The ‘Gremlins’ Gremlin’
Happy, merry everything, my dear Gremlin. Last night, Santa came down my non-existent chimney and got stuck, so my personal elves had to help shimmy him down. He was a bit startled so I put some Miles Davis on, calmed his nerves and we had a nice conversation over a mince pie about D’Angelo and Chistopher Nolan films. We became best friends.
OK so maybe this didn’t happen, but swap Santa for another name and it’s a believable story. Our artistic influences are social currency and keys to instant connection.
Hence, I bring you the concept of…
T H E . A R T I S T S . A R T I S T
The MCs’ poet, the painters’ painter, the boxers’ champion.
The ‘artists’ artist’ is a term of phrase used to describe the artistic influences that made artist’s artists.
Like it or not we judge people by their influences, and when we find out that someone shares one of the same unique role models in our life as we do, we understand that person in another way and we like them a little bit more. (Or less… judgement can work both ways.)
What makes an artists’ artist?
The artists’ artist usually has the respect of peers and critics but the wider general public is less aware of the work than would be expected given the level of esteem
They are thought to have a high level of integrity, which means pursuit of their essence with little regard for outside influence
Their work demonstrates a breakthrough insight that is not yet understood outside of the world of artists
They make work that makes use of skills that are hard to appreciate by non-practitioners
S E L F . I N Q U I R Y
Which got me thinking, who is the GREMLINS’ GREMLIN? Who is the influential Gremlin in your life that feels niche to you, but when you find out that you share them with another it’s like you’ve been truly understood?
To me, the artists’ artist represents the person between main-stream and no-stream. I realised it’s less about the name and more about the STAGE of integrity and discovery that the artist is at. For example, Adele was once my hidden artist - back when I found her on My Space and I had ‘Hometown Glory’ as my landing page song. Before she blew up. She’s still ‘my’ artist, but her influence on my life is because of the initial signature of truth and vulnerability that spoke to me.
I did some digging into my Gremlin brain and found that my favourite artists are a combo of childhood loves and current peers. Marvin Gaye and Jill Scott remind me of the long drives to visit my dad at a time of childhood when words were tricky to find. Jordan Rakei and Tems are my London Jazz/Hip Hop connection, and George Condo & Rothko speak to my spiritual/slightly rebellious side. From Chicago Neo soul, to Freedom Fighters, each influence I pick is a reflection of a part of me that wants to be expressed.
The Gremlins’ Gremlin will both separate and unite us. It’s not personal, it’s human nature, the law of thirds - in othering something we build connection with the second.
For example, we both love Prince? OK, now we are connected because we love Prince, A N D we are also connected because we are different to someone who doesn’t love Prince. Hence, culture has the power to divide and unite.
This is more that just asking us to look at our tastes. It’s about asking the deeper question underneath - what does the thing you love about your influence say about you and how you would love to express yourself?
In this yummy non time between X Mas and New Years, what if you make a list of your influential Gremlins and find the common thread between them?
Afterwards, look to see what part of your creative self wants to be expressed in a similar way. Think of it like a free creative gift to yourself and an arrow towards your North Star in 2023.
Till next time you beautiful beast, love from Indonesia.
K X
