I've been immersed in work. The publishers - lovely Slovenians - have been totally brilliant, giving me a completely free rein on the whole book, leaving me to my own devices and ideas (I much prefer this to a prescriptive brief) and then approving it all very quickly without any changes (unusual!), so it's been an absolute dream job.
If only the bloody illustrator wasn't being a pain in the arse. Now she's started on the final artwork and she's not happy with anything, keeps changing her mind, going for a new style, nothing she does is good enough, she keeps re-painting, trying out different paper, throwing things away, getting frustrated. Working all hours and still there aren't enough in the day; you should see the bags under her eyes.*
Bloody artists! An album title springs to mind: 'The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect'. Couldn't remember where I'd heard it, anyway I had to look it up and see it's by Todd Rundgren. I'm not familiar with much of his output but I do remember his multi-coloured hair, and I do like a couple of tracks by his early band the Nazz. So here's one of them while I try and sort out this so-called illustrator. She needs a chill pill.
*Not helped by her mobile phone going off at 2.42 this morning. There was no caller, no text, no voicemail, no record of anything or anyone in the log. It just went off on its own....
Ah the artistic temperament - don't you just love it!
ReplyDeleteIt does my head in!
DeleteBut what a blessing - to create! Hope it all falls into place soon. Been meaning to post some Todd on the blog, so this is a prompt.
ReplyDeleteThanks... I know I'm so lucky to be doing it at all, so I feel I shouldn't complain, nevertheless I hate it when I can't get things to go right because it IS all I do and I only have myself to rely on!
DeleteI remembered the other track I really like by the Nazz too - but I forgot it this morning - so it's somewhat ironic that it should be 'Forget All About It'!
Look forward to seeing what you post over at yours too.
Rundgren's Utopia was the first live show I ever saw. I have no idea why he came to my little corner of the world, but he put on quite a show. This version of Hello, It's Me is really interesting. It looks like the art on the video clip shows Open My Eyes as the flip side. That's the song that usually shows up on comps with a song from Nazz on it. The opening is a great ripoff of the Who's I Can't Explain. Keep your chin up about work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brian.
DeleteI know v little about Todd and Utopia, but it sounds as if seeing them was something special, and good on him for getting out to your little corner!
His later version of this is much faster, isn't it? - and perhaps a bit happier sounding, whereas this seems to have more of a poignancy to it somehow.
Sounds like you're a perfectionist, C, which I think is essential for any good artist - as long as you are, eventually, able to move on! ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi! Funnily enough, only in terms of my ownwork... I'm pretty slovenly, unfussed and undemanding in most other respects! I think it's that thing of being one's own worst critic... I struggle... but I think I'm getting there with the job today at last, though. Hopefully.
DeleteThanks, Gin G. I'll let you know how it goes in due course hopefully!
ReplyDeleteYou sure it wasn't your conscience calling at 02:42 telling you to chill out?
ReplyDeleteEither that or a phone phantom - a phonetom!
DeleteHope it all comes together soon C, sounds like an exciting project. Nothing wrong with a bit of perfectionism...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Scott. I'm getting there, good days and bad days!
Delete