Art

I didn't have the desire to play in public either, really. A couple of other people that I used to play with have also said that they much preferred band practices and private jam session to gigs. I never involved myself with dealing with promoter's etc.; I always stuck to writing new material and just got in the van whenever I was told to.

Playing gigs outside our home town I found particularly intolerable. I only ever played in what's quite often called the "DIY" scene, so thankfully didn't have to deal with "music industry" behemoths, but it meant hours of being stuck in the back of van, and quite often finding out that you were going to be dossing on the promoter's living room floor - almost always where the post-gig partying would be going on until the early hours. It was too much time around rowdy strangers, and without any easy way to scurry back to my burrow if it all got too much.

Home gigs were a little easier, but still involved too much social time; always having to be first to arrive at the venue and last to leave, and they weren't exactly the kind of venues with a fancy "artists suite" to go and hide in! I get overwhelmed easily in pubs and clubs at the best of times, and attracting attention to myself by getting up on stage just meant even more interactions with strangers to deal with - I didn't relish having to talk to even the most enthusiastic of fans (it was probably fortunate that there weren't very many of those!)

After having a couple of very embarrassing mid-set melt-downs, I realised that I just couldn't keep doing it. People often assume that my introvert ways mean that I must have suffered problems with stage-fright. I did a little bit, but it was nothing compared to my "off-stage fright"!

Ooh. Long thread so far. 

I was never into art until very recently. I still don't 'get it' though. All a sudden I started finding abstract art interesting- but only from the colour point of view. For some reason I'm fascinated with Mark Rothko. But generally I take notice of colour or shades of colour. But nope, I've read works on understanding art but it don't sink in. All my family is artistic but I'm not. It's a great shame. I do consider it is one of my traits of ASD

Bury is my neck of the woods yet I've never visited the gallery. Oldham gallery usually has good displays on.

Between 2011-2018 I have done some 600ish work of drawings and poetry which I am beginning to but on my Facebook pages

Though I have stopped due to the altitude of the course tutors saying my works weren't worth the papers that they are on!

Have a look and see what you think!

My grandpa was a brilliant artist and I thought I should have a try at it.

I also have a number of guitars, though I don't think that I am a worthy guitarist to go public and besides I only use them to control my arthritis!

I ran a small PA hire for a while, but gave up. As a non-musician, I found I couldn't handle musician politics. I'm talking about individual musicians, rather than the music business. But I suppose you are bound to get that when everything hinges on one's latest performance. And me, I do not have a desperate desire to perform in public. I'm one of those people who prefer to work behind closed doors.

Now the musician who was recently talking to me about flow state is known to be heavily critical of the music industry. He achieved some accolade in his early career, but now refers to run his own shop. I have seen some pretty shoddy business practice in my time, but undoubtedly the music business is every bit as scuzzy as they come. I very much appreciate those musicians who decide to take back their own career from the promoters and media companies.

Music is an essential way of coping with stress and anxiety for me, especially playing an instrument. It's the thing which most easily takes me into the "flow state" that Senor mentioned earlier in the thread. Any problems that I'm having dealing with the outside world just disappear from my mind; I'm not really aware that there's even such a thing as the "outside world" when I'm deeply immersed in playing. I don't perform any more because I just couldn't handle the social side of it, but I could never stand to be without my musical instruments.

ok i understand

yea keep active

Oh really! My eldest daughter makes a lot of wirework jewellery, she makes a lot of earrings too. I've done metal enameling a few times, it is quite easy. I also have a kiln and loads of silver clay and equipment that I bought several years ago when I was 'really' obsessed with jewellery making, I really need to give that a try! I'm a bit scared to use the kiln though as it heats to such a high temperature! Need to get over my fear of the kiln!

What type of candles will you be making? Will you use colours or essential oils? I did make a patchwork playmat for my 5 year old when she was a baby, I'd forgotten about that until just now. I think it's folded up at the back of her wardrobe. I hand sewed it all too using blanket stitch as it's the toughest stitch so most robust for a baby play mat. I'll have to get it out again tomorrow! The patchwork beanbag sounds cool! Yeah, I'm the same with crafts, I'll have a go at most things. In a couple of months I shall be starting my Christmas Pudding Liquor ready to give to friends for Christmas!

Visual art has never really made me feel much. If its a painting of something I like, then chances are, I will like it but generally no more than an a photo or actually seeing that thing. I can certainly admire the work gone in to creating a piece of art but I really can't connect with it much at all.

Music though can really get to me. Maybe it's because I have played a traditional orchestral instrument since I was very young, I learnt to appreciate it more. 

nice summary of whats wrong in society

That's an interesting idea! I'd equate "getting lost" maybe  with the sense of flow in my hobbies & hyperfocus on work tasks, so maybe visual stim isn't far off the mark. 

Oh, mostly quite simple earrings, just little strings of beads, buttons, feathers etc. I did metal enamelling earlier this year, that was great and actually quite straightforward when you've been shown the basics, though the equipment is far too expensive for me to consider doing it at home. :(

I have candle making in my plans for this week! Need some a specific shape for one candle holder and I don't see the point looking for them in the shops when I have all the stuff here to do my own. I started doing a bit of cross stitch last year; a little bit of sewing customising my clothes and I'm currently halfway through a patchwork bean bag; useful things for my home like the jewellery hanger I made from a wooden coat hanger, ribbon and assorted stationary; I made a bunch of percussion instruments for my friend's band to record with... Basically I'll have a go at anything! It really depends on my mood what I can lose myself in at the time.

Thanks

Getting 'lost' in it sounds maybe more like a visual stim as Trogluddite mentions above? Dance is something no one else has brought up yet, personally it does nothing for me but I like how our definition of 'art' is widening!

What types of wire jewellery pieces do you make? I've tried a lot of different jewellery making techniques over the years but I've settled with sewing jewellery as, to be, that has the most creative potential. I find that the design possibilities are endless and I like the ability to recreate actual objects as beadwork. Such as food; animals; dolls etc. Weirdly, my actual sewing skills are quite rubbish. I never understand how I can happily sit sewing beading for hours but yet when it comes to sewing a button back onto a blouse I'm like 'really?! do I have to!?'.

I've also done a course in stained glass making and can make stained glass pieces at a basic level using either the leading or soldering technique. I enjoy soap making and candle making and other crafts on occasion too. Do you do any other crafts?

I think that there is a design/skill/technique to art per se. It's just that some people prefer more 2D art that is on canvas whereas other people get on better with more 3D 'art' forms.  

Well that's an angle I hadn't thought about - and backed up rather well by a lot of the comments on here, people 'getting' specific pieces or artists and not at all invested in anything else.

Ooh I love crafts, I make jewellery too (among other things) though usually with wire as my sewing skills are so-so (pun intended, sorry :P). Useful/wearable art I have so much time for, I love functional things to be beautiful, I fell in love with a bowl once - the design was asymmetrical but with the same proportion of colour on each side, it felt perfectly balanced... I honestly think though that if it had been a flat piece on the wall, I wouldn't've appreciated it the same!

I just don't get art that's made for its own sake. It seems purposeless, which is why I think there must be something about it that I'm missing.

Good design is definiely the thing I most appreciate skill in, that combination of fulfilling a need while being aesthetically pleasing - or amusing, informative, cleverly reflective of its purpose.

Oh my goodness, I've had so many converstations about this lately! (The urgency of everything online thing). A 22-year-old friend is constantly apologetic if she doesn't see a message for ten whole minutes... I've had to keep reassuring her that I don't take it personally! And neither will anyone else who cares about her welfare. We've now agreed to respond to each other's messages only when we're ready to, I'm waiting to hear back from her about coffee next week, it's been three days... *shrugs*, if she gets back to me in time we'll go, if not we'll reschedule. It's really not the end of the world as the most important thing is to keep her anxiety down! Sorry that went off into a bit of a sideline rant there. But basically yes, as much as I love my smartphone and the connectivity it gives me, I agree most people don't appreciate taking time over things!

Your house sounds like my idea of hell, in the right mood I love to be out and about among people, surrounded by noise and colour and LIFE... but knowing I have a quiet place to retreat to afterwards is essential to enjoying that! Is there any way you could get a room in your house soundproofed?!? 

Interesting question!

I can get quite "lost" looking at abstract sculpture (statues rarely interest me) and abstract or impressionist paintings, or photography. As others have said, music of all types has a direct effect on my mood & energy level. I *like* poetry, bit don't always "get" it fully.

I'm rarely impressed by "representationalist" (?) paintings apart from marveling at the effort that goes into them.

I can also get quite touched in an indefinable way by *really good* dance (solo, doubles or troupes) or solo singers - but it's damned rare! Most dance that I see on TV seems to ignore the music to my untrained eye.

I think I might go back to him as an adult and see what he's all about.

One thing I struggle a little with and I've learned to go with the flow, is that often in poetry things are implied rather than explicitly stated. I'm learning to just go with my instincts as I read. 

This sums it up for me: