So how's your Monday? Good, good.

It is a rather crazy night here in the shadow of the Sears Tower. It is dropping heavy buckets of lead water against the windows in a funny rhythm beat that I wouldn't believe in any other context. In a movie I would laugh at the noise as being unrealistic, in a book it would be laying it on too thick. Yet, it happened. Oh yes, back to the point - Isn't funny how people can believe things so firmly to be true, even when our little monkey minds are wrong? (Like a certain conveniently placed rain. )

This post is about a lie that we are told each and everyday. As a matter of fact it is a lie humans invented and have tried to spread, but it just ain't catching on in nature. Here we go: There is no such thing as a straight line within nature.

Give it some thought. We live in a man-made world of perfect lines... it is only natural that we unknowingly try to apply this to art.

Now, I'm not suggesting that many people actually draw like this. But I am trying to prove a point. Trees, grass, even rocks, they all are wonderfully imperfect filled with subtle curves and imperfections. They breathe and roll creating unique living rhythms. But people hate random imperfections because they're hard to predict, so humanity adopted the straight line. It is simple enough to remember. But it is simply terrible at representing things filled with Life.

Why does this matter? Many artist's art are based on nothing but straight lines. Straight line art gives me the feeling of overpowering death, because it ignores everything else in the universe for a human concept of perfection. Beginning artist's don't even try to hide their bias, the classic stick figure is a living breathing human viewpoint. But even skilled artists try and apply "perfect" lines to natural objects. Whether applied to bones or horizons, straight lines (and any other ideas of perfection) are man made and don't belong in your art.

Ground-breaking, probably not. But I never hear these fakers called out for what they are. Down with man-made perfection! Up with your living breathing imperfect art.

- Josh