Shaun Tan is another one of those people whose influence on me has been huge, even if I haven't managed to do anything even a quarter as wonderful as he has. His books, and his skills, are many, but he's also got a heart as large as Australia, which is where he comes from. But his story, like all good stories, isn't as straightforward as you might think. He is strongly influenced by his immigrant ancestors, and his award-winning book, The Arrival, wordlessly and beautifully tells the tale of how it feels to come to a new land under difficult circumstances.
From my point of view, one of the creative things he does in his book The Arrival, is to invent an entirely new alphabet for all the signs and documents in the book, so we're just as lost and confused by the new country as the main character as he struggles to find his way.
Here's a really good interview with Shaun Tan to give you the flavour of who he is as a person.
Also, notice he says that "95% of what he does never sees the light of day"!
The quote is from Julia Cameron, well-known author of The Artist's Way.
In my mind, my artwork on this page is not only the *worst* of the book, but a good example of how very much *wanting* to do something really well is no guarantee of success. I just didn't ~ and that was that! But you mustn't let *failures* get you down ~ I don't!
No comments:
Post a Comment