I miss everyone

I left work early yesterday and scooted out to the beach to watch the ocean, to watch the storm roll in. And as I watched the sky turn fantastic shades of grey, I was struck--not for the first time--with how it is the simple things that make us/me happiest.

Shortly thereafter, the wet sand soaked through my jeans and I took my soggy bottom home, but not before reflecting on the essential absurdity of my life and what I do: write as a means to understand the world.

Then, today, on American Craft Magazine's website, I stumbled across this mini-manifesto by Daniel Eatock...and it seemed to strike to the core of what I hope to be doing...it's kind of perfect because there is room for give, take, and even compromise...but not at a cost no-one really can afford to pay: personal integrity.

* I especially like the idea of honesty as a solution.

“Mini Manifesto
Begin with ideas
Embrace chance
Celebrate coincidence
Ad-lib and make things up
Eliminate superfluous elements
Subvert expectation
Make something difficult look easy
Be first or last
Believe complex ideas can produce simple things
Trust the process
Allow concepts to determine form
Reduce material and production to their essence
Sustain the integrity of an idea
Propose honesty as a solution”
—Daniel Eatock

Soporific!

I have always been an avid supporter of the nap. In fact, it is not at all uncommon for me to average 1-2 naps a week, and friends know that if they call me during a certain time of day, its likely that I’ll answer the phone sounding confused/crazy/like Tom Waits.

However, since college, I have found naps to be a way of staying alert and feeling good (this presupposes I wake up and don’t sleep through ‘till morning). And though there are lots of articles out there to support my views, when I found the above chart, I thought it worth sharing…especially for those of us trying to find the time, energy, and clarity to work outside of the 9-5 grind.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go fluff my pillow (without shame).

*incidentally, the painting pictured is Lucian Freud's Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, it recently sold at auction for $33.64 million.

Go North...

I apologize for being away for so long, I've been traveling (more on that later).

Locally, it is worth noting that George Kinghorn has left MOCA Jacksonville. He'll be the chief curator for a small museum in Maine.

So, we wish George the best of luck! Whether or not we always agreed with his curatorial choices matters not; what matters is we were pleased to see George develop his own aesthetic in concert with larger contemporary concerns. He did not remain static.

Further, I understand that the curatorial duties will be absorbed into two existing positions at the museum. I understand that one of the people who will be making some of the new decisions has a very deep interest in cutting-edge contemporary work. It shall be interesting to watch what happens next…