Routine Reflections

As I mentioned in this post, I’ve been living in Indianapolis these past few weeks teaching art camp. I decided to come home on Thursday to spend the Fourth of July weekend with my family. Being home, even very briefly, made me realize how quickly humans settle into routines, or ways of living. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of my third week living in Indianapolis. Even though I’ve just been there for two full weeks, it seems as if I’ve been there much longer. I’ve talked to friends a few times since I’ve been away, and it seems like a lot has happened in these past two weeks. Being home this weekend made me realize this even more. Even though I haven’t been gone long, I feel kind of out of place being back home. 

Fourth of July with my bros.

Before I left for Indy, I’d been at home for almost two whole months. Obviously I fell into the routine and comfort of being home, seeing my home friends and family on a regular basis, and hitting up Peoria spots to keep myself occupied. Despite being at school for nine months, derping around my house and hometown felt normal again pretty quickly. Strangely enough, after being back at Butler for only a few days, and having a routine totally out of my school routine (living in a house I’d never lived in, and spending time with people I didn’t spend a lot of time with during the school year), I still fell back into the comfort of being at school. Being away for just two weeks readjusted me to a schedule and lifestyle that was completely different from what I’d been living so far this summer. Being home now for a few days, living my life out of the routine and context I’ve been living it for the past two weeks, feels strange.

Even though we like to think that routine doesn’t rule our lives, or that we are free beings who can do what we want, when we want, if it feels right, “routine” does rule us in some ways. I’m not saying that I’ve done the exact same thing every single day for the past two weeks, but I’ve been in the routine of a consistent living space and environment, so that's governed me in some ways. Although I enjoy being free and having room to explore, I find that my life feels more fulfilled, and my creative juices flow most freely, when the rest of my life has some sort of structure. Having some sort of consistency makes us feel more comfortable, which aids us in living our best lives. 

I find it interesting how I can feel thrown off my game by being taken out of the setting I’ve been living in recently for a short amount of time, and be put back in a setting where I’ve done most of my living up to this point. Our bodies and minds subconsciously adjust to our external world in ways that we cannot control. I think that’s kind of rad.

Garnering Good Vibes

Today was an incredibly inspiring day.

I’m currently living in Indianapolis for the next month teaching art camp at Butler, and today between teaching, my teaching pals and I wandered over to Clowes Hall to witness a 40 foot by 20 foot mural being painted by artist Phil O’Malley. This mural will be hung near the main entrance of Clowes, and it is incredible! Erin, Ali, and I wandered into the auditorium where Phil was painting the mural on stage. We explained we’re art students, and he kindly greeted us and proceeded to enthusiastically describe his inspiration for the piece, as well as the process for his painting. 

The artist at work.

The electricity and passion for which he holds in his craft was incredibly evident. His eyes lit up as he explained the field of the canvas he’s painted on so far. Each time he’d lead us to explore an area of the canvas, he’d discover a new way the colors he laid down played with one another, surprising himself. He credited the paint for the work so far, and personified the paint and canvas in a way that brought the whole piece to life. Phil talked a lot about the process in which he paints. He uses different layers of oil paint, spray paint, and turpentine, all of which he squirts onto the canvas in ketchup and mustard bottles, then lets drip. He allows the paint to kind of do what it wants, and he only controls the colors he puts down. He also plans on painting a good deal of the canvas with mops. He said he got this idea after he saw some people mopping up dust on the stage where he’s working. How cool is that?

Talking to Phil and having him show us his technique inspired me so much. The way his entire being lit up as he explained his piece, and observing him as he created, reminded me once again what I love so much about art (and artists in general). I love that art has so much soul in it. Anytime I speak to artists, they get so visibly excited talking about their work and inspiration, that it’s clear they truly love what they’re doing; that they’re creating not only because they love to create, but because they have to. They have to create in order to feel complete. That’s such a beautiful thing. I’m so thankful Phil shared his passion with me today, and helped remind me what I love about creating. 

A close up.

The piece should be up in August, but until then, Phil will be painting every day over the next few weeks, so feel free to stop by if you’re in the area.

Another inspiring note: Indiana legalized gay marriage today. This world is pretty cool.

Ai Weiwei: According to What?

Happy Tuesday all! In a previous post, I mentioned that I saw an exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art by an artist named Ai Weiwei. The exhibit was incredibly inspiring, and convinced me that Ai Weiwei is a total bad ass.

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist from Beijing. He was born there and moved to the United States for a period of time, but moved back in 1993. Weiwei's work focuses on human rights and social change, which caused him trouble with the Chinese government, starting in 2009. Three years prior, Weiwei began blogging, commenting on the politics of China. After he began a project to collect names of over 5,000 children who were killed in the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the government took notice.

His politically charged work and blog angered the government, prompting them to shut the blog down in 2009. Soon after, Weiwei was beaten by police, and later put on house arrest. In early 2011, his studio was destroyed by authorities, and he was secretly detained in April of that year. The government said he was detained for tax issues, but Weiwei denies that as the reason. He was kept for three months, and released, then released a documentary called Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry about his art and social activism, clearly showing that this run-in with the government would not change his art or ways of thinking.

Since his release, Weiwei has been carefully watched by the government, which is reflected in his work through a marble surveillance camera sculpture featured in the exhibit at the IMA, Ai Weiwei: According to What? His "fuck you" attitude is also reflected in his work through a series of photographs of him flicking off national monuments, as well as a series of photos where he smashes a Han Dynasty urn.

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn

He blatantly showcases his interactions with the government in the exhibit through a photo he took right after he was taken by the government,

Picture he took after he was arrested

as well as an enlarged photo of a scan of his swollen brain after being beaten.

He has gotten so much crap from the Chinese government for his work, he has been physically beaten, and has been detained for 81 days, yet he still produces work that speaks to what he believes in. Ai Wewei is a total bad ass. There is no other way to put it. He sticks to his guns and produces controversial work, no matter the consequence, because it provides commentary on issues he thinks are important. As an artist of any sort, that is the main thing one strives for. Seeing him achieve his goal, despite physical consequences, is inspiring beyond belief. I could honestly talk about the exhibit for many more paragraphs, but I don't want to make this post too long. Instead, check out this really great video John Green made about the exhibit.

If you live near Indianapolis, please, please go see the exhibit! It will be at the IMA until July 21st, and costs $12, but it is so worth the money.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading :)

A Trip to Indiana

Happy Saturday to all! Sorry I have not been posting too much on here. I have a lot of stuff I want to talk about, so I will most certainly get back to posting several times a week.

Earlier this week, I went to Westfield, Indiana to visit my (former) roommate, Ashni, as well as my good friends Katie and Brandon. It was so, so great to see the three of them because I missed them quite a bit. On the second day of my visit, Ashni, Katie, and I went out to lunch with my (former) RA, Kelly.

Katie, Ashni, and me

Ashni and I became great friends with Kelly this past year, and since Katie was always in our room, she did too. After we went out to lunch, we went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I went and saw the Ai Wei Wei exhibit, and it was glorious! I am going to blog about that next week, so keep an eye out for that!

After the museum, we took Kelly back to Butler where she is taking summer classes and being an RA for the other summer class takers on campus. Being back at school, even for a short amount of time, was really refreshing. I am quite enjoying being home, but I deeply missed my friends from school.

Kelly, me, and Ashni

Highlights from the trip: 1. When at lunch with Kelly, I had an allergic reaction of sorts to what I was eating. My throat and lips were really tingly and tickly. It was strange.
2. When driving home on Thursday night, I was caught in a treacherous rainstorm!! There was no rain for a very long time, then I drove under a little bridge underpass, and when I emerged, the downpour began! It was intense.

Have a righteous weekend, and thanks for reading :)