Make Good Art

So tonight is about one thing. Art. In all its glorious forms.

But lets focus on the craftsmanship that goes into it. With it being Friday, of course I have videos to present to you. Specifically, two videos that show the process of art being made. Its a funny thing. Art. It's all around us, constantly, but I feel like many of us take it for granted. To me, art is someone's passion put into a physical form. People don't just make art for the hell of it - they do it because they love it. They're compelled to. Its fun and rewarding. Often times therapeutic. And I don't think we tend to appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating it. So lets take a moment and soak some of it in.

The first takes place in the kitchen. We're talking about food. Food you ask? As art? Well sure, why not. All the great chefs preach that "you eat with the eyes first." Therefor - what appears on the plate has to be appealing. Colorful. Bright. Beautiful. It has to make you want to eat it. And the video below sure makes me want to eat what it being made. The work that goes into the following dessert is mind numbing. All the steps. The little pieces that play off each other. The delicacy of putting it together. It all combines into something extremely special. Just watching, I can imagine the smells and feel my mouth watering. It's doing its job.

And don't worry - of course the video is shot beautifully - I mean, come on, I have some standards. The soft focus. The unique camera angles.  It's just awesome.

Next time you go and eat, take a moment to reflect on the work that went into it - it's art afterall and someone spent time making it just for you.

Rouge By Carte Noire - Michael & Philippe - QUAD from QUAD on Vimeo.


The second video requires a bit of commitment. It's much longer than the first, but it's worth it. Trust me. It is a little piece about an artist in the UK who still hand etches, paints, and screen prints glass/mirror signs. Everything he does is by hand (aside from scanning his drawings into a computer). The piece specifically follows signs he was commissioned to make by John Mayer. When I first watched earlier today, I was absolutely blown away. The amount of time that each step requires is ridiculous. Drawing the stencils. Scanning the print. Screen printing. Etching the glass. Washing with acid. Laying gold leafing. The amount of talent David has is just sickening. I can't even begin to imagine how horrible he must feel if he needs to start over - but I'm sure at this point, he's perfected his craft.

What I absolutely love about this piece, other than how beautiful everything is - is that this is a dying art. When was the last time you saw or even heard of a glass gilder? Its great David hasn't abandoned his art and the passion he pours into each piece is inspiring. Just sitting back and watching raw glass turn into something so stunning is mesmerizing.

It really makes you reevaluate if you're truly doing what you love.

The Making of John Mayer's 'Born & Raised' Artwork from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.


I'm thankful for art. Heck - simply put, without it, I wouldn't be in the industry I am today.