I have thought a lot about our collaborative work in the last few days. Questions emerged from this thought regarding what this new format means to us as artists. How can we go deeper into our own understanding of the work? I have resolved, it will come from our continuous reflection of the work and the moments of introspection in between our exchange.

Being somewhat lax in the writing department has given me an opportunity to ask myself why I have been. As you know, I am not usually at a loss for words. I have no problem spending hours on the phone with you talking about our work, so why the hesitation? My first inclination was to simply blame it on the lack of time, or the fact I struggle with writing. Only when I went deeper was I able to identify my fear of the unknown audience. I became gravely aware of my ego, which does a good job of comparing myself to others. What I should have been doing is appreciating the wonderful things that propel our work and make it stimulating and unique. I believe the candid, authentic thought we share, combined with observation, practice, inquiry and our dedication to the process of creating are at the root of our work. Now that I am conscious of this, I can do my best to push my inner critics aside.

I have learned without the time to reflect (and this goes for all areas of my life) my thoughts scatter in the wind like the dandelion seeds on my lawn, forever dispersed. Writing forces me to clarify my thoughts and really say what I mean. It is not that I don’t do this normally, it is just that making my thoughts public holds me accountable in a different way than the easy going conversation we share. Who am I writing for anyway? The conclusion I have come to is, I am writing for the same reason we work on our collaboration and why we feel the need to create. It is to go deeper, to stretch and reach places within ourselves we may not have known otherwise. Writing for this blog is also a place to share our wonderful friendship and document our evolution as artists, writers and thinkers. There will always be people who won’t appreciate our perspective, our art or both and we need to remember those opinions are not why we create. I am going to take responsibility for my own happiness, just like you mentioned in your last entry. Sending you cheery thoughts for a spectacular long weekend! …L

I am sitting down after a good day in the studio with some tea and cookies.  Yum…  In reading about the gallery show you saw, I flipped back to the beginning of Daniel Pink’s book.  He says:

“Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, Meaning.  These six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world….The high-concept, high-touch abilities that now matter most are fundamentally human attributes.  After all, back on the savannah, our cave-person ancestors weren’t taking SATs or plugging numbers into spreadsheets. They were telling stories, demonstrating empathy, and designing innovations.  These abilities have always comprised part of what it means to be human.  But after a few generations in the information Age, thse muscles have atrophied.” (Pink 67)

Whenever I feel lost in all the information and situation that surrounds me I try to zoom out, just like Pink does here, and put everything into a wide-lens perspective of time.  I think the elderly are invisible in our society, just as that artist addressed,  and I dread heading there in the future.  I think women and children can to often be invisible too.  This goes back to my post about listening.  Now, in this Conceptual Age we are entering, listening to a variety of voices is the most important thing we can do to get moving into the future.  In my research for my current series of work (thanks for all the positive feedback on that in your earlier post) I came across an interview with Deborah Meier by Mike Seymour (in the book Educating For Humanity).  They said that children to “liberate the gifts of mind and the hearts of kids…requires families and teachers to listen carefully so that children know they have been heard…They know they and their ideas are being treated with respect”. (Seymour 77)

This blog is continuing our story and how we are making “meaning” in the world through our own way of creating with stories and materials that we whip up into art.   I like that we are able to put our voices out in the world without filters or rules.  I wonder how the internet is going to change who is being heard, who listens, and who speaks. In ten years I wonder how our world will change with so many voices “out there”.

I really enjoyed reading how you connected your lemons with your life experiences.  Let’s share some pictures about what we are doing in our studios.  I will post mine tomorrow because i forgot my camera. In the meantime here is a picture of what winter looks like here.  I am off to drink my tea and eat my cookies….    Tina

Dear Tina~

Daniel Pink has moved me as well. I feel a new sense of optimism and excitement about the future thinking about what he calls, “The Conceptual Age”. The quote you cited, reminded me of Brain Andreas’s Story People and the quote you have by him in your home. (Can you remind me of it?) I just visited the Story People website to try to find it, and was enlivened by the “about us” section. It stated, “We believe (fiercely) in the power of stories, not because they’re our stories, but because it is valuable & right to protect the precious connections between people.” The work that they create through this company has always resonated me for it’s whimsy, lightheartedness, color and ability to make connections to the everyday.

You spoke about my work in terms of storytelling. It is funny because I had never really thought of my work as being about stories. Your comment put a new spin on the way I think about it. It made me ponder the stories held in each moment. As you know I have always been interested in how people relate to one another, and what can be learned from “the conversation,” yet I wondered how this was actually translating into my recent work. I have realized there is always a story, even if it isn’t obvious at first. For example, I recently painted some lemons and wondered about the content being too “fluffy,” and whether it was “real art.” I had been thinking about the “meaning” behind the lemons and grappling with my “intentions.” My initial attraction was their bright color against the cold backdrop of the New England winter, along with the fact I had been squeezing them for days to make a homeopathic tea for my dear, sick husband. While painting, I thought about being on the cruise over Christmas and how the staff on the ship would always bring my father-in-law, wedges of limes, instead of lemons for his scotch. This made me laugh, so I made a card for him with the lemon on it, reading, “not a lime” on the inside. This small series also reminded me of my friend Sue. She had recently gone to Italy and brought me back a lovely lemon wine cork from her trip. I realized I had some wrapping paper with a map of Italy left over from a gift Brett had given me so I collaged one of the lemon paintings with this paper along with some other items. Your comment made me realize the connections I was making trough story, however fragmented it may seem. I didn’t see how these things connected until I stepped back from it. All of these things came back to my ongoing inquiry of moments and the time we share together. Our time is fragmented and scattered, much like this new work could be perceived. Creating it helped me reflect and make connections. I realized how it is up to each of us to pause and reflect in order to create meaning from this world. We make connections through our stories and without sharing them, they are lost. This personal search for meaning that Daniel Pink refers to has helped validate my work. I feel less alone somehow, which is why I think having you to share this conversation with me has meant so much. Our dialog has enlivened my life and brought a richness and depth that I treasure.

One of the reasons I love your work, and believe it is so strong is due to the content of the visual story you are telling. Your series of boxes allows the viewer to think about their own connection to the words on the outside of each box. All of the imagery on the inside allows one to bond in a very intentional way, while addressing some of the larger issues of our culture. You do this without bombarding us with facts and figures and in turn, give us a point of entry that is accessible and not oversaturated. This is one of the many things that resonates with me when I view your work. I cannot help but think about your inquiry and view on the “no child left behind act,” which your work addresses, yet is subtle and poignant. Daniel Pink stated, “When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact.” (p.103) Your work does this so well! Do you think your work has always been about storytelling?

Creative exercise: mini-saga~yes! About Goddard~could be enlightening! Let’s talk some more soon.