Outside The Bubble From The Inside

Since we've definitely decided to move towards moving towards Austin, I've been a bit distracted by non-art stuff. The important stuff of practical life. Weeding around the pool, feeding/watering the lawn, and discovering the myriad of projects to do in order to sell a house in today's weird market.

I get so focussed on my art and its promotion that I sometimes don't see out of my bubble very well. I want everything to happen and to happen right now. I forget that life takes time. Watering the lawn takes time. Training a puppy takes time. Life is that time. That's the value. That's why I added that blurb at the bottom of this blog today.

Thank you for your time. I know it's the most precious thing you've got. Any attention you are paying me, amazing. If you use your time and thought to come up with a piece to commission and follow through! Holy cow.

Last week I asked my Twitter followers why they follow me. The fact that people do is so cool that I started, instead of #followfriday for sharing people you follow that you like, #followerfriday for sharing people who follow you that you like. It got me to connect backwards, looking at my shadow for those interested in me. Sort of an ego boost, but truly meant to say "Hey, it's awesome that you spend time on me".

So, I got responses to my question. Rebecca Freeman said she followed me because someone had shared me in a previous #followfriday and she's very impressed with my super cool work. Cindy Gravitt said she follows because she loves my quotes and my one of a kind self and art. Noelle Hunt said she follows because she likes what I have to say. Awesome.

Maria Popova just posted this on her blog today, calling my work "brilliantly inspired" and calling me "one of the brightest people we've met on the Interwebs". Wow. She's one the brightest I've met online, so this is a big compliment to me. We've even disagreed intellectually and publicly. I don't often get to disagree with someone outside of my wife and family.

This post may seem to be tooting my own horn, but it's really more of a motivational focussing exercise. Why do I paint these? Well, I really do want to make the world a better place. Corny sounding, I know, but earnest. I don't like that art is typically marketed towards collectors, towards those viewing it as an investment. I don't like capitalism's bent towards money for money's sake. The video above is my favorite song by my guilty pleasure, 10cc. It's a tongue-in-cheek commentary on this importance placed on money as an end. Or is it really tongue-in-cheek?

Time is what's truly valuable, something not created by humanity. Money is merely a human creation, something not real. Our system makes it real, but we forget its tie to the human Life spent creating that which the money represents. We are removed from our own value, exploited by our economy, isolated by competition, and thus feel less human. Sounds kinda socialist, doesn't it? It is at least somewhat utopian. But that's art's job. The job of the artist is to reveal humanity, to reconnect us with love and Life, to burst our bubbles so that we can be, as the Beatles say, All Together Now.

How do we burst our bubbles? By sharing, by trying as hard as we can to get inside someone else's. Get by giving. It's not selfish, it's the purpose of Life. Connection is why we're human.

Thank you for this connection and for coming into mine.

Peace.