Sprockets Day

Everyone in my immediate group dressed up for Sprockets Day at the newly corporate-branded "The Agency." However, many people outside of the copywriters group wore there usual everyday garb. It was also supposed to be a high of 101 degrees today.

We had dinner at Kalachandji's and then caught up with a old friend in Boston (Hi, Chris!) on the phone. Chris and I went to BU together and Chris wrote for years for the Daily Free Press and is now a public school teacher. Needless to say, I respect Chris a lot. As we were about to get off the phone, he said something unexpected about my writing, particularly the blogging. Sometimes I forget that people actually read these posts, but it felt tremendously encouraging. I've been reading a lot of prose - David Sedaris, Eric Mader, and Katy Lederer in recent days and getting a stronger feel for prose and am getting some concrete ideas for prose work. But at the same time, since returning to Dallas, I'd been thinking about ending the blog in order to spend more time in pursuit of creative projects. I always knew that it would come to an end at some point, but maybe it doesn't have to.

The SAIC event was less of an alumni event and more of an admissions event for prospective students with two local alumni, Rebecca Carter and Elaine Polewicz, presenting on their work. Murray from admissions got up and did his thing on the merits of SAIC, including comments on its interdisciplinary nature and the community of artists. It's notable that when I enrolled in SAIC, I did not have a sense of what the school would be like at all. I decided to go to SAIC purely on the merits of a Naropa classmate who suggested the school. Writing program in an art school setting? Sounded good to me. It was a very young program then. So it was interesting to hear Murray speak on the mission and strengths of the school and to have that followed by two amazing examples of professional artists who have gone on to make unique conceptually-driven work. Rebecca did her MFA in the textiles department but was for a time making sewn drawings out of paper and thread. She designed a drawing machine which was controlled by air blowing into the window of her studio space. There were a series of interesting little videos. Elaine makes still life and landscape paintings with a fairy tale quality. Her early work was inspired by her experiences of growing up in Dallas. Each of these artists expressed their gratitude for an SAIC education and spoke of community and the feeling of being able to do anything - which to me, resonated of Naropa, and the sort of skills that students are imbued with during their education. The DIY, problem-solving, visionary attitude that believes that all things are possible. As I have been considering going back to school for a PhD, for the sole reason to have a real shot at teaching jobs, I reconsider, as what makes me really happy more than anything is making time to write and create art. Artists practice art. To be a scholar is something else. So write goddamit!