We have finally set up camp. Not only that, I have committed to start in a new position as the social marketing guy at destinationen. It’s the perfect crime – doing what I love and getting paid for it. What’s more, the product I’m selling is the island I love – Bornholm.

Bornholm has had a tough time ever since the primary industry, fishery, shut down during the 80s. Several other major work places are now gone, tilemaking closed,  agriculture has become machine run. The population peaked at fifty some thousand after WW2, but is now around 43000 and diving.

Tourism accounts for just shy of 9% of the local economy and unemployment fluctuates wildly between winter and summer when most of the temp jobs are available.

Tourism, and its derived effects, is now one of the main job creators. Boosting tourism and attracting visitors is therefore one of the best ways of making the local economy grow organically. I’m proud to be a part of this mission, and I draw huge motivation from it.

What else could be done to boost Bornholm?
Take a look at the swedish island of Gottland. The Swedes have a better understanding of what it takes to sustain the outer rims of their country. Massive subsidies of transportation, mainly ferries, placement of higher education institutions have made it more attractive for businesses to settle and for high school graduates to stay put.

Sure help from parliament would be instrumental, but as they say, change starts from within. I’m going to work on April 4th.

The past months have been consumed by those little adoring monsters who wake us up at 6 am and demand food (oatmeal) pronto. I can’t say that I am completely coherent at that time in the morning, but I do manage to mix some milk and oatmeal a stick it in the microwave oven.

But things are about to change… We’re moving to the island of Bornholm, which is located on the far side of Sweden but nonetheless still belongs to the kingdom of Denmark. Our new home is on the sourthern tip of the island, very close to what I believe are some of the most amazing beaches in the world (bar the Maldives etc..)

Another major change is the fact that the twins are due to start in nursery in january which will free up a lot of creative time for my wife and I. So be prepared for an increase in the frequency of updates here on the blog.

Extra time also means I’ll have more time in the studio which I am planning on building in one of the barns (yes barn! – as in: “we bought a big farm built around a square”) , and expanding to a gallery later this summer. It’s the perfect setup, since I’ll have all of my critical facilities at home and at the same time the ability to showcase the work of myself and others.

Very soon the tiny town of Snogebæk will have it’s own cultural powerhouse, so if you’re visiting the island don’t forget to swing by us and get your daily fix of art.

In the meantime it’s Time to relax…

The Internet is doing to galleries what a bomb would do to the Fields Mall.
Sure, some brick and mortar stores still have relevance – much in the same way real world art shows still make sense. But galleries are doomed to lose their role as gatekeeper for the artist as well as the collector. Artists will find ways to host their own shows as oneoffs with established galleries or in empty storefronts. Paying the rent creates a need for cash upfront, but control and sales income remain with the artist.

As an artist, it more and more looks like a losing deal to surrender 50% of sales in return for hapless marketing and real estate on a physical gallery wall. Smart artists around the globe are now using their tech skills to connect directly with collectors as well as establish a permanent online record of their artistic activities. Instead of leaving a printed resume in a pile of similar ones at the gallery, Blogging is a powerful tool for documenting and communicating the artistic journey.

The balance of power is shifting back towards the artist and the collector. In this relationship the brand of the artist becomes everything as he performs to the dispersed audience of thousands of individuals.

But about the painting above – this is the next one in the lineup from the series “War is Coming Home” featuring scenes of war in our home country. What happens in the aftermath of terror? People stay home… Denmark is increasingly finding itself in the top of the list when terrorists want to make a statement. Maybe it’s time to rethink our foreign policy…
Enjoy!

“Ørestaden” is a newly built part of Copenhagen that used to be a desolate field on the island of Amager. That was before they built the Bridge of Øresund connecting Denmark and Sweden. At the time the idea behind Ørestaden was to create a huge area of urban dwellings for the growing population of the combined Copenhagen/Malmö region.
And so they built. Each new housing project more ambitious than the next. Each architect had his own idea of a magnificent building. Every square meter of allowed retailspace was jammed together in “Fields” – The largest shopping mall in Scandinavia. No cafes, no restaurants, no cosy little places to hang out. No-one thought about the urban area as a whole and what it takes to create what James Kunstler calls a place worth caring about.

Sadly Ørestaden now looks to become yet another ghetto. It’s simply not a place that anyone want’s to visit because it doesn’t speak to us. It’s bleak and inaccessible. From an architectural standpoint many of the buildings in Ørestaden are succesful. VM bjerget – “Mountain Dwellings” is an example of this, having won 4 international awards. Blame it on the recession, but apartments in VM -bjerget are now being offered for rent at reduced prices.

Art has many of the same characteristics as architecture, Not coincidentally the Danish School of Architecture is housed in the Royal Academy of Arts. So what makes some art more popular than other? Technical prowess, Depth, Originality, Visual aesthetics? Art may possess all these qualities yet still not hit home with the audience.

Whether we like it or not, the brand of the artist as well as the accessibility of his work is a deciding factor.
I feel comfortable owning a piece by an artist whose story and background I know, whose reputation is well known in general, whose art appeals to me and is easily accessible.
Does accessible mean that the art is shallow and has no depth? Ask David Hockney

The value of art has historically been closely linked to the story of the artist.
The new paradigm of art is really not new at all – The artist is responsible for maintaining and increasing the value of his art. Though storytelling, through promotion and any other means possible.

I am committed to this task, blogging is just one tool.
Enjoy todays Mirror Mirror (top).
Buy it here:
[wp_eStore_fancy2 id=10]

The Gatekeeper. The gallery is 4 steep steps up from street level. Very prohibitive when entering with a pram, but I managed somehow.
At the outset I am not saying that bringing 2 4-month-old toddlers to an art show is necessarily a good idea, but at least it got me thinking about the way traditional galleries approach their audience.

White floors, white walls, white ceiling. The traditional way of presenting art is to remove it from it’s context. This serves to enforce the notion that the item showed really IS art and eliminates any doubt in the eyes of the observer. This is one of the cornerstones of the “Found Objects” branch of art which claims anything can be art as long as it’s removed from it’s context. Think only of Damien Hirsts Sharks or Duchamps urinals.

Intimidating. The traditional art gallery is not for everyone. Whether this intimidating atmosphere is intended to discourage the observer from questioning the artistical quality of the items showed or simply to attract and repel certain segments of viewers is open for debate.
It’s probably a little bit of both though.

The traditional gallery is dying.
Like the cartoon? check Out Hugh Macleods work.

It’s located in the Meat Packing district of Copenhagen. Some of the district is now inhabited by artists, and I have my studio in a shared space called “Slagtehus 40” (Slaughterhouse 40) which opened only last summer.
As a former slaughtery it’s a rough space – walls covered with tiles, floors with epoxy to make it easy to clean off the blood from the cattle and swine being butchered here..
The place still smells like an animal. Partly from the traces of blood, partly from the catering firm housed downstairs. I have no idea what they’re making, but it doesn’t seem mouth watering.

My space is in the corner of a larger shared room, edges marked by tape on the floor.
It’s not huge, but I have enough room to work and store some of my previous pieces.
In the corner I have my desk on which I draw, sketch, blog and communicate using my mac.
My windows face the courtyard where in the summerevenings the hip young crowds gather in front of the bars “Karriere” and ” Jolene”.
The floor and walls is where I paint my acrylic works.

I like it here. It’s my space.

That is, I don’t believe in the traditional way 9-5 is carried out: You get in at the desk, turn your computer on, while it boots up go grab some coffee next to the water cooler, sit down at your desk, work, eat lunch and work at the desk, work, get up and go home.

Sprinkled with blackberry texting and the occasional shuffle to the toilet.

The human body was just not designed to be sitting 8 hours in front of a screen. We are built to be active, move around, work in alternating circumstances. The obvious solution to this physical limitation is to set the workers free and let them work where, when and how they please. Hopefully that’s how everyone will be working in the near future, but traditional thinking prevents this by focusing on the risk of employees shirking.

So for now we will have to make do with:

The TOP 5 easy ways to stay physically fit in your 9-5 deskjob:

1. Don’t skip breakfast, and remember some fat + protein along with those cereals (Keeps you from the cookiejar until lunch)

2. Get up and walk around for about 2-3 minutes every half hour (prevents tiredness while working)

3. Get a desk that elevates. (Improves circulation in your legs during the day)

4. Take a 10 minute break every hour (Hey, not facebook, old school – outside)

5. Make your calls on the cell-phone and take a walk.

Career mindedness does not mean staying chained to the desk.

Enjoy, Carl

Another strategy is to apply for those open positions that aren’t advertised. Unsolicited application.
At least then it’s possible to stand out from the crowd. You are the crowd of one.
Make it a special crowd, make sure your asset is loud and clear.

Focus on the one thing that makes you special, makes you unique. Your Key Performance Indicator.
Enjoy!

K.P.I. (Key Performance Indicator) from Artworks by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

I used to cringe whenever I heard someone say “I can’t wait till friday” in my old job.
Even worse when I was occaionally lured into the choir of: “When I turn 40 I’ll sell my company and have drinks on the beach” Or “I’m just going to play golf when I retire”

Made me feel like I was wasting my time doing spreadsheets.

Waiting for friday could be a long time, is all I’m saying.
Sure, living like there’s no tomorrow gets old fast, but balance the hamsterwheel and indulgence?
Friday night indulgence below, Enjoy!

T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Friday) from Artworks by Carl Frederik Waage Beck

The HR policy of big business seems to be based around a concept similar to the game show Survivor:

1. Establish a reputation for excellence and competitiveness.

2. Rely on a global and prestigious brand.

3. Hire 3-4 times the number of fresh business school graduates needed.

4. Haul the newly hireds through 100+ hour workweeks doing mindnumbing tasks.

5. Weed out those with too much selfish desire to have a life.

6. Promote those that are still loyal to the company.

Repeat as needed.

Sideeffects include: wrecked family life, acute stress disorder, corrupt corporate leadership.