External Sourcing- Sophia

For me, the reading on External Sourcing was interesting yet challenging. While it explains the creative process of each artist and how the inspiration originates externally, I can’t help but scrutinize each external source and wonder if it cannot also be consider internal. I suppose it is impossible to distinctively separate the two inspiration sources, for no matter what one starts off with the other ultimately joins in to help construct the final product.

In the reading, I am most drawn to Scott Grieger, William Kentridge, and Thomas Joshua Cooper. Because I’ve already learned of Kentridge’s work, I will only discuss Grieger and Cooper here. Grieger’s artistic process and trends of thoughts is the most interesting part of his work for me. How he starts out from a Nike logo and eventually creates an installation that explores the idea of social reform, corporations and military-industrial complex is fascinating. However, as his brain-storm bubble continues to expand, I find myself TOO overwhelmed by all the concepts he tried to cramp into one installation. I find that the inclusion of too much elements distract me from focusing on the relations between corporations, military and society, which is already a very strong concept. Cooper’s works draws me because of his approach to art. After the reading I realized that almost all these artists conduct quite a body of research before they go off and construct the actual artwork itself. The preparation works Cooper carry out before he takes the actual photo is astonishing.

I wonder if it is coincidence that all the artists mentioned in this reading are males. I would like to learn about some female artists that draw upon external sources as their inspiration. In the internal sourcing reading we learned of two female artists and one male artist. Is this an indication that females tend to react and respond more emotionally? Even in art? :/

Looking back to my works, I realized that I am mostly inspired internally. But I would like to challenge myself to draw inspirations externally. With that said, I am still having great trouble coming up with an external sourcing project idea…..