Goodnight to the players.
I always sought a day-routine, the only way to get things done, like my graphics novel and, currently, my book about Contemporary Art in Indonesia.
I was very much inspired by this articles on the amazing Brain Pickings website and, of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity of breaking the routine that I made for myself to read it and share, and write this post… Whatever!
I always was the kind of girl making daily schedule to force me doing my work during the day. It started when I was in the High School because I didn’t have a lot of time to draw, between school and homework.
I drew and thinking and building the stories during school time and I realized it after homework.
When i was 15 I read Jim Morrison’s autobiography (I know, is quite typical, but at least I didn’t quote him). He said that he used to have a notebook to write random thoughts that eventually became lines of his songs.
I started, as every teenager, writing poetry that way, on a notebook. De Andrè, italian song writer and singer, said that it’s normal to write poetry when you’re in your teens, but when you turn 18 you’re either a dumb or a poet. Actually I think I’m quite dumb, since I endured my poetry writing and I founded a Poetry group, along with a couple of friends, called Poetry Experience.
Fortunately the notebooks were not just filled with surrealistic poetry lines, but also with sketches and layouts for my graphic novels.
So I took notes for my first comic book on ancient Rome (I was obsessed with Cicero, Caligola, Catilina and the guys).
Amentia, Peplum Cruentum, Pulcritudo were basically stories set in the Rome of the Repubblica and the Emperors, but with a punk soundtrack. I was equally inspired by Sallustio, Camus and by Green Day. And I also enjoyed Sophia Coppola way of shaking things out, with that amazing rock soundtrack and the Versaille garden. I kinda like it.
So, when home after school, roughly 2.30 pm, I gave myself very short time to eat, like 15 minutes or something, then I spend a very condensed time to do my homeworks, no more than two hours and a half. After that I spent the rest of the time drawing. This way I had also time to meet my friends in the evening.
Since I moved to Rome things were more relaxed, Academy of Fine Arts was not this huge deal like High School was, and moreover life became more and more interesting. There were more interesting friends to meet, more thrilling love affairs, amazing exhibitions to visit and write of and vernissages, rock concerts and disco to enjoy.
For like two years I didn’t miss a vernissage. I was much happier but sadly I had less time to do my graphic novels.
I did a comic book every year anyways (Fronn’ ‘e Limon’, Tufo and Vince chi Dimentica), but I was slower and maybe less concerned.
I also went on with my art critique. I became more and more active on that department.
Well, after finished the Academy I was in an ideal position, like no working, have a plenty of time but mysteriously I felt was less productive.
I’m spending this weeks at my parents’ house in Sorrento, Naples where there’s absolutely no social event to attend, an eye examination considered.
I wake up at 7.30 am, I have my breakfast listening to NPR Radio Station or Australian ABC, then I supposed to start working on my book on Indonesian Contemporary Art, but with the internet I get distract too easily, even by interesting articles that inspires me to write blog posts.
At 1 pm I eat and after cheerly chatting with my parents I should work again but wait! I feel an urgency so play my beloved guitar. Too hard to put the guitar down after half an hour, I probably will go on for an other hour.
It’s half past four, what about going out and have a walk? It’s a matter of health to not spend too much time sit on a chair.
Back home an hour later I can work for like an hour, an hour and a half. Then dinner, a skype call, a movie. Day’s over.
There’s a Neapolitan saying for express discouragement of time wasted that goes “Goodnight to the players”.
So, goodnight to the players.
