to have and to hold and to not have.
to have (been)
Where are you going next? is one of the most prevalent questions I get, second only to What do you do? My time in Kansas City and abroad has been a large sequence of diverse living arrangements spanning apartment life by my lonesome to having a room in a well rooted family’s home and many strange roommate scenarios in between.
I often feel isolated as a single 36 year old guy. (I disappear into my work. into the woods. into other cultures. into myself) Sometimes its just the logistics of not driving that is my own chosen boundary. (though needing a ride has lead to some of the most meaningful relationships of my life) Sometimes its my intention to live in community. (though proximity is not a guarantee of increased intimacy) Its a joy to be able to experience the different ways that people live behind closed doors. Sharing food and roof forges familial ties without the bonds of blood or covenant.
The past 6 months I’ve lived with an incredible family that loves adventure, values community and seeks to live creativity. I met Randy Taylor and the clan (Brianna and their 3 wonderful kids) a couple of years ago when Randy was designing and building the current Oddly Correct coffee shop. Shortly after that I was sharing studio space with him in the Drugstore and we were juggling ideas and eventually working together.
Some my disappearances this past year have been due to the insane and wonderful things that we have been building.
This time last year we built out and finished the bars, cabinetry, shelves, lighting and even an oversized rolling pin for Dolce Baking Company.
-designed and fabricated a walnut staircase with custom steel spindles and a reclaimed oak dining room table
-built an upholstered storage bench (kids came with the house)
-created new walnut kitchen cabinets and concrete tops
-designed and built a porch swing
-not only remodeled the Mills Record Company expansion, we built and installed a 20ft wooden phoenix/blackbird to the ceiling.
-and this past week I created a 6ft golden dragon head for the Hobbit, Gremlins cocoons gift wrapped for Christmas and 100 paper snowflake blizzard with Buddy the Elf for Alamo Drafthouse’s windows.
Connect to Randy and myself through our shop website if you want to see more or are interested in creating something with us.
to hold (now)
The small things all add up. The muse is elusive. Life as an art form is a wrestling match between love and death.
It takes time to contemplate what is inspirational, what is meaningful, what is beautiful. Cultural memes and the wake of life done in front of a screen (not being under the stars sharing stories and food) stirs my drought and absence to action. Sometimes all it takes is a messy studio, a broken heart, or a stressed out schedule but right now I am not going to try to figure anything out or straighten anything up so that I can just honestly roll with what is awe inspiring.
Like a universal sprawl teeming with life that spans wonderfully near the incomprehensible. Like a planet filled with creatures, ecosystems, and cultures that are so different from my own experiences. Like myself filled with a spectrum of memories, chemistries, and relationships. Like the elemental interactions, accumulations, and emerging complexities that have conspired to the present movements of consciousness and consequence.
Its been a long time coming that I made sculptures. As the season grows colder, my time in the studio grows longer. I am also hunkering to share a lot of stew and libations over board games and heart to heart conversations. Winter is actually a warm season. Its the best time to feed the creative and familial fires.
(imagination) to not have.
Without home, without resources, without food, without family, without sanity, without transportation,without safety, without time, without options, without freedom, without beauty, without inspiration, without language, without security, without help, without health, without sanitation, without trust, without honesty, without reason, without education, without satisfaction, without hope, without love.
We all are both needed and in need. Counter to popular belief, when we share in fulfilling our real needs(not the manufactured desires of advertisers and pop culture), we become happier and healthier through interdependence. We take less for granted. We become intimately connected with the people we support and relationships that help to sustain us.
The winter cold compresses. condenses. A gift economy transforms friction into fellowship. Competition into collaboration. Life shared is a lighter load, a warmer season, a fulfilled true desire of the heart. Who will we let in? What will we let go of to fulfill another’s needs? What gift could be given to you that would increase your wellbeing?