The Decompression Chamber

The Decompression Chamber

It's been a while since I've updated my blog and thought best to start fresh. Same old nonsense as was on the last blog, but this one will actually include the words "Daniel Hughes". I struggle with the concept of crafting an online persona that I can feel comfortable is sitting in cyberspace, whilst at the same time remaining honest with people about my thought process.
Quite often my thought process is painfully glib. "I drew this because I wanted to draw this." "Someone asked me to draw that." Other time's its just a series of half formed thoughts that I wouldn't confess to my closest friends let alone random strangers.
Recently at uni the group was talking about having good ideas for starting points when creating their works. It dawned on me that my normal starting point is to have no idea. I tend to try and not think about much and just sketch away. Sooner or later something forms from the nothing and becomes something or other. I have my own theories as to whats happening and I suspect plenty people disagree with me. I believe my particular creative process is a form of decompression. Not only in a sense that a valve has been released somewhere and a slew of information is pouring out chaotically, but in a way that I'm giving up on logic and sense and delving into sheer nonsense. The Satanic Bible describes an area set aside for ritual as the decompression chamber. The idea being that it is somewhere that you cast aside your sense of self, you let go of your ego and delve headfirst into nonsense. For all it's failings this is where I feel the Satanic Church hits the nail on the head. Embrace nonsense. There's a few religious and spiritual texts which reiterate the same. Buhddism and Judaism both say you need to embrace the nonsense but not lose yourself to it. Keep to the middle path. The middle pillar. Where am I going with this?
My art practice is mostly a process of exploring nonsense but through a manner of extremely readable images. I'm planning on exploring where I can go with this slight manifesto and perhaps letting go of certain things I've kept my work pinned to over the last few years. Namely letting go of having my illustrations tied almost purely to music.