City Fest has found its way back to Phoenix Arizona! I will be attending and splitting a booth with my friend Jonny Wogan. Be sure to come visit us and say hello! It is held at the Biltmore Hotel Conference Center in Phoenix. This is one of the best shows in the country and one that you do not want to miss!!

As planned, I have finished up tattooing in Arizona and settling back in Colorado! Feels good to be home again. Colorado brings me some of my favorite clients and I am looking forward for the busy months to come. I have all new projects starting this July, and I am still taking appointments too so if interested please fill out the contact form. I will be in Denver for the Summer into the early fall, and come September I will add in a few days a month up at Godspeed in Breckenridge. Also this summer I will be traveling often, Off The Map in Oregon mid July, (still have 2 openings) Seattle in early August, (taking appointments now), Hell City in Phoenix end of August (Friday still avail), Mid September Paradise Tatto Gathering in Keystone CO! Cant wait! When I am not traveling I will be tattooing only in Denver.  I will make an announcement when Breckenridge is added into my schedule. Wishing you all a great summer, keep that skin out of the sun, and see you soon!!! 🙂 ~m

At one time or another in every artist’s life, including myself will or have all experienced some type of artist block. There are many levels of creative block,  from just the annoyance  of intrupted flow that is short lived or even deeper resulting in depression, lack of self worth, loss of self esteem and unfortunately self destruction.  An artist block or otherwise known as creative block is the inability to access one’s flowing stream of inspiration and creativity. what was once an overflowing well of ideas may now feel like an endless drought. It can last for days, weeks, months or even years. A feeling of loss in self may arise, and with every forward gaze stands fear, fear of not creating a worthy piece because of all the emotional strain that has occurred. I know with myself that heart ache and change of environment really take a toll on me. In the past I worked on channel my creative energy and feel at one time it would flow uninterrupted; what I envisioned, I produced. I went through a rough creative block due to many situations happening at once, and at times it got the best of me.

Creating is a huge part of my life, and I am sure you feel the same. To be at battle with yourself, takes a bit longer to iron out then if you are at battle with someone else. We are our own worst enemy, but can’t forget we know ourselves the best! Burying fear and self doubt to just keep swimming through without judgment is not easy, but necessary if working through artist block. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and moving forward is the only way to see and reach it. There are tons of ways to keep moving forward through artist block. From handling a totally different medium, experimenting, working on a much smaller scale and most importantly to keep working through fear and not give up. It is an emotional journey, and to sit along side yourself hearing the coach and the belittler battle it out is the confusing part and the most import inner workings of an artist. This battle is the foundatain of what we are; unconforming, expressive individuals with emotions that flare from light to dark just like the array of colors on our palettes. Accept yourself even at the darkest moments and keep swimming through.

I have read an assortment of books over the last few years, some have sparked  neat painting ideas that I followed through with.  As I flip through these pages to find some quotes to share, I see sketches that were the seeds to finished paintings. Such as (self portrait)  These books I wanted to share with you I have found along the way or have been recommended reads by close friends whom I have confided in when I needed a little strength. Those dear to me I take everything they say to heart, and give everything an opportunity. If someone confided in me, and I gave them the energy to help guide them along I would hope that they would take something away from that to help them in any way. So saying that, be open to what your peers, friends or loved ones suggest if you are reaching out to help make sense of it all.

 

“The Creative Soul” by Lawrence H. Staples PH.D.  “We create great relationships only when we fully reveal ourselves; we create great art only when we truly reveal ourselves. Art and relationships require the same nutrients to grow. If we want our art and our relationships to be strong and beautiful, we must feed them intimacy, which is what ames both of them thrive.  THus, the quality of our art and the quality of our relationships depend on the degree to which we accomplish this feat of intimate self-revelation, the more that they reflect ourselves the better they are, THis is why we stimulate both fear and fall in love weigh our relationships nd our art. We see ourselves in both of them.”

 

THE SOUL OF CREATIVITY by multiple authors in multiple mediums. “Ironically creative behavior exists because of uncertainty. It is the means to solving a problem, whether artistic, aesthetic, economic, political, physical, or emotional. Creative behavior orders chaos and structures change. Wishing to live a creative vibrant life, a woman must come to terms with the uncertainty inherent in creative behavior. She must take risks, be patient, be acknowledged, and act upon her need to express that which is unique about herself. She must be able to disregard what other may think about her desire and persevere through disappointment. These are qualities that make creative behavior possible.”

 

Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland “cowboy wisdom: WHen your horse dies, get off. Cowboy wisdom notwithstanding, the Weston’Adams vision continues to support a sizable cottage industry of artists and teachers even today. But this security carries a price: risk taking is discouraged, artistic development stunted, and personal style sublimated to fit a pre-existing mold. Only those who commit to following their own artistic path can look back and see this issue in clear perspective: the real question about acceptance is not whether your work will be viewed as art but whether it will be viewed as your art.

 

The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau  “All things equal, we generally resist change until the pain of making a switch becomes less the the pain of remaining in our current situation.” “To break the cycle, the fear of the unknown has to become less then the stale acceptance of the current situation. There are two ways to make this happen: Increase the pain of the current situation. Decrease the fear of the desired situation.”

 

No Storm Lasts Forever, by Dr. Terry A. Gordon. This book or better yet, a mans journal takes you through his life experiences during a very challenging time in his life.  He’s observations during the up’s and down’s have a profound spiritual influence that help understand such hardships in life. Transforming lifes disappointments, heart ache, and suffering into understanding, insight and resolve. Such a great book!