Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 19:24:07 -0500
From: "Hobey Ford" <hobeyone-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] A destiny that shapes our ends


I think we are all indeed lucky that we have this extraordinary
artform.  It taps into so many areas of interest. art, drama,
engineering, storytelling, electronics, craft, navigation, driving,
travel, human relations, education, literature, movement,  comedy,
philosophy and on and on.   Then there is this extraordinary community
of puppetry which provides friendship, mentors, inspiration and
support.

On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 11:43 PM, Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca> wrote:
> Rolande asked:
>>> Are there born puppeteers, I wonder?
>
>
> I think there are.
> I'm not yet considering myself a fully grown puppeteer, but at least for the
> part of "puppetry person", I'm certain I was destined to be one.
>
> Everything artistic and technical I've ever learned before even thinking
> that Puppetry was an actual career, pointed me to be a puppet artist.
>
> -I was named after a Gerry Anderson puppet character (that spy puppet named
> Matthew that lived in a suitcase). My parents watched that show. And since
> Matthew is a biblical name, it also made my grandmother happy.
>
> -I grew up on TV puppetry, both local shows (many) and some from the USA. I
> watched Sesame Street even though I didn't understand the language. I was
> hooked on Labyrinth the first time I saw it, although I don't think I
> understood the story fully. The movie was translated, but not the songs. I
> must have watched it many hundred times! I converted the kids in my
> neighborhood to it too, organising playings of the soundtrack (dubbed from
> the movie, which is much better than the official reccorded soundtrack) in
> my garage, so we could dance to it. Not one of us understood english, but we
> knew the words, howver distorted we made them.  I only saw The Dark Crystal
> when I was a teenager, it wasn't that popular a movie in my TV area. I loved
> it too. The Storyteller was a favorite of mine, but I rarely got to see it,
> and only the same episode over and over again, it was one of those shows
> that never gets scheduled fully, kind of used to fill in some blanks.  I
> loved Blizzard Island (by Terry Angus), a miniseries with "muppet types".
> Despite all these influences, I never considered that Puppetree could be an
> actual career.
> I kept being distracted by the details, never fully seing the picture!
>
> -I never finished a 3D art project when I was a kid or teenager. I had no
> proper training available in any basics (not even mixing plaster or proper
> hammering of nails), so I failed miserably, yet I kept at it, by some
> mysterious need. I learned a lot about what not to do, that way. I learned a
> lot of basics about a lot of techniques. I couln't concentrate on any single
> one of them, I needed them all, so I was frustrated at not being able to
> justify being so spread out. Eventually, I had one success, then another.
> The first fully finished 3D art piece was a marionnette, which actually
> became fully complete when I realised he was actually perfect as a tabletop.
>
> -I started showing a consistent interest in puppets about the time internet
> became available in my area for home use. That was the revelation. So much
> info was available, so many colleagues!
> There was Puptcrit! At the same "era", I went to a used bookstore, where the
> only book that caught my attention was a catalogue from a puppet exhibition
> at the Civilisation Museum, which spanned the local History of Puppetry in
> Quebec. It was quite a revelation that we indeed had had and still had
> Puppetry here!
>
> -All those various techniques that I just had to learn and use, became my
> toolbox to build puppets, once I finally finished one and realized THAT was
> my bliss. For once, I could finally bring most techniques together to make a
> single piece! And I never felt anything so wonderful from something I had
> created.
> Not a painting, not a drawing, even ever came close.
>
> -Puppetry improves my life in all ways. I'm more outgoing, daring, creative,
> and even became a good cook, by some weird transference of abilities from
> the studio.
>
> I'll stop now, because I'm too curious to see what others know about being
> destined to be a Puppet person...
>
>
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