Making things mine matizing

So I love to modify , repaint, reconfigure shit. I pretty much make things easy for me as I do them and most importantly it should look cool. Now my cool look was born in the 50’s, formative years in the 60’s and fledgling adult in the 70’s. I have looks I love, colors I adore, and thought and mindful awareness. Cool is really a bi product of me wanting something and adding to it or removing stuff I will stop when I’m happy with the look. Peace

Kitty update

So kids, If you are following along, Mandy the kitty has made a successful transition from yard cat to house cat. We are waiting for Mandy to have kittens, she is about to pop. very loving little tabby, purrs all the time, makes biscuits and loves her belly rubbed right now. We are now officially cat people, just need the secret hand shake and secret word. Peace

thoughts on Life

So for 25+ years I “suppressed” a creative streak that began in 1968. I was openly creative for over 5 years, then life happened. You gotta pay the bills, you gotta work towards your retirement, you gotta be an adult. I have been thinking about my life during those non-artistically creative years. My unfulfilled need to create must have surfaced in other places, and it did. I probably was not a happy person due to the lack of an open output medium. Mostly I was creating other peoples visions as in I work for you (the man). Now I work for me and others like me, My “people” are special I identify with you we are drawn together by more than chance. We get “it” if you don’t get “it” I’m sorry you probably never will, non creatives are not my people, “creatives” that don’t get “it” are just attempting to copy real creatives works. My lifestyle facilitates my creativity, If your lifestyle includes any sort of cult or multiple cult affiliations you are going to have a very hard time creating anything original. I am original, I am me, try to copy my stuff, you are not me, you are not original or authentic. Peace

New house member

So the automatic cat distribution system delivered us a cute little tabby cat, just a little pregnant. She is converting to an indoor cat quite well. she is named Mandy, short for Amanda as the wife called her Mz Kitty all the time. Peace

WHAT i’M WORKING ON RIGHT NOW

I'm , currently working on my mindful awareness, my curiosity, and most importantly working on GROWTH, personally and artistically . Please people never stop growing aka, death. I prefer to grow and change as needed it seems to make me very happy with life. Peace

Let your work speak for you

A large number of artists on IG have expressed recently their collective frustration with who and how people are allowed to see their content by Meta. Well folks guess what social media is not going make your art famous, you are by producing “stuff”. I’m a creative, not a magician and chasing a mythical beast (followers) in Metas very own sand box that has extremely volatile “rules” changes. If you have tied your monetary health to any social network, remember it can all go away almost overnight and what is your “plan B”. I have not tied my success as an artist to any social media platform as famous in that environment is just that FB, IG famous today with todays rules. Meta roles the dice and your people cant even see your posts game over for you my friend. Peace

Creating an enviroment to facilitate creativity

So I listen to music at least 80% of my day, and to that I have purchased some wireless over the ear headphones. Bluetooth is wonderful I can work and listen unincumbered for over 2 days on a charge. You don’t need those trendy high priced headphones, these are bitchn for under $50 and get the color you want, thanks Amazon. Music is kind of my secret sauce and what I listen to affects what I produce. I mentally associate albums to the period I first heard the music, those emotions are easily recalled and enjoyed over and over. The other side of my creativity is fueled by visual stimulus, I will be using one of the extra flat screens to set up a visually dynamic presentation, art for me stuff. Hey that’s how I create, I want it I make it. The results may or may not lead directly to a series of the original for all my people to enjoy thru monetary renumeration. Peace

Something you probably don’t know about me

I have had music in my life for a long time, I’m talking recorded music. I have owned a collection of over 1100 record albums, 1000 singles, and over 5000 CD’s. I parted way with the physical media over 10 years ago (a let me free moment). I currently have curated over 22,000 albums, which represents over 2000 artist in several standard audio formats. I do a lot of listening to music across a wide variety of styles and genres. My wife loves my playlists in the truck, ask her about it. Peace

Is anybody out there

OK so here I am just hanging out in my own small portion of the internet and I think why. Why am I here doing this (blogging), Maybe blogging is so over, don’t know don’t care. The act of placing some of my thoughts into writing is for me, a type of therapy or intense introspection on my part. Is anyone following me here right now, it dosen’t matter right now. People are free to look at my history of posts it is easy in this environment vs the social media hell scape. I will always attempt to give you the real Matt Houston and not some social media contrived character of who I am. Peace

My exact sentiments

“People need art in their houses. They don’t need Bed Bath and Beyond dentist -office art. They need weird stuff.” Ezra Croft

The bag AKA manpurse

Well I have transformed that little blue bag into my very own urban survival bag. You gotta have stuff with you sometimes. I’m not 27 when some cash and maybe a set of keys was all you carried. I got baggage now at 68 and I want it with me thank you very much. I still gotta do some straps , and I do mean more than one. It seems a lot of people use very asymmetrical mixed corded materials incorporating macramé (those are all kind of things I do). Peace

Things I learned selling my art

The first time I sold my art I had been creating pieces for about a year and had amassed more than 10 and less than a thousand individually unique pieces. The reactions to my art were almost overwhelming to me. I had created these pieces right before the pandemic and during it, kind of in a vacuum. I instantly connected to the people who get what I am doing. I also learned that some people who are drawn to my work have problems with being visually overwhelmed with my style. In other words, some people just don’t get it and that is fine (you ain’t my people). When my people react to my creations it is a true response of delight and wonder, which creates a lot of questions. If you want to know something ask, I’m an open person and my processes are old as time. I share a lot. Peace

This is who I am

I see several artists on Instagram and YouTube that attempt to define the term “artist” to those that may not know what it means. I have known for a long time that I was different, I knew I looked at things differently from the other people around me. For me using the title of artist is more about  a way of being. We notice, we feel, we create. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. I have a style, I have visual ques that are repeated, color drives the creation of series for me. I like who I am and what I do as an artist I like the challenges associated with bringing my visions to life. I have a desire to grow as an artist, to challenge my norms while expanding my style, experimenting with processes and materials. I fail, I miss the mark, I make poor material choices, I just cant produce that vision. This is all part of the process of creating and I have found I truly enjoy all of the processes I endure for my style. Peace

The man purse

Been here done this, got my new bag yesterday, started the process of provisioning this bag. Going to make some fundamental changes to the strap and zipper pulls add a bunch o Matt junk on the outside to schlep around on my daily journeys. This bag is big enough to carry my sketch book and journal the journal has some weight, new 5 lb. burden in life. Peace

and another container

I recently acquired a very interesting antique small chest. I am the proud curator and 4th owner of a 115 year old film industry piece. Used in the film industry for 70 years by two gentlemen who would lock up actors personal stuff during filming (glasses, rings, watches). I am presently using this piece as a place to “store” the stuff of my life. You all know dads top drawer with all that “stuff” we collect along the way in this life. I will post more about this piece and what I have planned for it. Peace

Another personal project

Well I lost my billfold, not a traditional giant man ass bump, I gave those up about 20 years ago. It was one of those cards only ones, the issue is I have been wearing sweats and the pockets suck. I have rethought how I transport keys, phone, and wallet. I have gone the man purse route, kinda did it in my old corporate thing. This time it will be different the new bag, and wallet arrive today, Mattize will begin immediately. This will be an ongoing thing as my materials are all in storage and as usual my vision of this bag is epic. Peace

how to stay creative without a studio

Well kids, Moving, been here, doing it again. This is my second move with me identifying as a creative and thus moving my studio. I learned a lot from the first move it ended up being 6 months without a studio. I don’t anticipate this move will take that long, but you never know. I have my journal and sketch book handy at all times, I keep all my ideas in these two places. A regular review of past entries is important, I’m prolific in my generation of notes to myself. Revisiting these moments brings my “stuff” into clarity ad drives early iterations of designs and styles. I will have a lot of new “stuff” to get into the process over the next couple of months. Peace

mikes tool box

INSTALLMENT #2

So I have been using mikes old tool box for several weeks now and the process of what goes where is ongoing as “stuff” has been moved around a lot in the box. I also have already packed up a lot of assets that I will use in the box. Right now I have several pieces of old glass in use in the box and hope to add more after the move into the new studio. I am using this Paraphernalia project to keep me sharp and focused on my style that will grow and morph until it is complete. Right now I am planning for this project, paint inside and out, renovate all hardware and drawer slides, lights (got to see your “stuff”). Again I work in flows and my vision is mostly complete at this time (subject to change with no notice). Peace

flower (WEED) smoking

Ok Kids, for you all who use concentrates, edibles, vapes or the such, smoking flower is serious business. Smoking weed starts real simple, smoke the joint, puff the bowl, tear off a nug jam it in the bowl and apply fire, enjoy. This process turns into a monster, grind the weed, store the weed, and use the weed, all of these steps all require paraphernalia. The storage of this paraphernalia has always been a challenge to me personally regularly moving from storage place to another. I now have my ultimate paraphernalia storage unit in the Mattize process, check the pics out at works in progress. Peace

Mikes Tool Box

installment #1

Well I have acquired my late father-in-law’s mid 70’s upper and lower Snap on Tool box. The box measures 27 inches wide, the top box is 12 inches deep with a top tray and six drawers, the bottom is 18 inches deep with three drawers and a garage door bottom compartment.

My plans for this magnificent piece of industrial workmanship is to repurpose the tool box into a weed paraphernalia center. I will attempt to chronical my thoughts and the actual processes used to “Mattize” this tool box as only I can and truly make it mine. Peace