Friends of The Sphere #4: Michael Schiøler Tingsgård
Michael Schiøler Tingsgård is a Copenhagen-based maker of lines, player of music, and lover of dogs.
Hey, my name is Michael and I know Asmus from the big old intertwined cobweb internet. I draw a lot of different things, I’ve been drawing all my life, or at least since I was 3 years old. I used to love drawing monsters and sci-fi settings a lot until I got told that I wouldn’t be able to make a living from that and then I decided to draw something else because I had to make a living, didn’t I? Luckily I was able to become an early pensioner due to unfortunate circumstances (Mental Illness) and I, therefore, could resume drawing monsters and sci-fi settings and not be too bothered.
When I grew older I decided I wanted to make comic books, seemed like a great idea since I love to draw, and that’s what people who draw do, like they make comic books or architecture or I don’t know. So I tried making some comic books and quickly found out I wanted to not tell stories that much. I wanted to leave room for everything that’s not exciting or progressive about a story and just tell stillness and quiet and not spend too much time on conflict or drive. So I spent a year or two drawing a story about two dogs who do what dogs do best, they sleep, play, eat and sleep some more.
My fascination with dogs started when I was 15 when our family got a dog, a magical, talking, flying and time-traveling dog that is.
At the moment I draw a lot of dogs that I meet somewhere around my sphere, it could be close to my parent’s home where I live or it could be in the city where I walk sometimes. I try to tell a story every time I draw a dog and write it down. I believe depicting the good and quiet in animals can also bring out the good and quiet and contemplative in people. It also keeps me grounded and makes sure my head doesn’t take off like a balloon in the sky. Recently my dog drawings gained a big audience on the internet and it’s been really nice to be able to reach people like that. I hope to be able to publish my encounters with dogs later in a few years maybe when I’ve met enough to fill a book.
Drawing really helps me cope with life and the world. I feel I can grab a small detail and focus on it-and that focus will keep the great _v o i d_ at bay and make sure I can live in this strange place. I teach drawing at a school with some wonderful students and I try to both teach them the craft of drawing but also try to ask what do they want to do with their drawings. Sometimes I need to ask myself that question, and I think the answer is: Not much, I want to do Not much with them, I would love to leave space for something else that can happen, to leave the conflict out and focus on the things around the conflict, the space where we don’t do much and the space that is the first to be left out in times of conflict.
Ok, that’s it for me now, friends. Take care! :)