Harrison Wheeler's Blog

And suddenly, the Fringe is over. JESTERS INCOGNITO, that’s a wrap! What a blast!  Nothing could have gone better ~ amazing fellow artists (supportive and colourful all), brilliant tech and volunteer staff, and a dream crew. It’s funny; when I decided to do a one man show in April I figured I could do everything on my own.  I was very wrong.  If it weren’t for my incredible wife Celeste and my good friends Eric and Asha, I would have been left on stage looking like an idiot.  In a bad way, that is.

JESTERS INCOGNITO won an award for Best in Venue, and Critic’s Choice from View Magazine.  Every show had a packed theatre, and got a standing ovation every single night.  Overwhelming.  The show also won a lot of audience votes too, and I can’t even explain how special it is to continually receive emails and friend requests from others who saw the show; all of whom express sincere emotion in telling me that my show positively affected them.  Honestly, this is the icing on the proverbial flapwagon.  And we already know how sweet those are.

For posterity, I’ve logged all the reviews I could find online here:

http://raisethehammer.org/article/2242/the_fringe_is_coming

http://www.notmytypewriter.com/2014/07/hamilton-fringe-festival-2014-jesters.html?m=1

http://www.viewmag.com/42847-Hamilton+Fringe+Festival+2014+Reviews.htm

http://www.jmfilipowicz.com/a-cure-for-the-doldrums/

There are more visuals to come, but for now here’s a few shots care of https://www.facebook.com/suzimages

To transition out of this wollop of an experience, this week I’m finishing up a drawing I started over a year ago by (gulp) adding colour. The image of the well has special meaning to me ~ and to my protagonist Vincent ~ the metaphoric access point to creativity.  Ah, drawing.  To calm, focus, and reflect. Does the brain good.

I hope all who saw the show enjoyed it.  I think I’ll mount it again at some point; I’m trying to find a way to help de-stigmatize mental health with every project I attempt, and everyone’s telling me this show does just that, and that it needs a life beyond Fringe…so let’s see how far we can spread the jester renaissance!  You never know what’ll happen you put a bunch of jesters in the same room together.:)

Spanky dance & riddle pins!

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From sketchbooks to the stage.  Grab your hoobywhatties kids, this festival is officially happening!

Last night I performed my 2-minute promo bit along with a huge array of other performers.  It was a THRILL.  I was overcome with the delightful image that, all this time, hundred of other creatives have been tucked away in their spaces, scribbling and practicing and redoing and…outpouring such amazing energy in the process.  It’s different, y’know, being creative ~ communicating about ideas rather than about the weather or other mundanities, immediately makes me feel more connected, at a deeper level.

How deep you ask?  That’s hard to fathom.

The irony is that the Fringe is the perfect, living movement of the jester renaissance itself!  Independent artists taking the city by storm? Colour me there!  Looking forward to shaking the pages alive, and seeing as many shows as possible ~ there are some amazing acts this year!  It’s time to unleash the fools upon Hamilton. Opening night is tomorrow, July 18th @ 5:30, Hamilton Theatre Incorporated.  See you there! :)

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

It’s only natural I’d add a lot of exclamation marks to this post!!! Getting pumped to put on a great show. One week to go ’til opening night!

Here’s a collection of exclamation marks designs I drew for the book. Drawing inside of punctuation marks isn’t something I set out to do, it just kind of happened. It’s just another way of telling a story, conveying a message…playing around.  Which is the point of it all, no?

The Jesters Incognito are coming to Hamilton dearest fellow fools and freaks…I believe some of them are already there…:)

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

Only 2 weeks ’til the jesters are unleashed.  I haven’t been this excited since my parents bought me that gollybooboo.  And we all know how exciting those were.

Here’s a doodle for the digital records.  This panel basically summarizes my show/book’s plot…techno world, unsuspecting citizen being razzed by a devilishly jolly jester.  I drew this directly after publishing in 2012, at which point I realized this story might be even better realized in graphic novel form.  That might still happen…

Spread the word!  Jesters Incognito ‘the show’ is landing in Hamilton, ON, July 18-27.   (Jesters ‘the coffee cup’, and ‘the slippers’ coming soon…:) It’s going to be a blast!

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

I can’t take this much longer, this ‘digging through sketchbooks’ stuff.  Gawd. A guy can only handle so much reflecting! It’s messing with my concept of time.  I keep thinking ~ “Really?  That was 20 years ago…already?”  Time is a wily one.  I actually don’t think it’s a forward moving, linear concept.  I think time is like photoshop.  Layers upon layers upon layers.

And that’s how deep this post is going to get.

Sketched here is an early drawing of Vincent, my main character in Jesters Incognito at this year’s Fringe.  I found doodling scenes helped me write them…on napkins, on business cards, on, and on, and on…

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

Drawings circa 2001-2003

Let’s face it.  I draw a lot of faces.  Faces depict character, and mood, too.  Looking back through my pages it’s easy to see what mood I was in without any words whatsoever.  Predominately glum, scared, or angry, sad to say.  Imagine if I hadn’t had art to channel it all…I’d be one miserable dude!  Manic depression will do that to you, so you better have a way to let it out.  Glad to report however, it’s all cathartic comedy for Jesters Incognito at this year’s Hamilton Fringe! (Smiles guaranteed:)

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

http://www.harrisonwheeler.ca

Here’s another page from my sketchbooks.  This one circa 2008, drawn during a university lecture I seem to remember.

And if my incessant habit of drawing technology-infused cartoon characters is any indication, we will all be wearing satellite dishes on our heads in the future.  You heard it here first.

(I’m not anti-tech by the way.  There’s much mention of it in Jesters Incognito and my Fringe Show.  I love it; I’m a wanna-be geek.  But I can’t help but feel a tad concerned for how easy it is for us to escape into technology.  Yet another tool for avoidance.  Deep thoughts…)

It’s hard not to get sucked into ‘remember when’ moments whilst looking through sketchbooks.  You either flip the page really quickly, or succumb to the vacuous memories.

I’m in the memory vac.

This sketch was drawn in 2004, about a year after I moved to Japan.  I wasn’t drawing much those days ~ actually, I was playing in a Mexican Salsa Band, of sorts.  Trumpet, badly, and a motley collective from all over the world.  Clearly though, the jester literally danced in my mind ~ my mental health was decent then.  Happy, among many great souls, after all.  I’ll post more of these leading up to my Hamilton Fringe Show, for snits and/or squiggles.

haw.

Sketch ~ 2004

I’m of the mind that ideas are found, not made.  Like a sculpture hiding within a stone, we can find the idea if we are on the right frequency.  And what frequency is that exactly?  One that is unique and purposeful to each person.  For me I need a healthy life rhythm, a supportive circle, and strict creative diligence, there is no shortage to the ideas that I can uncover.  Once they’re found, then I can shape them.  Like my sarcastic brother used to say on the squash court: “Don’t go to the ball.  Let the ball come to you.”  Quite wise, actually.

My current lifestyle equates to creative journaling in the morning (a spontaneous cartoon), a power smoothie, day job, 30-40 min of exercise, lunch, sleep, day job, green smoothie, reading, dinner, and polishing projects.  Followed by snacks. (no dairy, gluten, or sugar for the most part)  Of course I mix it up, but that’s the basic routine I’ve developed that allows me to find the ideas I want to create.

Side note: Health is a huge part of the creative process, if you want to create regularly.  [For those suffering from depression or any mental illness, health and creativity is THE KEY, along with proper medication and counselling.]

What do you think?  What’s your creative lifestyle?  Do you think that ideas are found, or made?

I made a 150 mini sketchbooks for a creativity and mental illness workshop in December. A lot of fun.