Piece together the scraps
On taking inspiration from multiple sources
“Nathaniel Mary Quinn probes the relationship between visual memory and perception. Fragments of images taken from online sources, fashion magazines, and family photographs come together to form hybrid faces and figures that are at once neo-Dada and adamantly realist, evoking the intimacy and intensity of a face-to-face encounter.” - Gagosian
I have a thing about not being able to sleep on Sundays. It’s almost as if my brain is gearing up for the week ahead. During one of these moments I started watching this timelapse of Nathaniel Mary Quinn. There is something meditative about it that mirrors the intimacy of an artist in flow.
Source: Gagosian
I’ve always thought that the job of a good artist is to influence, curate and reflect culture. To create work which is in one part deeply personal, in another displays traits that are universally relatable — to ultimately, make it engaging for their audience.
It’s a balance that’s hard to strike (and definitely easier said than done!).
To do this they dig beneath the surface to work out the problem they’re trying to solve in the first place. Taking inspiration from human truths and (sub)cultures. Collecting scraps of information, filtering it through their lens, and remixing them to create new work.
As Quinn pointed out: ‘The entire process of making a painting is beset by solving problems’.
When it comes to working with brands, maybe there’s something to be learnt from that.
Because, in a lot of ways this is what marketers strive to do every day. To get to the root of the problem they’re trying to solve, and build up from there. To find a route through which allows them to communicate in a way that is deeply personal (to the brand) whilst being unforgettably relatable (to their target audience).
This comes from having an in-depth understanding of who they’re talking to and the cultural context in which they exist. And, by osmosis or design, from piecing together knowledge and inspiration grabbed from multiple sources along the away.
Ultimately aiming to strike that balance of cultural relevance and creativity that good artists express so well.
Until next time 👋,
Harriet