Joe Mills

Food Fights

March 9, 2008 on 6:41 am | In Inspiration, Television, Video | No Comments

Before I get into what I’m going to say, here is a description of the above video:

An abridged history of American-centric warfare, from WWII to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict.

Now, when you read that, you probably have the same reaction that I did…huh? I came across this video through Drawn! and I was curious to say the least. On the surface, it sounds ridiculous. In reality, it is well-done, accurate, humorous sometimes, and dark sometimes. It is worth a few minutes to view it.

Now, this got me to thinking…how important is it for an artist (or anyone for that matter) to have a vision? Regardless of how it might sound to others or be viewed by others, I think it is important to stick to your guns if your vision is something you truly believe in. I can see how the artist of Food Fights could have run into those kinds of obstacles. The idea (on the surface) sounds silly, but he stuck with it. People on the outside will do their best to knock you down and criticize your work because they need to have an opinion. They need to prove they know what is best because it is an American tradition to be able to say the following words, “I was right”. My wife and watched this season of Project Runway. I like the show because it shows artists/designers envisioning something and then creating it. I know it is popular because it deals with fashion, but they could be designing toasters for all I care. Anyway, the designers on this show confront the criticism I mention above a lot. Many times they will say, “I don’t really care what he or she says, I’m going to stick by it”. For instance, one of the designers this past season created a collection that used human hair. While the thought might be repulsive to an extent, the results were excellent. While he did not win, the “judges” saw his vision and liked what they saw. I think that is so important for anyone who is trying to create something they believe in. Your vision is your vision. While they all might not be successful, sometimes you have to use your talent, skill, and gut to guide you over what others say.

To read more about what is depicted in Food Fight, check out the main site.