And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then…

Yes, it’s true. I’m kind of f’d off my Ambien. Maybe that’s why everything floating in my head is making sense.. it probably won’t tomorrow. Also, the laptop is starting to move closer too me.. at least, the screen is. If you have never taken a prescription sleeping pill and stayed up way too long, well.. do it.. you are in for a treat. This is why we call it candy.. cause candy is dandy.. well, I’ve been told.

Anyway.. there was a point to this blog. Which brings me to the the first question. What is the point of this blog? It’s been sitting around as a placeholder for quite some time.. it’s about time it got some content. I’m not sure if anyone reads it. I know Barry has on occasion, Brandon and Brit too. Other than that.. not so sure. I think Ellen mentioned something about it as well. Well, I’m now going to make an effort to keep up with this here blog.. which it will probably be a home for me showing current work, a place for me to bitch, a forum to talk about how awesome Trinket is (who happens to be asleep on my foot). I hope you won’t be too bored with this.. and I hope you do return and continue reading, and please be constructive with your feedback. “I’m a big boy..” “I can take it..” “even though my work means nothing…”

+1) Yes. Maybe my work means nothing. It’s just regurgitated crap off the television.. or so I’ve been told. Or maybe I told you..

[ begin statement of purpose letter ]

I cannot escape the circumstances of my development and how I became aware of the world as it relates to me. For my parents it was war and civil rights struggles and this was also largely the case for my grandparents. For myself and others who grew up in the US during the 80s and 90s, it is the pervasiveness of media and programming. Since I was very young the effects of television and visual media on my consciousness was all but inescapable. I was in perhaps one of the first generation where the television was nearly mandatory for a normal American life while the programming coming through was getting further and further away from Ward and June Cleaver. As I got older, I began to realize the true power of this media for both good and ill. It dramatically increased the accessibility of information while the nature of that information was often unknown or unrealized. These ideas go beyond the simple ideas of television as good or evil to the ideas of cultural morality, world economics, and population control. These ideas and the ideas of creating, manipulating, and displaying media is central to what I do and to who I am.

I believe that education is not merely the recitation of facts and stated opinions; instead it is a way to explore the self. I feel that this is true for not only art education but any field of study. My decision to go to graduate school and to produce work in general is spurred by my desire to understand the world I live and was raised in. I started college unsure what to expect or what the possibilities were for study. I didn’t really understand that my life of media exposure could be a real topic of exploration. I was taught that art was paintings and drawings done by dead or famous people. Movies were just long television shows with cursing; they had beginnings, middles and ends. The dumb things I did with the family video recorder were just kid games. Soon I was lucky enough to find professors who could turn me around and I began to discover an artistic media that I could relate to and thrive in. I moved casually towards artistic endeavors that encompassed video as the medium. I entered video work in various local galleries and juried events and to my surprise found the work well received.

Over the last year I have been focusing my work on live video performance, merging the connection between art and entertainment. This is an aspect of my work that I will continue during my graduate career along with taking new directions in my art. I believe that attending graduate school at (insert school here) would allow me to be surrounded with the ever-changing art scene and be exposed to many different forms of contemporary art.

Thank you for your consideration.

[ end statement of purpose letter ]

Maybe no one reads those things.. maybe no one here knows dick about my work.. that’s fine. I’ll continue to make my work.. you can continue to tell me that it isn’t saying anything.. and we will be friends. the end.

-1) I’m really looking forward to the [fladry + jones] A/V Jam. It will prove to be an adventure.. I think Kell, Alex, A-Ron, and Brit are gonna be there chiming in. I’ll hit up the Nashville crew and see if any of them want to come down.. Blondie, BG, Ochoa, RPD.. the crew. I really want to start these electronic orchestras and just jam for hours. people need to bring everything from guitars and keys, to turntables and computers. We will see how this goes.. I’m gonna try to video tape it.. just to see.. but it should prove to be interesting. I think we need to set up tables in an octagon.. and the giant screen behind us. But whatever.. I’m not in charge.. I’m just going to be a willing participant. Hopefully Barry has it all taken care of, and Brit is working on the poster. I fly in on Tuesday and we jam on Wednesday.. I’ll post more info when I have it.

+/-) So. Here’s what has been jumping around in this head of mine for quite some time. What do I do after I get my MFA? The logical answer is try to find a job teaching. Ok. New Media jobs should be popping around then.. I’m tech savvy, that helps… but.. what if I don’t want to be back to the grind?

I have a few other outlets that I’ll be looking into over the next few years. Probably things that will never happen. But.. you never know..

- Disney Imagineer : Talk about a dream job. This is what I would love to do.. for the rest of my life. Look into it or ask me if you have no clue what it is. It would actually allow me to go the next step with my art, and the interactive experience. Just thinking about the possibility of working for Disney gives me goose bumps. I just want to make people happy.]

- Art Director : I’d like to think I’d be a great art director for a magazine. I’d love to work for mags like Antenna, Bomb, Spead.. you get the vibe. This would be a good gig.. if I could get it.

- Supportive Husband. I think my wife is going to design some killer fashions or costumes and bring in the dough.. I might just sit back and watch.

Alright.. I’m sorry if I’ve bored you too much.. I think I should go to bed..

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long, time…