TRYHARDER
Visit the TRYHARDER art blog.
TRYHARDER is a rolling album of photos, comprised of a mix of self-taken, and found photographs.
Before starting TRYHARDER, the author (Ann Gordon) ran an art blog focused on the Detroit art scene. It was an engaging read, providing great coverage of Chicago. When we saw the TRYHARDER title, we wondered what it meant. We found out when we read her first entry makes, which makes it abundantly clear what she wants to achieve. She wants the images to tell the story by themselves. She wants her blog to have more a little more of her personality. Oh, and it should be funny too.
Flip back to her latest entries, and you can see she is onto something, but we knew we were not really in-synch. What really worked for us was when we re-wound back to the start, and played through the first few steps. That was it for us: we were suddenly super-hooked.
The first thing we found interesting was to see Gordon go after her ambition. The first few entries immediately clarify how Gordon will achieve her seemingly contradictory more-everything-except-words ambition. Impeccable selection is at the heart of things: Gordon has a great eye, and consistently produces the sort of material that can speak for itself. Even in the earlier entries there is a surety of selection, but the editorial approach itself shouts out got-to-make-this-work – to the extent that only the very cruel would not be glad to see things click into place.
The other ambition was that the blog should incorporate humour. It does, but a first time reader might not come across it, because this is not an spoof art blog; it is an art blog that incorporates humour when it has something to add. Again: If you pick things up from the start, you are guaranteed to get this element of Gordon’s personality.
We will watch with interest to see what new challenges Gordon sets for herself. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy the fruits of her labour: a best-of-its-kind art blog.
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Go to the start, and join in the journey.
About Ann Gordon
Ann Gordon is an artist, formerly of Detriot and now based in Los Angeles.
Gordon is an abstract artist with a dark humour, painting subjects in a way that contradicts their usual stereotype. An example is her “Horse Crash” project, where she painted abstractions of cut-up plastic model horses that had been covered in ‘blood’.
Gordon is also involved with: TRYHARDER Magazine, which offers news and reviews about fashion and art; and TRYHARDERPANTS, a fashion blog which has a similar format to TRYHARDER.
Summary
Name of blogger: Ann Gordon
Year of Creation: 2008
Average Entries per month: 45
Art subject: Contemporary Art
