Magnus Björkbom.se

I still shift focus every now and then.

It obviously grows more gradual than perhaps in the beginning, and nothing that prevents from serious detours on occasion, but I remain as hesitant about defining some final destination.

I have some idea what a few of the steps along the way might be, but the whole thing is just a vague notion really. I guess I like it like that, as I wouldn't want to settle.

For the moment, I'm quite engrossed in expanding and defining that personal pictorial (I'm sort of interesting in moving beyond that eventually..) universe that, while founded in the real world, is slowly but steadily becoming it's own thing, perhaps even coherent within it's own confines. Plenty of metaphors, some running themes and recurring characters that populate familiar and peculiar vistas. Some of the real world's rules I just can’t stand to break while others are fair game to bend. It's a neat concept.

We might even call it a platform.

Without going into specifics, as I’m no fan of dissecting, I strive towards tightly composed but not too busy pictures with plenty behind the surface, and the title is one clue to the content. Mostly I encourage free association after that, as a flat out description is way too linear. Mostly it's not supposed to reach a conclusion or have a clearly defined message. Seeking that is missing the point and simplifying, I think.

However, without an idea to accompany the visuals I can’t even move beyond a simple sketch so there’s plenty of philosophical pondering and head scratching before either scrapping a draft or rolling out the canvas. It doesn’t have to be a finished thought, just enough to have promise, and maybe some alternative titles so it feels that it will all come together. Usually it develops further during execution anyway. Sometimes completely changing direction, which means the initial idea wasn’t that good after all, so it's a bit of a mind game just to get started, but hey, I'm finishing 9 out of 10 so something is working. Failing from time to time just means you're still trying hard enough, I hear.

Until next focus shift!
(and a bit beyond it would seem.)