#matteo:stela

[luckndreams]

"What would be the worst prophecy anyone could ever curse you with?" Stela eyed Matteo curiously, eyebrows raised. He couldn't resist his curiosity despite knowing the man's firm belief in only what the eyes could see. "Dare you to tell me, no backing out."

Title: Truth or DareTrack: Open“Rascal.” Matteo chuckled, drawing his hands back towards his chest and settling them in his lap. The world of the supernatural and spirituality was one the artist wasn’t entirely sure where he stood. Organized religion had left him burnt out, and the path of the spiritualist was one with too many options. It was best to just go with what you knew and could feel in his eyes. Still. There was a part of him that was wary of certain things. Warnings from childhood still lingered. “Hands down would be cursed with knowing the date and time down to the very second of when my loved ones would die.” He answered truthfully. Death had always been inevitable in Matteo’s eyes. The natural order of things, but that still didn’t mean he had to agree with it. At least, not when it came to his loved ones.  “ I don’t want to know that. I want to still have hope that by some stroke of luck that they’ll live forever.” He nodded, “What about you? Truth and dare.”  @greetingsfr0m

[luckndreams]

📘 + 136, for Matteo and Stela.

Title: Book StartersStatus: Open

📘 + a page number I’ll use the tone of that passage as the tone for the starter” (SVTHSA pg 136)“Show me what you’ve been working on,” Matteo asked. With an easy smile, he tapped his index finger on Stela’s sketchbook, curious as to what lay beneath the cover. New artists were always people Matteo wanted to surround himself with. They had yet to become jaded by their own fame and were still hungry for something they couldn’t quite put their finger on. In short, they were inspiring. “I want to see if you’ve gotten over your fear just yet.” I want to see if you’ve allowed muse to speak. @greetingsfr0m

[luckndreams]

TEOS fanmail sent from greetingsfr0m@gmail at 6:30: I got the handle off of Greetings From Asbury Park, it's a fave. Don't think anyone can laugh at you for it. It makes sense tho, what you're saying. For me it's letting that last bit of self doubt go and trusting myself to make something great even if it's not cohesive. Did it take you long to unlearn that?

To: greetingsfr0m@gmail at 8:00 pm  -  @greetingsfr0mFrom: TOES Fanmail

I was hoping you would say this. haha! You’ve got an excellent taste in music. I was also hoping you would say that too. Seems I’m the rambling type lately, but I’m glad my words reached you. Very long. The ego loves to get in the way. We want praise for our hard work. We want it to mean something most of all. Even if it only means something to us. Which I believe is most important in the end. Hopefully, it will not take you as long as it did for me. Cohesiveness doesn’t matter. It’s what drafts are for! You keep working at it until it feels right. Doesn’t matter if it takes a few hours to a month. Or longer. You will get there. 

[luckndreams]

TEOS fanmail sent from greetingsfr0m@gmail at 9:46: First thing. I /really/ like your art. Second thing. Where does your mind go when you paint? How did you learn to disconnect and let your pencil flow?

To: greetingsfr0m@gmail at 10:15From: TOES Fanmail 

First off: Sick email address. As my assistant would say I’m /low-key/ upset I didn’t think of it first. Cheesy? More than likely.  By the sound of her laughter, I’m definitely too old to be trying to keep up with the young these days. 

Second: Thanks for the love, I mean it! These little reminders from the universe that people actually do like what I put out there are always nice to come across. Humbling, even. That's a question I’ve been asked a number of times over the years and as disappointing as this might sound, I’m still not sure how to answer that? But for your sake, I’ll try. 

Would it sound strange if I say nowhere and everywhere? Because that’s kind of what it feels like. Like I’m standing in the middle of nothing and everything at the same time. I guess to give it a real-world example I’d say this: Have you ever found yourself walking deep into the forest and just stopped to breathe? Or standing in front of the ocean, watching the waves? It’s kind of like that but in my head. An infinite place of possibility. Disaster or success? Try your luck and see for yourself. Every time I wake up I find a new surprise on the page or canvas.  

It took a lot of trial and error to learn to let go and let muse speak. If you ask my life-partner, she’d say I’m the most control-freakish of all hippies, but that’s her opinion. (And the truth) It can be a scary thing to create. In art, we strip ourselves bare, opening ourselves up to both misinterpretation and truth. They don’t tell you this, the masters and teachers, but creation is a test and an escape. The only person you’re competing against is yourself. The only person you need to find comfort in is yourself too. Just do it! 

And this email just got incredibly long-winded and probably chock-full of bs. Haha! I hope not. I truly hope this finds you well and my rambles make sense. I did try. For you, and for your email address that I still want to steal. 

Be well,M.A