Milked Dry

When I’m overworked, tuckered, and milked dry like one of those stray dogs you see on the beaches of Goa; those bitches with their tits dragging in the sand; those bitches that yelp and snarl and bite when another dog comes along and forces his doggy wiener inside her; that bitch; I sometimes think about quitting art. Or at least, I think about giving myself permission to make things without documenting the process or putting it out into the world. Or making things from a cozy hammock in say, Fuerteventura. And when I do think about this as an option my brain opens up. Ah. It says. I can breathe. Thanks!

But now what? My brain asks minutes later. Who would you be to the world? A pirate? A hamster evangelist? A misinterpreter? A bunion? A bully? A panhandler? A swarthy sap? A pickaxe? A turnip farmer? A daydreamer? A nightswallower? A chump? A barnacle? A corporate wanderer? A willow tree? A doormat? A diamond reader? You're here to make things. Not things that can be held, bought or sold necessarily, but things that you care about. You know it. Don’t tell yourself anything else. No matter how little time you have. No matter how difficult it may be to work on your own stuff after working your ass off all day. It’s part of you. It is you. Follow your guts. They know what they are talking about. Can you please pass me the pepper?

I then thank my brain for talking sense into me, take a quick stroll, sip a cup of tea and carry on.

Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art

Last week, on our final day in Minnesota, we caught the much-anticipated show Radical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art at the Walker. I haven't seen such bad-ass collection of work in a fine art establishment since visiting PAMM in Miami. Some of my favorites of the show included the following:

My former Goddard advisor, Dread Scott's I am not a man performance stills

Lorraine O-Grady's Mlle Bourgeoise Noire

Coco Fusco A/K/A Mrs. George Gilbert

SENGA NENGUDI, RSVP, 1975-77

Carrie Mae Weems Selling Hopes and Dreams

Jayson Musson - Hennessy Youngman's Art Thoughts - How to be a successful black artist 2010

Process Mundane

If you aren't totally sick of getting crap in your inbox that you more than likely will never read, then the new project I'm working on is the one for you! Process Mundane is an ongoing series of emails and seminars designed to help those who face daily drudgery take a microscopic look at their drudge. Gleaning inspiration from self help evangelism, Allan Kaprow, and Alan Watts, Process Mundane takes a deeper look into the roots of monotonous tasks, evaluates each task, and offers people alternative ways of performing each task. The end goal for Process Mundane is to give a sense of play and creativity to the particularly lackluster moments most people tend to forget about.

I initially launched Process Mundane as part of the 2012's Open Engagement conference. The response to the seminar was splendid, so I have since decided to expand the project to the interweb and eventually other speaking venues.

Interested in getting a shiny Process Mundane email from your's truly? Please send me a note and I'll pop you on the mailing list.