Sunday, May 31, 2009

Manifesto



I am for an art that is meticulous, beautiful, painful, obsessive-compulsive, masochistic, rewarding, and satisfying. I am for an art that is purposeful even if it is only selfish. I am for an art that is in motion - circular and rotating, spiritual and personal. I am for an art that cannot be understood, even by myself. I am for an art that explores my thoughts on my surroundings and myself - meditative. I am for self-medicating and cathartic art. I am for exploratory, playful, curious art. I am for escapist and thoughtful art. I am for resourceful art. I am for an art that doesn't use clear scotch tape because it gets brown and brittle as it ages. I am for art that doesn't know if its a student, a graduate, or a master... it just is. I am for an art that shouldn't quit its day job but is more than an occasional hobby. I am for an art that is in touch with its history, its ancestry, and its culture. I am for an art that doesn't know its just a dream. I am for imaginative art. I am for an art that is hard to catch. I am for an art that can never be quite as blue as the sky on a clear day, but it tries anyway. I am for an art that talks to itself. I am for an art that branches out like roots in the dirt and reaches out and sways like an old red oak in the yard. I am for an art that is only a few steps away from the laughter of the elementary school playground waiting for a turn on the swingset. I am for an art that knows more than you do. I am for an art that is fresh as an autumn tuesday at noon time. I am for an art that can't stop thinking, even if it wants to. I am for an art that scrambles for the deadline, even if the deadline doesn't matter or doesn't exist. I am for an art that is easily distracted. I am for an art that doesn't want to know its credit score. I am for an art that doesn't care for grammar. I am for an art that doesn't really have a stopping place. I am for an art as tasty and familiar as a bologna and cheese sandwich. I am for an art that's as foreign as the depths of the ocean. I am for an art that favours British spelling. I am for an art that doesn't need a degree to see that it has grown.


2 comments:

  1. Though our styles are very different, I so identified with your description of the art you are FOR. But then that is why our art is different. We are individuals....Thank you for putting my thoughts to words.
    Karen, a friend of Jackie's

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