Art will Set You Free

     So if you guys have been wondering where I have been as of late, it's a super long story. It's been a rough couple of days since I last posted up on here but I'll tell you a little about what has been keeping me going through finals week, work and the rest of my life. The answer is very simple. It's Art. Due to recent happenings, my emotions have been twisted and beaten down by myself and the only way I can fully express the way I feel is through art. I recently designed a tattoo for later down the road which is going on my 23 before 22 list. Here is a sneak peak.

     It's just a rough sketch but you catch my drift. I wanted to go with an anchor to help me remember to stay grounded and to never forget my love of all things nautical. I know it may conflict with the United States Navy but tattoos, I believe are a personal thing. It's your body, get whatever you want done to it. The life preserver behind the anchor is to keep me afloat when the seas of my life are rough and the rope means that life goes on, no matter what happens there is always tomorrow, so I wrapped it around my anchor. I still am not too sure if I am just going to get black ink or if it is going to have a splash of color. If anything the red rings around the life preserver will be red and that's it. It felt really good drawing this up.

     When i took this picture, I almost was going for just a set up shot but realized how much of my life is actually encompassed in this photo. I love photography because sometimes when you're not thinking, you make wonderful pieces of art that tell stories a mile long. The first element would have to be the lens cap. Lens caps are so much like my life. I always lose them, but they seem to magically appear back in my pocket. This concept give me a lot of hope for my future because no matter what I lose, something will definitely appear that will help keep both my lenses and my life safe. The table cloth is fall themed, my favorite season, and it is currently the ass end of spring which is almost the feeling I have right now. My life has been going by so fast ever since I started college. I even forgot my 19th birthday in college. I really need to remember to slow down because before I know it, I'll be 80 and on my death bed, regretting the time I missed. The book in the photo is kind of an idea book that I'll draw out ideas with, write stories in and even just bleed on. I feel like this book is my mind on paper. If anyone wants a copy, I'll gladly share.

     Well, sorry for that awfully emotional paragraph but what can I do, I need some place to store these things that people call feelings and I'm glad that I feel comfortable with you guys to tell you how I feel. I am some big ideas for this year and I am not letting it go to waste. I'll show you this beautiful short film about one of my personal favorite artists, Swoon, that really inspired me this morning. Her "tent" at MOCA was amazing and this shows you a little peek into how they put it together. 

Swoon + Cat Solen from Levi's Film Workshop on Vimeo.

     Lastly, I leave you with a short section from Tuesdays with Morrie that has become a personal story about how I feel about life. 

“I heard a nice little story the other day,” Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.
“Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air–until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
“My God, this is terrible,” the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’
“Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’
“The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’
“The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’”
I smile. Morrie closes his eyes again.
“Part of the ocean,” he says, “part of the ocean.” I watch him breathe, in and out, in and out.