Where do I even begin?

This morning I was reading "The Onion" and was curious about a link I saw entitled "Whopper Virgins". So, I clicked and was unpleasantly surprised when I found a short film (which my brother told me has also been made into TV commercials) about a crew of people (probably at least 20, by my own estimates) who travel to very remote, rural areas of the world in order to have people in these small 3rd-world villages taste test a Whopper and a Big Mac.

Here are my issues:
1. Do we as Americans really need the information of what a goat farmer is Turkmanistan thinks about the Whopper and the Big Mac? I mean, is that going to change our opinion of either corporation? Is this going to move us forward as a world community?

2. Do we, as Americans, really need to impose ourselves on EVERYONE?

3. Imagine if we used the same amount of money (my estimate at least $500,000) that was spent on this short film to make another short film about the way of life for people in these rural villages. To ask them about what issues they face in the world, how they view war, peace, poverty, spirituality, life in general. I'm not saying that the people in these villages are somehow savants and in some way more knowledgeable about the mysteries of the universe because they live humble, rural lives, but they do have something we all have and something that is important that we listen to: a perspective. And to only use this money and these resources to find out which fast food burger tastes the same is truly an insult to not only our own intelligence, but to theirs' as well.

ART SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR BANAL THINGS.

This is why art in our culture is suffering, because we use our talents for trite, unimportant issues. Sadly, one of the filmmakers of this piece is Stacey Peralta, the director of "Dogtown and Z-boys" and "Riding Giants". As artists, this is what happens. We must use our talents for corporate greed rather than using our artistic abilities to truly help further 2 of the most important issues to mankind- Peace on Earth and Dignity for all humans.

I have said this before on my blog and I will say it again, the downfall of a society is when we allow the voices of corporations become more powerful than the voices of the people of the world.

Imagine if half of the money spent on this film was given to 1 village to create a school, clean drinking water, a medical clinic. All things that would be way more important to any of these people than Whoppers or Big Macs.

I am not going to post the link to this video. I don't want it to get more hits. I don't want it to become an Internet sensation. I want it to stop. I want artists to be paid for art, which at the heart of all great art, gives us insight into not only the world, but ourselves.

Art can give us so much more than a novelty film that shows us not much more than how ugly we Americans can be.

Wednesday Morning

I’ve been having this dream that when I wake up on Wednesday morning the world will have changed.

It will be different from the Tuesday morning I woke up to. When I wake up on Wednesday morning, a mother can tell her child that he can be whatever it is he wants to be, and it will be true.

It will be true, regardless of the child or his mother’s race, religion, gender, sexuality.

On Wednesday morning, when I wake up the world will have changed.

It will no longer be the world of that one summer, when Jess and J. and I were coming back from a party and we got in an accident. The cop showed up and was so nice to us. He even let Jess have her expired license back. But to the men in the car behind us it was, “Stand right there. Don’t Move. Where are you coming from? Where are you going? You just wait right there.” My dog was barking ferociously and I was in a bathing suit. J. was shirtless. Those 4 gentlemen were perfectly dressed. Kind. Respectful. Black.

On Wednesday morning, when I wake, I dream that the world will have changed.

The dream that defined a nation over 200 years ago will once again be true. The dream that had been defined by those who felt persecuted and refused to stand for it, those who felt unheard, those who felt misunderstood and not treated fairly because of it.

The dream will be returned. The dream will be owned by us all, not just those that live on the hills with big cars and big lawns and big dreams. We will all once again own the big dreams. All the dreams are now big because all the dreams dreamed are now capable of being true.

When I wake up on Wednesday morning I know the world will be changed.

When I and you and all your neighbors step outside, we will own the sidewalk. We will hold our heads high and realize that we can see what it is we desire in the clouds. We can live it true.

The dream will once again belong to those whose souls beat with promise. Whose souls beat with hope. Whose souls refuse to give up beating until peace is achieved by all.

On Wednesday morning when I awake, I know the World will have changed, because for once the entire world will believe that dreams can become a reality. It is no longer just a notion. It is a Truth.

a thought...

The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it.
Banksy

Don’t ask to be put on the list.

The most hated phrase, the worse thing any performer, musician, filmmaker, etc. will hear, worse than “I didn’t understand that whole middle part thing” and “Was that on purpose?” is “Can you put me on the list?” Yes, that most hated of questions. “Can you put me on the list?” Unless your friend is Sting, you really should pay the $10 cover out of respect for what your friend is bringing to your community.

What you think you are asking:
Can you get me on the list for your screening? Show? Play? Performance? Etc?

What it feels likes for the artist to hear it?

I’ll definitely come, if it doesn’t put me out.

I’ve heard enough of what you’ve said that I don’t feel I need to pay to hear it.

I’d rather pay for an extra drink I probably shouldn’t have.

I’ll be honest. It hurts.

Here are the people artists want to and should put on the list, in no particular order:
(and you should not be hurt if you are not included. You should just pay the $5.)

Fellow artists they want to work with
People who may pay them money in the future for their work
People they owe money to
Parents and Siblings
Spouses / Partners, Children

If you don’t have the money to get in, but are dying to see your friends perform, help them. Carry the Kick Drum. Get them their drinks while they play. Operate the video camera for them. Whatever. Lend a hand.

Paying $5 at the door to see your friend perform says more about how much you support art and the exchange of ideas and dialogue in your community, than it says about how you feel about your friend’s art in particular.

If the show is free, buy something at the bar—a drink, a soda, a brownie.

That is how you tell the patron of the establishment you appreciate their efforts in bringing culture to your community. That’s how you show that you appreciate a place to go where Paris Hilton is not involved.

These places—coffee houses, bars, festivals-- are very needed. They are needed by the artists, they are needed by art appreciators, they are needed by individuals who have no idea who the hell they are or how they fit into any of it.

You see, without these places, we don’t get to hear the Mary Lou Lord’s of the world. You never see the films of Stan Brackhage.

I know you think that it is not a big deal—what difference is $5? It is precisely that I-don’t-want-to-pay-attitude that brings things down. There is not a bar or club or theater that is not struggling. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD-- EVEN CBGB’s CLOSED DOWN!

The only bar in the world where someone was getting rich off of owning a bar was Cheers! (Trust me, I worked there. The gift shop made 3 times the amount of the bar). Do we want “Cheers!” to dictate our culture? My vote is hell, no!

If you don’t want to live in a world where your favorite bar has a TV above every table with each channel set to either hockey or Big Brother, then support the events that happen in your community by paying the cover charge.

You must do more than just vote for art initiatives in school or say how much you like the Coen Bros. flick. Instead support art by paying the $5 at the door. Support Art by putting your money where your mouth is.

Misunderstood...

Daisy: So, you’re an artist, what is the medium you work in?

Brian: Anger…Pain… Fear… Aggression.

Daisy: So, is that like, watercolor, then or…

From “Spaced” A British sitcom from the creators of “Shawn of The Dead”

In college, I had a friend who was an amazing painter, Ben. He told me that when he was home for Christmas one year, his family was having a gathering and many people from the neighborhood had come by. One of the guests that evening asked Ben what he was studying in college. He replied he was studying to be an artist. His father jumped on that and said “Which means he’s working really hard at learning how to at take people’s orders for their lunch.”

He is not the first artist misunderstood by his parents. And he will not be the last. While in Film school, my father continually would tell me when the local news station where I grew up was hiring. When I would tell him that was not what I wanted to do, he would ask me what the heck I was in school for. Sigh.

Now, I know that my parents are proud of my accomplishments in art. What I can’t determine is whether or not my accomplishments are more important to them than if I have a good dental plan.

I’m proud that I have never swayed from my artistic vision and got stuck using my creativity packing groceries or getting the perfect angle for the interview with the local winner of the prettiest dog contest. I don’t have a lot of money. I don’t live in a fancy place. I don’t have good credit, because it is hard to pay bills on time when jobs can be sporadic. AND, I also don’t have regrets.

It seems that we, as artists, live in either 2 worlds. We live scraping by, working in spirit-breaking “day” jobs, waiting, hoping, praying that one day someone will notice that we are more than the desk we sit behind, the phone we answer, the dishes we wash. Or we sell our work, but in the process also ourselves.

We are poets and musicians and dancers and actors and directors and painters and illustrators and more. We are desperate to just live off our art. To survive from our imagination. So we strive with our creativity guiding us, hoping we do the right thing.

There is no such thing as a lazy artist.

Artists wake up everyday knowing that they will most probably accomplish 3 things during the day; eat, poop and make art. If those 3 things get accomplished then things will be okay. However, no artist you have ever admired settled for okay. No artist you have ever admired was lazy. Hell, Pollack would ride his bike for the booze when he didn’t have a car. You get it done, because speaking what needs to be said is important.

Some days you will create good art. Some days you will create blah art. Some days you will create art that transforms you a little bit. But if you are not lazy, meaning you create in any way you can, you will always create something that helps you see a little bit more next time. That makes all the difference.

What many people don’t realize is that artists are working in every single moment they are conscious. Even when it appears they are doing nothing, they are actually listening to the birds and watching the sky and observing how the two interact.

When you receive a piece of art in your life, you are not just receiving a selection of words or square canvas with paint on it. You are receiving ideas. You are receiving a message that comes from a deep and profound place. You are receiving knowledge based on time and experience. You are receiving a new perspective on a shared history.

If an artist were lazy, he would show you nothing. He would have no work for you to see. Artists are not lazy, because they can’t be. Speaking what needs to be said is too important.

why i make art... why i teach art

I make art when I can not speak.

I make art when I feel alone and I do not want to be.

I make art when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am in love and when I do not know how I am feeling at all.

I make art to feel safe about who I am.



I teach art so others may learn how to speak when they feel they can't.

I teach art so those who feel alone, will no longer feel that way.

I teach art so that ART and the word and knowledge of all the artists that have come before me and that will come after me will be heard and understood.

As I am writing this entry, I am at Caldera, teaching film to middle school students. It is freeing to be working in a beautiful, natural environment and be teaching a digital, modern art. I watch my students light up when they see their ideas come to life in the form of a movie. I feel my heart light up when I hear a 12-year old say "Camera Rolling!" and another reply "ACTION!".

As artists, we must also be teachers. We must allow ourselves to understand our crafts fully-- that is our responsibility to the world. We must then pass our knowledge on to the future artists so that ART does not die. That is our responsibility to our ART.

A thought for today...

“Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finding my religion (and how you can, too!)

When I was a kid, I grew up about 3 hours from NYC. My mom would take me there all the time. My mom would write notes to the school saying “Please excuse little teafly as she will be viewing the Matisse Retrospective at the MOMA on Wednesday. Please give her any schoolwork she can do on the train so she won’t fall behind.” And off we went. My mother believed in Art the way some people believe in angels. I grew up believing in Art the way some people believe in Jesus.

When I was 10, Armand Hammer, the philanthropist not the baking soda company, decided to tour his collection of fine art. The collection came to the area where I grew up and of course my mother took me. It was the first time I saw a Van Gogh in person. More than anything else in the world I wanted to touch it. I wanted to lick it even. It was the painting called The Hospital at Saint-Remy. I remember that being the first time when I saw a piece of art and I didn’t know how to re-act. It was so beautiful and amazing and at the same time it completely frightened me. I learned later that it was the hospital Van Gogh was admitted to when his mental illness took major control in his life which eventually led to the cutting off of his ear. No wonder I was scared. Art can do that. It can safely introduce you to the complexities of the world while at the same time reassuring you that the world can still be beautiful.

I grew up not knowing most people thought museums were boring because I saw them as sanctuaries. Places where one would be heard, if only one were given the opportunity to speak from the heart. I went to galleries and museums and the theatre the way people went to church. I went for respite. I went for reassurance. I went for hope. I went for wisdom. I went for guidance. I went for courage. I went to learn more about the world that I grew up in feeling often confused, alone, ugly and hurt. I went to be reminded that others too have felt that way. Some of whom transcended the pain in their life, some not, but all have transcended it in their art.

I did not have to go to church to learn about religion because Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci taught me.

I did not need to listen to what the winners in the history books needed to tell me about war, because instead I saw what Picasso and Goya and Hemingway had to say.

I long to love because I have heard the voices of Sappho and Shakespeare and Marvin Gaye.

Art allows the artist to express himself and the viewer to reflect upon himself. Both parts are equally important in art. We need to support spaces, places and happenings that allow the arts to develop culturally and intellectually, that allow dialogue and debate, that allow inspiration to flow freely and not be halted because of fear. When we allow that to happen we evolve in our minds and in our hearts and in our souls.

Art is NOT about being cool. Art is NOT about making “the scene”.

Art is about searching into who we are even if we hate it. Matching that to the truths of the universe. Better understanding it and sharing it with others.

Great art and the truest purpose of art is to give us a greater insight into the world and inspire us to see it deeper. Great art provokes us to search into who we are and what the world is about.

Art reminds us that we are not alone, that our experiences are valuable, that we are valuable. Art allows us so safely explore the world so that we may better understand ourselves and others. It allows us to communicate without being confined by language.

The best way to support art is by listening. Viewing. Thinking. Educating yourself. Then thinking again. And then sharing from your heart. That is how you support art. Don’t turn away from anything, but if you are, be able to explain why. Learn why you don’t like something.

Don’t be lazy. Don’t say “I don’t know art, I just know what I like.” There is value to what you like. The way you support art best is by being conscious of why it speaks to you when it does.

Know that by doing that you are helping ensure that just because you don’t live 3 hours of NYC doesn’t mean you can not have access to a plethora of rich experience, voices, perspectives. There is much that resides everywhere in the world and that deserves to be heard. To be seen. To be understood. To be felt. We are always growing and becoming increasingly diverse in our voices and visions. Allow everyone to be part of that. Help bring those voices to the public. Help ensure that future generations here can be inspired so we may continue to evolve and grow as a community.

The Chinese proverb says “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a noise?” I ask similarly, “If an artist makes a statement but there is no way for it to get heard, does that mean it is not important?” The answer is no. We must do our job and listen.

When art becomes a job

Many people believe that artists do the work they do because they love it. Well, of course they do. Is that not why doctors do their work? Is that not why teachers do what they do? Why should artists get paid for what they do? After all isn’t it satisfying enough to be able to create whatever they want? Shouldn’t they put it out there for us all to enjoy. That is enjoyment enough.

While enjoying dinner with some friend’s of mine, one of them relayed a story about Annie Proux. Yes, the author of the gayest cowboy book ever. (Pun intended). My friend had been one of the organizers of a local celebration of literature. As a result, she ended up sitting with Annie at a dinner. At one point, Annie sighed about how tired she was. This was one of many events that month she was attending and she missed being at home. She also said she sometimes got bored and annoyed with the kind of event they were attending. While relaying this story my friend added something to the tune of “She shouldn’t be complaining. I would kill to be able to spend my whole time writing.” I pointed out to my friend that Annie did not spend her whole time writing, she was also attending events where she had to entertain people she would never see again. My friend said, still, she is really lucky.

Now since this time, my friend has had a child and I wonder if having to take a 6-month book tour would be burdensome to her now. This friend of mine is an experienced writer who has had her work featured in various publications. She is a very good writer. But, she made the choice, health insurance and food over starting a full-time writing career. Not that she can’t have one in the future, but she is choosing to not put that career on the front burner. (More on that later).

Back to my friend’s comment. Since when were people not allowed to complain about their work? “I don’t get paid enough”, “My boss sucks.” “My uniform itches.” Artists do the work they do with love and passion. And if we want to keep art alive in our community, we must keep the artists alive as well.

I won’t pretend that artists can’t be arrogant, but usually they have a reason or they are just a fool. The more you know about art and the more you trust your own artistic gut, you can see the difference. I don’t believe Annie Proux was being arrogant. I believe she had thought she had found a kindred spirit in my friend, who would understand what it meant to have to sell oneself, when all one wants to do is write. Artists never leave this conundrum of commerce verses creativity. They just enter different levels.

just an idea...

Hello all...

I am just starting this little blog based on my never-ending quest to support myself as an artist. Many people do not know how to support the arts. There are thousands of ways we can do this and I am hoping that this blog will give you tips, re-assurance and motivation to help support yourself as an artist, an artist in your community or an up and coming young artist you would like to see flourish.

The idea for this blog came to me when I was explaining to a friend all of the different ways I have made money from my art. She was amazed at all the ways people support me. I decided I should share those ideas with others and help them figure out their own path of self-support.

In this blog, I also hope to maybe make clear how one goes about putting value on art. That is hard for everyone to do, including artists themselves.

So, please, check back, as I have a lot to say on this subject...