I recieved a little e-mail from one of our custo pals. I thought it would be good for a laugh to share it and my reply. His custo identity shall remain hidden. I don't like to see animals suffer.
The email:
TONE. hahaha, you looked it up in the dictionary.... you fucking mathematician.. you're all the same. This is why you don't understand art. Tone doesn't have to be color. Maybe by definition, but if you've ever taken an art course you'll hear the word used interchangably. If you want to be super techincal, it's called values of gray. Part of my one course involved grayscale studies and the like. Unlike you, I am not 15, and I'm an artist. I know my shit. The thing is, I want opinions from kids, so I post my stuff on customize. Then I get them pissed off, which isn't difficult to do, so then they are angry and write negative things. Now hopefully they can explain why they wrote something negative. This is good, it gets them to think, but more importantly, it gives me the info I was looking for. It gives me new insight that is not just observed, but emotional. You see, people have to think harder when they are really pissed and really emotional. You can't rationalize when you are angry, so you have to think for a while. You get emotion and some rationalization once the person calms down. Even more interesting you can get a third thing, rationalization of emotion. Which is extremely difficult to piece together, but exists. More easily recognizable, is the term art. That is a better representation of rationalization of emotion. So you see, there is a method to my madness. You may think I'm some young mean angry asshole. Well, that's fine, you think that. It's for me and the people who know me to know otherwise. So since I've inspired you to post so many things directed at me, not the actual artwork, I figured I owed you this e-mail. Maybe after explaining things you can sleep at night. I don't want to drive a poor kid crazy. Thanks for being part of my experiment.
my reply: Dear Tom, Ah, no matter what you say, I'll maintain in a literal sense tone relates to color, and value relates to gray scale. You're wrong. Sorry. I read your little e-mail here. Let's go through it and show how horribly skewed your egotistical little brain is, okay Tom?
1."ONE. hahaha, you looked it up in the dictionary.... you fucking mathematician.. you're all the same. This is why you don't understand art. Tone doesn't have to be color. Maybe by definition, but if you've ever taken an art course you'll hear the word used interchangably."
Well Tom, I did post a dictionary definition for you, because I thought since you were misusing the term, you might like to see it. And Tom, that big word you used is spelled "interchangeably". Maybe you should get a Dictionary! I'm not a mathematician, In fact I did pretty average in my Math courses in college. I work in Chicago on the IT staff of a trading firm. I've taken several drawing courses and a color theory course, and have yet to hear the terms value and tone used interchangeably. That's because tone and value have different meanings. You must go to a crap school Tom.
2."Unlike you, I am not 15,"
No, I am in fact 29 years old.
3."and I'm an artist. I know my shit"
That's a bold claim Tom! I've never heard of you. But if you say so. Some would consider me an artist as well, but I have in my possession a wonderful thing called "modesty" and don't walk around puking it out. And if you "know your shit" why do you need to even post to custo at all, why don't you go out and just rake in the clients and retire early?
4."The thing is, I want opinions from kids, so I post my stuff on customize. Then I get them pissed off, which isn't difficult to do, so then they are angry and write negative things. Now hopefully they can explain why they wrote something negative. This is good, it gets them to think, but more importantly, it gives me the info I was looking for."
Oh. I see. Well, that's mighty white of you. Making all us poor, easily angered kids angry so we can finally think for a change. Wow! Thanks so much, you add so much to the community by doing this, "making" us all write negative things! And in the end, you get the "info"! What sort of info would that be Tom? Other than people really not liking you and when these"kids" grow up, getting yourself blacklisted?
5."You can't rationalize when you are angry, so you have to think for a while."
That's what we like to call a contradictory sentence. Musta fallen asleep in English class, huh buddy?
6."You get emotion and some rationalization once the person calms down. Even more interesting you can get a third thing, rationalization of emotion. Which is extremely difficult to piece together, but exists. More easily recognizable, is the term art. That is a better representation of rationalization of emotion. So you see, there is a method to my madness."
Ah yes. Brilliant. This is what we smart people call "fumbling bullshit". I'm baffled. Well, in Doctor Tom's World of Abstract Bullshit Psychology I'm sure this is a heavily researched and validated.
7."So you see, there is a method to my madness"
He's quoting Shakespeare. Heavy man, heavy.
8. "You may think I'm some young mean angry asshole."
Yeah, pretty much. If you put "deformed narcissist" in there somewhere I think we might be dead on.
9. "Well, that's fine, you think that. It's for me and the people who know me to know otherwise."
Your Mom and Dad don't count Tom!
10. "So since I've inspired you to post so many things directed at me, not the actual artwork, I figured I owed you this e-mail."
Well, thanks buddy! I only posted twice referencing you, once on my own piece, and once when you needed to be corrected about your use of the word "tone". But whatever you say! I hope you don't feel you owe me another e-mail with the f-word in it, because I'll have to forward it to your ISP's postmaster.
11. "I don't want to drive a poor kid crazy."
Gosh, you're always so concerned about me. Don't worry though, I feel my sanity is secure.
im sure if people knew the internet was gonna be used for this kinda of pointless stuff....it would have been destroyed and sent to the four corners of the world..
colossus, you need to settle this with tom like in the old days....handcuff yourselves to each other and rumble...
This shit is starting to piss me off. Art in my opionion is not somthing to be stuide and understood. Art is somthing that is used to communicated YOUR ideas. You might choose to communicated them in differnt ways. You might draw somthing, and it means somthing to you, then some college kid that thinks he is the master on YOUR art tells you your wrong. You people need to get over it, so what you took an art class, that doesn't make you a master on somone elses attempts to communicate an idea...
Art, in my narrow-minded opinion, doesn't have to be studied or understood, or even communicate any ideas. In the least, it just has to look good (which is why I can't stand going to art museums).
But colossus - at least you have to be amazed that he took the time to write that much! I write a newsletter in my spare time, and I just have to step back when someone comes along once in a while and writes a whole page telling me why I suck. And if it bugs you that much, just remove your e-mail from your profile.
I also got a few email from him.. nothing negative, just constructive stuff.. After i read his comment on his wallpaper i really thought he was some kid who just got photoshop and made something quite nice with it, being very proud of it. Then some admin comes and stomps him down with that comment (no, there was nothing wrong with it, Adam.. ). I thought that it pissed him off, and he wrote that comment. Everything would suit perfectly.. Later today i got an email from him.. After a few mails i got the impression that he was a good artist (with a personal taste), but with a oversized ego. No, he's not 15 years old, but he's definetly got some kind of an attitude problem.
Anyhow, i really wait to see some more stuff from him, because i thought that was quite different. We get these "awesom" abstract 3d trendy stuff every day, and something like this is really different..
ah. I really don't care much either. the mail was just so silly, esp. where he's trying to sound diabolical. "Thanks for being part of my experiment....to rule the world!!!Bwahahahaha!" I really bear him no further ill will. Peace will now rule the web.
This just in, Tom is a super natural uber human who requires little/no sleep! He's also VERY rich (take note girls!) and he thanks me personally for furthering his very important research!!!!!
the email:: "Well as a matter of fact, I do have work, and lots of it. Unfortunately, I'm blessed with a not so nice problem called insomnia. Ok well not true to the dictionary defination, I do sleep but not normally, not nearly as much as normal humans and not on the same time table or patterns. So that's why I have lots of time to post stuff and help the little people in life, such as yourself. Don't go around being proud of IT, I did IT work setting up networks, etc. without a degree and got paid great money! I'm good with computers but don't want to do that with my life so I do graphic design work. So you might call me an idiot, but I'm going to whip out the success arguement now.... .um. yea, I'm in a million dollar home with BMWs and many rich people around me. I'm going back to college, NY School of Visual Arts... maybe you've heard of it... It's more than you can afford. So now look, I'll have multiple degrees and great accomplishments... In fact I may go back yet for psychology. You think I care about you? I just explained in your face that I used you and your too stupid to realize that. Thanks for replying you helped my personal research"
"..and I just have to step back when someone comes along once in a while and writes a whole page telling me why I suck. " ---I forgot to add in that I am happy/amazed/impressed when someone spends that much time flaming me.....
