My new interest: Japanese paintings

 I want to collect japanese paintings, Ukiyo-e ones more specifically which refers to a specific kind of design, subject matter and stylistic woodblock prints made in japan done over a certain period of time, but also contemporary paintings done in similar style using the same techniques as back in the day.

Why?

Because they're so goddamn fun and strange to look at. Yes it's great if you know the context and history, the characters you're looking at, and understand the political and social commentary they're making. That's how get to teach yourself the history and politics of the place. But it's also fun because they're so goddamn fun to look at. The faces, oh! And the expressions! Why does this guy look like he's having a constipation. What's up with these two, why are they looking at each other so strangely? And what series of circumstances could have possibly head to this situation, that the wind demon has decided to show up in the classroom, the furniture has all come to life, and the students are just out of control. Trying to imagine the world of the painting is interesting, it's inspirational.

Finding something very different from your everyday sensory triggers can be inspiring, it teaches you to think 'beyond the box', makes you realize there's a world that's outside your bubble that's so cool and interesting, has a historical artistic tradition whose footsteps you can attempt to follow. You don't need to create a universe from scratch, you can steal their symbols and imagery. You can challenge yourself to consolidate this universe with the others you've 'borrowed' from or ones of your own creation, how would the characters and cultures interact and clash and commingle. That forces you as an artist to put more thought and effort into writing characters and worlds with better depths because you need to be able to figure out how they'll be interacting with entities from an entirely different universe.

They could end up being good investments, in the future, if other people consider the value of this sort of artwork. Like you buy a random piece of art from a random artist in P-town or the Cape, nobody's gonna give a damn where it came from or who's in ownership of it. You spend a similar amount of money to buy two three even four pieces of fine art by a japanese artist, and everybody who's in-the-know has heard of the person, the piece becomes a liquid asset. You enjoy it for as long as you wish, and sell it with relative ease. Instead of giving it out to the thrift store or trashing it because really who the frak cares about how much money you paid for the piece of fall art you bought to ward off your winter gloomies.

It's helped me, the piece of fall art that's above my pillow. But it's not gonna be preserving value, it's nothing but cheap decoration I bought impulsively. To have bought something by a master would have been so much better, aesthetics-wise and as an investment strategy.

Well, I know now!