Sophomore Outings

My first body of artwork was purely autobiographical. I used my personal and family history to find a way to work. I needed the content to be familiar (if challenging) to experiment with new forms of expression. When my work separated from my autobiography it was a huge relief, though I only saw it in retrospect. My work began to be mysterious to me and seem more relevant in the world, even as my concerns are bottom line the same, just pointed differently. Making art helped grow me up and out of myself.

Now this blog feels like a first body of work. When I reread my entries, it's me-me-me boring-boring-boring. My hope is that this writing will separate from me like my artwork did. It's much harder with words, but it seems to me that's the challenge I've set up here, and to be public in this process, to myself and whoever else wants to listen (or chime) in.

It could be that the separation will be to delete the blog. I've been a writer for so long and never found a way to personal expression that didn't feel stupid. I still haven't, but I'm letting it be.

My Web site went live today.