Xander Zarezit | TDIDI Army General #1
Good Morning and Good Evening, my fine TDIDI Army Brats,
The seasonal shift is upon us. Temperature swings lead to high winds blowing and leaves that change color falling quickly from an almost abusive tangle of branches leaving behind a maze of fingery sticks to “flick off” our hucks at random. Hairs on the back of every golfers necks start to raise as an ever creeping fear of early evenings and bitter mornings starts to replay again in more then just their memories. And so transforms the disc golfer in it’s cocoon made of different layers of clothes used primarily for this particular time of climate change. But alas, it is so much more then that golfer that is transformed by the changing of temps. No, believe you me, there is something even more alive thriving in your bag that will emerge “transformed” as time and the seasons droll by.
Years before it was a hot topic for facehuggers, Instapotters, or Twitchlings to ask one another, one of the most repetitive questions I faced as a disc dyer was “how do you feel about people who don’t throw the pieces you create”? Cringing as though “katsup” had been asked for by the person eating the 200 dollar steak, I’d say “I’d rather they throw them but the disc and choice is theirs”. I knew though… I’d been doing this too long not to have seen it… As Dr Frankenstein breathed life into his monster, these discs weren’t just dyed…They were ALIVE!
"No, believe you me, there is something even more alive thriving in your bag that will emerge "transformed" as time and the seasons droll by."
Whether a hot dip or a cold water bath, you are utilizing the “living” properties of the circles. No, you silly Brats, these things aren’t to be thought of as companions like your loveable furry kid or your actually furry kids (though I do realize some of you love your discs as “your own”). Thinking of the changes plastic makes based on how you manipulate temperature gives an understanding of the manipulation of the art and effect of mixing the formulas of corrosives to dye pigments, which is mostly what we do. Has anyone suggested to you to use COLD water after a hot dip to “set the color”? How about trying to use shaving cream and turquoise iDye and for some reason getting little to no effect? Thinking of the plastic as “breathing”, one can imagine if it’s heated, the pores open up and allow ink to seep in, and equally, the pores close when cold, sealing in the goodies inside creating a 1 of 1 masterpiece, correct?
Yes.
…and then No.
“All the bright precious things fade so fast, and they don’t come back”, a quote from The Great Gatsby which applys brutely to our art form alike. Of course the plastic breathes in the color, but a living thing doesn’t stop breathing after it’s first breath and so to will the dye keep sinking, spreading, and distorting the original crispness of what you’ve created. For some people, the fuzzy lines and double sideded image is a welcome tell of an aged beloved but most often a fan of the art who’s intentions are to hold on to their saught after 1 of 1 custom piece will be disheartened by the look of their collectable after a few months/years as the detailed graphic you remember is now a blob of memories living vicariously through the bragging you did prior.
I look through the tens of thousands of discs I’ve changed, some kept simpley out of pride, and even though I’m still so proud of what I created, what I’ve created has changed. It’s aged and so many variables have warped my image into a faded thought. Then I think “I wonder what all the other discs I’ve made for people have transformed into”.
So respect your artist. Respect the time and emotion they’ve embedded into each custom made for you. Just know that the work, like our rounds, are started, enjoyed, and finished way too soon.
Until next tee,
X ->Z
Latest hits from X to the Z
