I guess that’s just life. October 29, 2007

I’m sure the whole internet was abuzz worrying about where I have disappeared to this past week.  Fear not, friends, I’m still alive.  I just went down to Virginia last weekend to have my car inspected and then took a break from a few things the rest of the week.  Things like, this blog, my artwork, not having a mental breakdown every five minutes, being a rational human being, trying to be friendly to the seemingly endless stream of idiots in my life…

But I’m feeling much better now.  I’m happy, I’m laughing at myself, and I’m going to have a very productive day.  This weekend cheered me up and seems to have magically healed my mental illness.  I fed some goats (using the most amazing feat of goat related technology- a goat stands on a tower and you feed it via conveyer belt- genius!), did an amazing maize maze, was treated to a fancy dinner, won second place at a costume contest, carved a pumpkin, played a LOT of sing star, watched the premiere of the new art:21 season, saw the Red Sox win the world series, and generally had so much fun I’m hardly even bothered by the fact that my car was broken into.  Which is why I’m typing this in the waiting room of an auto glass repair shop.  I think it’s kind of nice to think that somewhere, some vagrant is listening to Sam’s mix cd’s, which was the only thing worth taking from my car.

It’s a good thing I feel so good now, since it’s my turn to be there for Sam, who recently found out what happens when laptops meet water.

Time to get things done.  I’ve got reading to catch up on for postmodernism class tomorrow night, and rss feeds to catch up on, and a novel to finish.  That’s if I can tear my attention away from this courtroom show on the tv in the waiting room.

What????????? October 16, 2007

This is utter insanity.  Really, does anyone side with D*Face on this one?  He admits himself that his own work is unoriginal, so where does he come off taking legal action against the Chapman Brothers?  He’s obviously not the first person to vandalize a dollar bill, or whatever they call currency over there, so why does he think he owns the rights to it?  Chalk it up to my undying love of the YBA’s, but I don’t even know what else to say.  I am flabbergasted.

On a completely different note… October 15, 2007

This has nothing at all to do with what I usually talk about here, but I found this site which starts out explaining the Balducci Levitation Illusion, all nice and calm and reasonable, and suddenly ends up bashing and mocking David Blaine for his street magic TV shows.  It made me laugh so hard I couldn’t just keep it to myself.  My favorite line: “If he’s so good, he should of made himself look better in this photo!”

Check it out here and see why I’m crying from laughing so hard.

[chooseart][notlife] October 15, 2007

I haven’t been so good at updating this past week, so to make up for it here is a video I really liked on youtube:

It was sent to me via the “chooseart” and “notlife” mailing lists I have been subscribed to for so long I can’t remember how I found them. Basically it’s a group of people who write poetry and find web content with a Dadaist slant and email it to everyone who wants it. The really cool part is that when you get the emails, you are free and encouraged to edit or add on to it and then resend it. The end result is that I get emails throughout the day of poetry (if you had to classify it) as it goes through different stages of modification, and sometimes other internet treats, like the above video. Here’s an example of the life of one of the emails:

This was the first email of the series:

136. It was supposedly Columbus Day. It felt like July and outside (pinch oneself) it was really October. Everything seemed upside down or at least in slow motion.Decades ago, people realised Columbus Day was not what it was cracked up to be. No way, Jose.

 

No joking-everyone found it hard to stay awake that day. EVERYONE. What season was it?

 

***********************

 

The stock markets were open, the post office was closed. The buses ran on schedule, the banks were closed.

 

Go figure, Dr. X sighed.

 

Everyone in the room shrugged with him.

 

Dr. Dog filmed the whole event.

And the next email, a few hours later:

136. It was supposedly Columbus Day. It felt like July and outside
(pinch oneself) it was really October. Everything seemed upside
down or at least in slow motion.Decades ago, people realised
Columbus Day was not what it was cracked up to be. No way, Jose.
No joking-everyone found it hard to stay awake that
day. EVERYONE. What season was it?
***********************
The stock markets were open, the post office was closed. The buses
ran on schedule, the banks were closed.
Go figure, Dr. X sighed.
Everyone in the room shrugged with him.
Dr. Dog filmed the whole event.

But the cheese? Would it testify or would it take the fifth. The
District Attorney shattered egos and placemats, stamped and
bewildered on a high noon desert sky. It was a clear firesign,
bratwurst to be told in a Mickey Mouse ear. Churlish? Yes. Dada?

And by the end of the day, it looked like this:

Everyone in the room shrugged with him.
Dr. Dog filmed the whole event.

But the cheese? Would it testify or would it take the fifth. The
District Attorney shattered egos and placemats, stamped and
bewildered on a high noon desert sky. It was a clear firesign,
bratwurst to be told in a Mickey Mouse ear. Churlish? Yes. Dada?
Not likely.

A marketing niche is hard to find.
When everyone’s an asshole,
what’s the point of being rude?
Political resentment is a popular dance,
yet the marriage rate continues to decline.
The devil’s in the details.
A wind-up toy confused by corners.
Today’s pop star is tomorrow’s broken whore.
Only body oil is constant.

Thus meditate on this image:

A golden waffle floating in a halo of butter
topped with a nest of crispy boneless chicken wings,
The Kentucky-fried Chalice, Our Fountain of Syrup,
burbling amber rays.

Hymn on page 354: “We Shall Sweetly Drown”

Synergy, dynamism, indifference. I smell the Virgin Mary on a moist
towelette.

I get excited whenever one of these- dare I say- postmodern emails shows up in my inbox.

If you would like to subscribe to chooseart and notlife yourself, you can do so here.

LifeLongLog October 4, 2007

Here’s a website that I just discovered, but is an instant favorite.  Alberto Frigo is documenting his activities, dreams, songs, thoughts, and ideas on his website LifeLongLog.  He uses a variety of mediums to record these areas of his life, like video, sound, and images.  My favorite part is dReam me, which allows you to pick four images which correspond to elements of a dream, which will be summarized after you choose.  Then there is SOBJECT, which documents every object picked up by Frigo’s dominant hand.  The whole site is fascinating; it’s surprisingly fun to wade through the mundane details of someone’s life.

I’m an ocean October 1, 2007

A new piece I have been working on just fell over and knocked an old piece I have been working on for what seems like forever off my desk.  It was glass, and of course it shattered.  At first I was upset, because I have been working on it for so long, but now I think I’m alright with it, because it always seemed forced, and now maybe I can use parts of it in different pieces.  I don’t think I would have really liked the end product if I ever finished it anyways.

Or maybe I’m just saying that because I ruined it.

I guess the worst part is that I cut my finger.  But it’s only my pinky.  And not very bad.

Oh well, time to move on.

Art Advice October 1, 2007

Alright, so here’s an old bookmark I have that I recommend for a few reasons.  Sylvia White manages visual artists.  She does not claim to be artist herself (which I think is silly, I think everyone is an artist, but that is a different discussion for a different time), but she has a lot to say about being an artist.  She seems very practical, which is important, especially for an artist.  At least I think she doesn’t claim to be an artist, and from what I read on her site, I don’t think she would.  Alright, to be honest I haven’t read her biography even though it is right there in plain sight.

But I have read her art advise and some of it is great and very reassuring.  For example: “Contrary to the common stereotype of artists as slackers, artists are incredibly industrious and hard working. In most cases, regardless of what they do for a living, they are working on their obsession 24/7. Acknowledging this, can help tremendously in understanding an important aspect of an artists’ character…and saving a relationship.”  Sylvia is married to an artist and has worked with the m for many years and thus learned that what may seem like sitting around and doing nothing is actually thinking and planning and responding, and an artist is constantly doing just that.  It is a very important part, and can be hard to deal with, both for the artist and those around them.

Another quote I whole heartedly agree with: “Most artists I know go through classic symptoms of withdrawal when deprived of their work environment for too long. They get grouchy, irritable, may suffer from physical complaints such as headaches, body aches and often times find themselves depressed for no reason. These symptoms miraculously disappear when they are given the opportunity to work again.”

But something I can’t honestly say I believe:  “The primary reason for this is artists are wired differently than the rest of us.”  I think I define the word artist differently than Sylvia and so I read what she has to say with caution and even criticism.  However you define art and artists, I think her site is an encouraging read and a great resource when you are feeling useless and unproductive.  Her words are quite encouraging and raise many thoughts and discussions in my mind.  I highly recommend taking a look.

http://www.artadvice.com/index.php