All the Things She Said

Sometimes I am completely blind to social boundaries. I’m unsure of which things are okay to say to siblings versus friends versus parents versus acquaintances versus a married friend. Sometimes I share things that feel intimate or personal to others but don’t feel that way to me. Sometimes I can say something that I 100% believe in that moment… but later I don’t think the same way. Sometimes I don’t know that it seems like I’m flirting with someone until days later, years in some cases. Sometimes I am in a comfortable place physically and forget that I’m not around emotionally safe people.

It’s like if everything you could say in a given social situation was on a string and all of the strings were tangled together in a messy ball. You go to teach for the “right” string and you end up with something else altogether.

If you’re ever in a social situation and you hear someone say something and you think to yourself, “there’s no way she didn’t know that was inappropriate.” There is a way. It’s called being autistic.

❤ Liz

A Movie Quote (That I Probably Put Too Much Thought Into)

“What are you doing in there? Get out of there! This is a funeral!” is extremely funny to me, but it’s not funny to my husband. I can think of a million things that you shouldn’t be doing at a funeral as soon as soon as I hear the words. You have to be a little twisted to find that kind of stuff funny, though.

By the way, this quote is from First Period. It’s my favorite movie. And it is streaming on Netflix. You’re welcome.

❤ Liz Kelly Zook

Should Your Friends Support You Even If They Do Not Like Your Art?

This is something that crosses my mind quite often. I’m the type of person that likes to “like” everything people post. But a lot of people aren’t. And I don’t think they’re actively trying not to like things. Maybe they just don’t think about it.

All of my friends know I’m an artist. (Strangers on the internet know I’m an artist!) They know it’s important for artists’ work to get seen, I’m sure. But can I fault them for not liking and sharing my work when I’m not actively following their real estate or human resource or social work careers? If a friend posts that they’re looking for work in a specific field, I’ll keep my eyes open for them. I like to be helpful and supportive, but I’m not normal.

What do you think? Should your friends support you even if they don’t like your art?

❤ Liz Kelly Zook

 

Aspartame Kills

Artists are inspired by the things they see around them in their daily lives. Since I never leave the studio, the things I see around me in my daily life consist of TV and whatever pops up in my news feed. Well, my brother is a health nut. I mean, full on owns a gym, gets people fit for a living health nut. A while back he wrote this looong post about artificial sweeteners and how bad they are for you, especially aspartame.

Anyway, reading that post did two things. One, it turned me off of artificial sweeteners and aspartame for good. And two, it inspired this painting of a zombie. You can see that Aspartame Kills has no noticeable wounds. That’s because I don’t know if aspartame actually kills you. I have read a lot of articles claiming that it really fucks you up, though. A quick google search pulls up countless articles speculating of the dangers of aspartame.

I referenced a Diet Coke advertisement for this painting, because aspartame is used as a sweetener in the drink.

<3<3 Liz Kelly Zook

P.S. If you like my art you should totes sign up for my newsletter! ❤

How To Support Your Favorite Artists (without spending money)

There is one simple, free, and easy way to support the art and artists you love. (And it can mean almost as much as investing in their work.) Here it is:

Share the work.
In today’s world, one where people can literally become famous overnight, it is vital for artists’ work to be seen. It’s simple, but it’s the best thing you can do to show your support for the artists you love. (And most artists have links to share right on their websites.)

Sometimes I get the urge not to share, because I’m afraid someone else will see it and want to buy it and then I won’t be able to. But as an artist, I realize how important it is and I hit that share button anyway. If someone buys something you wanted, but you were awesome enough to share it, that artist might recreate it just for you when you do have the money to invest. (Us artists are cool like that.)

Another point I must make is that, even if you don’t have the money to invest, your friend Martha’s mom’s best friend might. You share the painting Martha sees it, shows it to her mom “hey mom, wouldn’t your friend Susan love this?” and either Martha’s mom buys it for her best friend or shares it with her so she can buy it. And bam! You’re keeping your favorite artist in supplies without doing much more than moving your thumb across your phone’s screen.

So, the next time you see a piece of art you love share it.

❤ Liz Kelly Zook

P.S. If you like my art you should totes sign up for my newsletter! ❤