‘An Environment That Encourages Razzle Dazzle’ is a line from the TV show, The Bear. For those who are unfamiliar, it’s about a chef with a complicated family history and his struggles to turn his inherited diner into a Michelin star restaurant. Whilst I have no desire to pursue my passion for art in an American style ‘all consuming’ way, I can relate to the show’s characters who use the culinary arts as a creative outlet from their day to day lives.
Hearing the aforementioned line made me think about the atmosphere in which I spent my teenage years and the ‘razzle dazzle’ I created in my head to escape boredom and give myself drive. During high school I worked at McDonalds for four years in a suburb outside Brisbane which I think looks like LA – endless roads and highways, industrial zones, shopping centres. Minimal natural environment, except the odd gum tree. I loved riding my bike in the heat for the hour it took me to get to Maccas (apart from getting swooped by magpies). In between shifts I enjoyed walking to the shops and buying ‘cool’ earrings from Prouds like cherries, bumblebees and shamrocks.
What is ‘An Environment That Encourages Razzle Dazzle’ for you? For me, it isn’t surroundings that are polished or gentrified. In fact quite the opposite – I love graffiti, ugly industrial areas, a pumpkin vine growing out of a wastewater drain. I love the art of the working class – everyday people’s loves, desires and celebrations. It has to be accessible and it doesn’t necessarily have to have a strong political message – it can add softness or humour to our often harsh and sterile world. This is what feeds my creativity and helps me survive.
