I feel I must preface this confession. I’m pretty liberal. I believe in universal healthcare, choice, and all that stuff. That said, Donald Rumsfeld is responsible for one of my most used personal mantras.
Remember when there was a war, (that kinda is still going on but we’ve decided not to pay too much attention to all that) and Rumsfeld said “We go to war with the army we have, not with the army we want” and it was in response to American soldiers not having proper equipment? Remember that? I say that to myself all the time. It really helps me square my jaw and figure shit out.
I use it for everything! In the kitchen when I need 2 eggs and have only one. Me and my one egg army is all I have and I make do. Said it probably a billion times to myself during my installation, which was rife with technical difficulties. The phrase has a very pioneer spirit.
I’m also fond of something else he said that kind of got panned in the press, which was that the Iraq war was going to be a “long hard slog”. So when faced with a really difficult task I just take a deep breath and say: “This is going to be a long hard slog, and we go in with the army we have, not with the army we want.” Mental breakdown averted! Liberal shame sort of induced.
So I salute you sir! Thank you for your weirdly inspiring words. Too bad you’re still pretty much a war criminal.
I have to admit to Michael Jackson contemplation. While I liked some of his music and certainly had my share of opinions of his eccentricities, I never really paid that much attention to him. And now he is dead and I’ve been watching MTV’s marathon of his videos and listening to I Wonder Who’s Loving You a lot.
My mother remarked that when my cousin and musician Jeff Hanson passed away recently that she felt a smidge guilty that it was only then that she really paid attention to the beauty of his lyrics.
And I realized that there is logic to the dead artist cliché. Now that the machine/work in progress has finally stopped we can finally take a deep breath listen to Thriller with fresh critical ears without having to think about his nose job. Now that the artist is dead, the work can finally truly finished and can transcend. I think to be genius the work has to transcend the artist, move beyond the cult of personality. Death helps us forgive and forget art’s flawed human origins. Its no surprise that while there has been some musing on Jackson’s foibles, there has been so much more focus on “Damn this dude invented the moon-walk and Billie Jean”.
Rich from fourfour (one of my favorite pop-culture blogs) put it more eloquently:
[Jackson’s songs are]…scotchguarded with perfection, utmost examples of art that demands to be separated from its artist.(emphasis mine) And one of the most heartening phenomena I’ve observed in the population’s relationship to art has been its ability to do just that. I’d never give the public that much credit if I hadn’t observed countless examples of the unmitigated joy that results en masse when anything from Thriller is played at a party, no matter the attendees, no matter the occasion and still to this day.
MJ your work in progress is over and your comeback is now.
I am firm believer in time wasting as a creative booster. Making art takes time to muddle. Often our best ideas seem to spring forth when doing nothing in particular such as showering, waiting for the train, noodling on the internets when you should be writing for that new grant already. Once inspiration hits then there is never enough time of course. One could argue that it was because you wasted all that time before but I believe this is just the nature of things and I try to embrace it. I find it easier to make focused decisions on tight deadlines and mild exhaustion anyways. It’s a delicate balance.
In an effort to see where my wasted time goes I have compiled this likely incomplete list of empty activities I do to waste time (ie free up my brain):
1. Read blog comments. Oh man this is totally a ridiculous thing to do. It’s a terrible, terrible habit that no one should ever pick up.
2. I love infomercials and have been known to watch QVC for extended periods of time. To be honest I find the language they use interesting in that it is strangely compelling yet containing no actual information.
3. Window-shopping. I love the mall. I find its sanitized environment and repetition to be strangely soothing. I very rarely buy as I find everything to be kind of hideous and poorly made but I like seeing it all laid out.
4. Read catalogues. Any catalogue. I have a window treatments catalogue on my desk right now. I am not remotely interested in window treatments but I will flip though it before recycling it.
5. Doing other crafty projects. Sometimes working on other silly creative things helps fuel the Art (with a capital A)
6. Celebrity gossip. I think my interest is reasonable. I also believe in participating in the culture. And if America is burning with interest in Brad/Angelina/Jen (although to be honest that whole debacle is really getting tedious already. Find some other non-existent love triangle already paparazzi!) I feel it is as important to know as Obama’s new justice pick.
7. Terrible television. Watching Mad Men is a great way to spend your time. Watching marathons of the Its Me or The Dog is not.
Three essays that I read at least once a year:
The SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto by Valerie Solanas: Oh come on its sort of so crazy its true. Or so crazy it’s kind of really funny.
Why Nerds are Unpopular by Paul Graham: Uh pretty much sums up my life, philosophy and general discontent with Education. I would re-type this essay and call it my own–that is how much I suspect Mr. Graham has plagiarized my secret thoughts. (Note that both Solanas and Graham would be in strange agreement re: the artificial boundaries of child/teen/adult hood)
How to be Creative by Hugh McLeod: I read this when I am know I am starting to make too many excuses. Particularly excuses to spend too much money on art supplies. Although I think I really could use a power drill.
I’ve just discovered that my favorite Internet time and $$$ sink, Etsy, has a nice series of work in progress videos of some of their sellers. I like how some of the videos have the same relaxing qualities of the How Its Made series on the discovery channel. I also like gawking at people’s workspaces and tools.
A couple of my favorites:
