Hello

My name is Robert Giampa, and I admit it: I am an artist. What kind of artist? Well, I think that's a hard question to answer. You see, I'm not an artist like Van Gogh, Bob Dylan, or Hemingway. I'm an artist who does lots of different things. I take photographs. I draw. I paint. I create music. I do 3D modeling, creating props and environments for use in video games. I sing. I imagine.
So what?
Admitting to other people that I am an artist is a very tough thing for me, mostly because in my opinion the term contains so many negative connotations:
Unreliable.
Aloof.
Elitist.
Spacy.
Arrogant.
Poor.
Unemployed.

Of course, most of these connotations are accurate in describing many artists! But they don't really bother me. The worst thing, for me personally, about telling most people that I am an artist is that they automatically put me in a different category of person than they put themselves in. By this I mean that inevitably at some point they say, "You are so creative! I could never do anything like that!"
I HATE hearing that. To me that statement is one of the biggest pieces of BS I have ever heard! I think that everyone is creative. Every person on this planet has the right to be creative and enjoy and create art. Of course, I do believe that some people are born with special talents that push them far beyond what most people are capable of, but so what? I don't understand why most people think they can't do something just because there are other people better at doing that thing than they themselves are. To use a sports example, normal men don't stop playing basketball with thier friends simply because they will never be as good as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. But it's different with 'art' and 'creativity.'

I think anyone can pretty much do anything they want to. I'm not a writer, but I decided to start this blog in order to express myself. I wanted a place to think out loud about the things that interest me, and maybe even hear from others who have an opinion.

So that's what this blog is going to be: Robert Giampa thinking out loud about whatever he finds interesting. Mostly it'll cover artistic/creative themes. But look out for the occasional post about The Dodgers, the most fantastic team to ever play in the history of baseball.
Thanks!