October 3, 2009
the red zone and the gray zone
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Somebody just emailed me to ask, why did I use red and gray for the New York print?
Besides aesthetic reasons [Red & Gray gives the piece a sort of retro-hipster Ben Shahn vibe, which I like], here’s a little more insight.
I have a thing I call “The Red Zone”. The Red Zone is the state of consciousness when you are fully alive– when you are creating something, making art, making love, watching the sun set, whatever. When all your synapses are firing.
I have a thing I call “The Gray Zone”. The Gray Zone is the state of consciousness when you are NOT fully alive– when you’re just bumbling along, half-awake, sleepwalking through life. We’ve all been there, probably a lot more often than we’d care to admit.
“New York” is not just a geographical place to me. It is also a metaphor for the archetypal urban experience.
And I find with this archetypal experience, the battle between the Red Zone and The Gray Zone to dominate one’s mind is at its most intense.
Art Class over for today, Kiddies! Rock on.
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Tags: Ben Shahn, New York, The New York Print
What did I learn today? Work on my answers. Really excellent answer, Hugh!
Cool metaphor, I’ll have to remember that, thanks!
Banksy?
[…] read three blog posts in as many days about what Hugh MacLeod calls the Gray Zone, in which you’re “NOT fully alive– when you’re just bumbling along, half-awake, […]
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