I’m sure I’m not the only one who is over Facebook, excuse me–Meta. At the risk of sounding full of myself – technically, I weaned off the old platform a few years ago. Never mind the ghost account I left up to appease irrelevant future employers. And the Instagram account I left intact in the name of staying connected through the age of COVID… okay, you’re right… I’m just as tethered to it’s the rest of you shmucks. What can I say? It takes a shmuck to know a shmuck.
COVID isolation aside, there is something nice about being able to pop open an app, doll up an image, and pour your soul into a black hole, convincing yourself that you truly have stumbled upon the fountain of youth; you are, in fact, woke and everyone will benefit from your allusive lines weaving fall, love-and-be-loved, coffee, a boss lady with some coy, slightly arrogant, yet self-defacing phrase about just figuring it out as you go and, oops I woke up this way. While you excuse all responsibility of any possible offense that may or may not be taken with the standard ‘haters gonna hate’ and here—have this photoshopped image of a cat… in the sun…with some Ethereal music… a sprinkle of Rumi and a dash of Ram Dass, with a dollop of a quote (maybe it’s relevant maybe it’s not but after all, it’s all connected) from White Fragility along with an earth-friendly recipe for a kale smoothie… PS did you notice that barely-there reflection on Chris Evans piano? I knew it, Selena Evans, for the win!!
To much? Yes. It’s all too much, and yet my need to collect, process, and overshare are alive and well. I want to think it’s all an important part of my creative process. Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. Either way, I like the idea of using this site as a place to toss inspiration I find along the way—a picture of this, a thought blurb of that. And maybe, over time, this living journal will become useful. At the very least, it will be something other than the impending meta-verse. Something connected to a single human experience with the hope of evolving into a meaningful resource.
In an ideal world, I would have my own sacred studio space by now. When you visited, you would be overwhelmed by floor-to-ceiling corkboards covered in inspiration. Clippings from magazines, newspapers, torn pages from books, fortunes from cookies, and all the above. Other walls would be covered in studies; how does one visualize BOLD or shy? What sounds feel like peace, and which ones insight a riot? How might one contort a human body to look like a rose or a rising sun? You would see fashion trends and nods to astrology. You would see corners dedicated to colors, all of them. All this and so much more. Poetry and science, shapes and motion, politics and money. God and power. Nothing is off-limits in my world of exploration.
While physical space is all but manifested in my world, it seems only right to dedicate this digital space to such pursuits. On this personal site, away from prying eyes and adverts hungry for my attention, I can craft something meaningful, something authentic, something driven by pure curiosity. And while I know this content will be seen, I can rest knowing you will consume it in an environment I can curate.
Consider this little corner of the web a home away from home. We’ll hang out in the kitchen and swap stories from the day. In the living room, I’ll entertain you with music and slide shows (remember those). I’ll keep the library stocked with books, films, and anything that will inspire me to grow. You’ll see processes, tests, and anything else that comes out of that space in the studio. Maybe through our exploration, we’ll find God. Or and least some shared curiosity.
Right then. Shall we?