rediscovering the power of bathing

not just getting clean but bathing specifically -- the experience of being almost completely submerged in one's own bathtub.

Eureka!

the quiet rippling of the water as it waves ashore against my body
the buoyancy of my arms and hands -- they effortlessly rising to the surface of the water

in those moments -- i can let my mind wonder without any regard to time
i can compare these moments to the moments when I plant my feet to ground and look to the sky -- i can almost swear that i can feel the earth rotate as i stand there -- trying to grasp my significance in context with this vast planet

i must say that i undoubtedly agree with Chris Hedges in the interview with Michael Moore in his newest doc Capitalism: A Love Story the environment needs to be the number one issue -- because without the earth we don't exist. sustainability means jobs / food / water / affordable housing
i wasn't sure if sustainability was the appropriate word for what i was trying to say -- so i went ahead and against some factual resources just like our news reporters do on the major networks -- i googled it and here is an exert from Wikipedia "For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which inturn depends on the well being of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources."

i think i used it appropriately? ...

this shall be continued!

The Animal In You - Otter

The Animal In You - Otter: "I took the Animal In You Test and my personality matches the Otter!"

Tagged Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 0 of 0 by The Twilight Room - MySpace Photos

Tagged Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 0 of 0 by The Twilight Room - MySpace Photos

Lauren Greenfield

Girl Culture

Her Website

BACHATA!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one for the archives so i don't forget
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMoMGFkysOQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Manning Up

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20100407_Manning_up.html

Introduction to new works -- 2010 Trial Run Artist Statement

Start from the Beginning

I am a woman.

There are roles that are expected of me and characteristics I have been designated as a woman. I am associated with behaviors or traits that have been classified as feminine such as being sensitive, compassionate, empathetic, and accommodating. Men who display these same traits or behaviors might be ridiculed or even have their masculinity questioned by others. But femininity and masculinity are constructed.

Gender is performed.

And this performance can be linked to identity.

I am investigating the construction of the female identity with respect to the advertiser’s influence. Advertisements are meant to sell products, but they are also selling ideas. They are reinforcing stereotypes as well as exploiting insecurities, which is detrimental to individuals who are unaware of their influence.

I was first really introduced to this idea in my Gender Roles Class. As all the Women’s Studies Classes were required to do, we had an assignment where we had to make a collage of advertisements that were hyper sexualized or exploitative towards women and men (if we could find any). Seeing all the images grouped together, I had an eye opening experience.

Consistently, women are portrayed as passive or even objects. Their bodies are dissected and fragmented. Photoshop has made it possible to alter the images drastically as well. There are even images of women that do not exist. It is a common practice for advertiser to just construct the “perfect woman” from parts of different women. There is also a disturbing trend for advertisers to allude to violence towards women in their advertisements.

Men are portrayed in advertisements as dripping with testosterone. Active and muscular bodies dominate the images. This emphasis on the perfectly sculpted body has had a devastating impact on men as well. There has been a drastic increase in bulimia and anorexia cases among men.

Who benefits from this?

I can’t believe that we as the target audience are benefiting.

The majority of my works feature women because somewhere around 90% of advertisements are marketed towards women. (side-story about CVS meeting)

Even if women are being targeted in advertisements, men should still care about the messages behind the ads. Have you ever heard the saying,

“if Momma aint happy, aint nobody happy”

it’s kinda like that- if women are respected and love themselves- everyone benefits

i wanted to keep this link without bookmarking it

http://gizmodo.com/5513783/the-world-would-be-better-if-everyone-watched-this-video

I credit this find to Mr Marshall

didnt have a pen

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=OqN0jsSeqPo&a=YYV5l2pGq9w&playnext_from=ML

http://www.myrichardsart.com/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/41130-popup.html

http://www.l9designer.com/blog/?tag=tipo

http://www.funnystrange.com/copyright/

**http://www.c4fap.org/cfe/2010Consumption/index.asp
**http://www.texasphoto.org//TPS24MOS.html

http://www.theartlist.com/

http://www.asingularcreation.com/showdown.htm

http://www.kbutlergallery.com/home.html

Bag Lady

Erykah Badu

Bag Lady

Shirin Neshat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2DNMG2s_O0

I want to keep this forever

artist bio informal

nothing is easy that is worth doing
connected--multifaceted

doing art for me is about coming to an understanding of what i see around me -- it allows me the freedom to make connections to seemingly unrelated things
nothing exists in a vacuum and everything feeds into everything else
(energy and ideas and communication are constants)
if we continue to pull on the cord, we will reach the knot which will lead us to the source

at an early age, i realize the relevance of making art by watching its therapeutic effects for my mother and older brother--it gives me a chance to make some distance from myself and my experiences to try to see a bigger picture

i feel a responsibility to make the world better -- through my art -- i feel i can raise questions about

i believe in equal opportunity
religious and political views cannot be separated from the over all out look on life

what is it... religion/politics and former relationships are NO NOs when it comes to first date conversations-- they are one of the first things that i want to know about--and i am not just talking about romantic relationships but also in every relationship -- can i relate to this person?

off to BodyClass

Anthony Hamilton is Delicious

here is a taste :)
enjoy

Sista Big Bone

Free website - Wix.com

Great Link from GRIT tv

Inequality is linked to every problem on our planet
It's all connected! Very Sticky Sticky Web

I'm not wearin my headphones to block people out but i would rather wish everyone could listen to Ani DiFranco as they walked to the sub

interesting things are coming together --
conversations about body image/weight/happiness/food/opportunities/violence/isolation/death/life/art/promoting yourself/future/action

Winona LaDuke said I her keynote speak this weekend "window shopping for the future"
talked about wind energy and erections--public erections-- "your that lady!" "yes i am" "your that lady that gets shit done!" -- Fuck Yeah! She was AWESOME!!

Sara said as an overall impression of my artist statement -- it was lacking believability -- it amazing me how when someone is really looking -- people are transparent -- I don't mean that in a bad way -- vulnerability isn't bad it's human
she had some great criticisms and what i thought was funny was her reaction to her own comments -- she was so apologetic -- not sure if i had a horrified look on my face or if she was expecting me to --
Criticism from a source of genuine caring and support I can take -- even the harshest -- or the loudest which is the way my Ma delivers it -- no apologies necessary

i have a tendency to look whole-part and i do that with people -- it takes a bit to get a sense of people

and that is what i see happening with my work -- i am attempting to look at a bigger picture and breaking it down to smaller parts -- when i look at a particular issue, i see that there are endless parts to its whole --

an example that came up in my art history class yesterday was the cause of being overweight--when it comes down to actual individuals -- humans can not be simplified

metabolism
genetics
food intake/nutritional value of food/availability of healthy food
emotional attachments to food
social attachments to food
exercise
physical limitations
emotional support

-- those are just the things i can think of off the top of my head --
and my contacts have dried out -- "how do you people do it?!" "Do you poke yourself in the eye?"

Interesting Add-For Arkansas Senate Seat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oilbWlKu360&feature=player_embedded

Continuation of Ranting from Precis

I am going to quote myself here--
"Just because you play with dead bodies doesn't mean you are ok with death" -- In this cause I am reacting to Heartney's interpretation of Joel-Peter Witkin's work.
I make the argument that he is exploiting the disturbing nature of death to make a name for himself.
Granted -- what makes death so disturbing? Which is what Heartney was talking about in this particular chapter from "Postmodern Heretics"-- Legitimate Point --
He says that he prays over the bodies but in these still-lives does he respect the vessel that once held a human. Is he really questioning our ideals of beauty?
I don't think so -- they are surreal and dark and disturbing
I think this incident from his childhood with the tragic car accident where he recalls seeing the little girl's head roll towards him has a MAJOR thing to do with his fascination with the morbid.

Does a fascination and obsession on death lead to something healthy?

I sure hope so--

Where am I going with this? I am not sure rants really go anywhere, but in the end I try
Still not sure if I succeeded.

well, now that I have vented -- I can say -- it was just his way of dealing with death and his experiences but if you havent seen his work you should check it out -- I don't like to look at it--but that's just me

there is something about the body -- even if it isn't being inhabited anymore -- I still feel that it is necessary to treat it with respect-- to show respect to the person who once lived -- is that as silly as respecting a book ...