The News from Long Island City

BUY ART FROM THE LIVING.

One of my favorite living Illustrators is a Canadian born Japanese girl named Jillian Tamaki. The first time I ever stumbled on her work was when I was visiting my friend Ava Savitsky’s table at the MoCCA comic convention held at the Puck building, maybe 2 years ago. There are truly a huge number of talented people who show up at that thing, and it was after about an hour of wandering around the convention did I find Jillian’s table set up. Although she wasn’t there that day (or maybe I had just missed her, she was off getting lunch? Using bathroom? The mystery remains unsolved.), I did have the pleasure of meeting her friend (whose name I never got) and remeeting Sam Weber, another incredible illustrator who was in the same silk screening class as me at SVA - though while I was a sophomore for the second time, Sam was a grad student. I remember him being a pleasant and hard working guy.

So - It was here I was introduced to Jillian’s art, in the form of her first book, Gilded Lilies, a book which I love for: inverting one of my favorite aphorisms into its title, and being, y’know, full of wonderful and experimental illustration.

Ive been following her blog ever since. She consistently updates it with wonderful work, and rarely ever does it contain anything longer then 3-5 sentences of trivial information about her life. Just what I like in a blog; substance with just the right amount of voyeurism.

It was on her blog that I heard about her newest book, a collaboration done with her cousin (I think?), Mariko Tamaki. Its a story about a 16 year old girl who develops a crush on her drama teacher, Ms. Archer. Obviously, there’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s a good one sentence teaser for you. I had intended to pick up the book for a long time, and of course, kept forgetting. It wasn’t until she advertised her own surplus of copies that I finally took the time to buy it. From her. Oh! Not just the book though! She was offering a copy of the book along with a bunch of other things to sweeten the deal: original drawings, archival prints, a copy of a small zine-comic she made, some adorable wallet thing? She was letting this all go for $125.

Now to explain: I’m a freelance motion graphic designer, and because of that, I’ve done well to afford something like this. Well, in theory I have. Lately money has been very tight for me, as Ive taken (too much) time off to work on Tiger Mending, a project that has only cost me money, and the recession has gotten me very worried that next month might not promise future work. This is the risk I take.

I bought it anyway though. And its not just because I wanted the book, but when someone sends you a beautiful drawing, that they sat down at a table, and made markings on a piece of paper, and now you’re the only one in the world who owns that piece of paper - its like no other feeling in the world. Its a form of love (yes.) you receive that’s so different from any other kind, and its too rarely experienced.

Everyone who reads this blog, I probably know personally, or we have one mutual friend between us, so I feel safe in broadcasting this assumption: you are a creative, work in the creative field, or have more creative friends than you know what to do with. Probably all three, really. To you, you creative, gorgeous, intelligent person, I am telling you to please, go, and buy more art. You will be rewarded for it, immediately.

Buy art from living people. Buy art from people, that when you hang it up or display it in your apartment, and your friends ask about it, you can say “This artist made it! And they live right in Greenpoint!” (like Jillian Tamaki). Buy art from living artists, because giving them your very, very hard earned dollars is a powerful way of saying “I want you to keep making more art.”

You do not have to spend $125. Artists are very kind people, especially when it comes to selling their art. There are artists out there, who when offered money, will flat out refuse it, such regard they have for you and your willingness to like what they’ve made (Jason Cantoro, a wonderful Quebeçois silkscreener, is notorious for this). You must pay them anyway though, or at least, buy them a drink.

Going to flea markets and buying cool old things does not count. I encourage this, I like cool old things and I have my fair share of them, but the seller only benefits by being a few bucks richer. Buy art from the artist, and see their face, in person, and tell them “I love this specific piece. Give it to me!” The artist will wilt in front of you. You two will have fallen in love, and I am serious about that, and it does happen, and it is fantastic.

Disclaimers: I am not implying you buy art from me (mostly because I have no art to sell). Also, we should keep the definition of “artist” as broad as possible.

If there is one 2009 resolution I would want to impose on everyone, it would be this: buy art from the living. Spend your recession dollars on something important.