TalkTalkConvo Explained
Here’s a little more about TalkTalkConvo my current project in progress.
The Name Is the Frame
A name is a sort of frame for a picture. For me Thorn, my artist moniker, (which actually is part of my name) is the perfect frame for the picture that is my artwork and advocacy work. Because I received resistance with the various types of artwork and advocacy work that I do (for the incarcerate,formerly incarcerated, and equitable public art access) I began to embrace the resistance. Interestingly enough, I was listening to the book The New Jim Crow and heard a couple thoughts on ‘Gansta Rap Culture’ in what I feel is the proper perspective: “there is nothing abnormal or surprising about a stigmatized culture embracing their stigma”. It is all in an effort to find the positive in the negative. That describes me accurately for sure: definitely always trying to find the positive in all situations.
A name is a sort of frame for a picture. For me Thorn, my artist moniker, (which actually is part of my name) is the perfect frame for the picture that is my artwork and advocacy work. Here’s at least part of the story.
Virus No. 1: The Conversation We Need To Have
More Than Six Feet Apart.
This is the first art related essay I’ve written since the complete reopening of Florida. Kinda sorta post pandemic, but not really post anything because at this moment I know someone who is in a hospital ICU struggling with Covid. Not so post pandemic after all. I’ve not felt as troubled about Covid-19 and the variants (though this is horrifically troubling) as I have been about who we’ve become as disgruntled, reluctant, and resistant hermits. During the height of the pandemic, between baking bread, sidewalk chalk drawings, and at home workouts we’ve had too much time to find new things to separate us. We’ve been creative in creating new hurdles for each of us to jump over to prove we are (and I cringe inwardly and outwardly as I write this) ‘woke’. I really hate that word now. Unfortunately for all our newfound ‘understanding’ and additional ‘respect’ of each other, we all seem to talk and truly connect less. I guess it’s because we all know each other so well? Probably not though.
The fear that I have now is of a world where learning how to use chopsticks, lighting incense, doing yoga, and learning how to wrap your head might be characterized at misappropriation where at one point it was seen as making an attempt to understand and experience another culture. I digress though. We need a drum circle and an exorcism to get through a full conversation on race and culture.
The Hardest Art Description I’ve Ever Had to Write…
This is by far one of the hardest work reflection/summaries I’ve ever had to write.
To say that racism is difficult to discuss is an understatement. I personally believe it is even more difficult to discuss among various minorities that may encounter racism. Unfortunately one aspect of racism that isn’t often discussed is the racism that some minorities inflict upon other minorities. I can only speak about my personal experiences but I can also say that most of these issues are universal.
When we address racism and other discrimination we often do it in pieces. We have to remember that those of European heritage/white people aren’t the only individuals that commit acts of harmful racism; even though those acts of racism have had long lasting effects and are pervasive, they aren’t unique in their nature.
We all believe harmful, racist, discriminatory untruths about each other. We have all ingested and digested this racism. But do we perpetuate the stereotypes, the hurt, and strain? Or do we, community to community, work together to find solutions and common ground?
A Different Kind of Tower of Babel.
My concern about how we interact as humans at the moment leaves us in either an echo chamber or an individual silo. Addressing these individual untruths as unique, independent, and seemingly separate issues (Asian and Jewish hate crimes, African Americans experiences with police brutality and the justice system, church and mosque shootings for example) will end up leaving us where we all started: segregated. We must address racism as the cancer it is: You don’t remove it one piece at a time, you cut it all out. If we don’t focus on what unifies all of these challenging issues none of us will truly be communicating. Finding solutions that could positively affect us all will become an impossibility.
The pandemic year has among its highlights some of the most horrible acts of racism.These acts among other things are what inspired Virus No. 1: The Conversation We Need To Have. This piece - a 3-dimensional wooden unicorn puzzle- addresses particularly painful racist encounters that I hadn’t discussed with many people concerning my time in San Francisco. Recently, I ended up in a conversation with two other women, also of minority backgrounds: Filipino-American (Lissette), Mexican-American (Eve) where I discussed these experiences. Until my conversation with these two women I didn’t realize how traumatic this time in my life had been.
Trauma From An Unexpected Place.
A number of years ago, pre-pandemic in San Francisco I spent most of my time looking for affordable housing (otherwise known as homeless) I went to many properties shown to me by people of many different backgrounds. I noticed that each time I was shown a property by someone of Chinese descent there was an attempt to convince me I either didn’t want the space or I was told that it had already been rented right after I was shown the apartment. Another experience involved my mother and I walking through Chinatown. My Mom was hot and a little dehydrated. We stopped in a restaurant to get her some water. We were ignored. We went into another place and no one would serve us. After we found my Mom water and shelter from the heat, I was troubled by a huge ‘what if’. What if my Mom had passed out? Who would’ve helped us in Chinatown, if anyone? Eve talked about how as a very light complexioned Mexican American she was often mistaken for white. Two things often happened to her, she said: white people spoke with her in a disparaging way about other minorities and she was often told by other Mexicans she wasn’t ‘Mexican (or dark) enough’. Lissette spoke to us about her strained relationship with her parents because of derogatory views they’d expressed about other people of color.
As humans we have such a long way to go in an effort to evolve to become better humans. The key is to at least begin the journey down that long road by talking to one another and having tough conversations. Racism to me is the first and most pervasive human virus and no one really seems to be working on a vaccine.
Could You Be Standing In Your Own Way Creatively?
What's Stopping your work from moving to the next level? Could it be you?
Join the Owl Army!
Want to be a part of the energy and excitement that fuels One Spark?? Well read on!
CALLING ALL ONE SPARK ENTHUSIASTS!
As you know Art Guardian is at OneSpark this year. Cindy Platt has graciously given me a spot at her space Down the Rabbit Hole. Yaay!
So guess what? I have a great way for you to be more than a spectator!
You too can be a part of the energy and creativity that fuels One Spark! I'll need a few volunteers to act as sort of brand representatives and others to participate in a unique performance piece I have planned for the festival. It will be fun! You will be paid with my love and devotion forevah!
This way you be a part of the excitement of the festival and be awesome all at the same time.
Let me know you are interested in helping out by joining the event on Facebook or you can email me: tracie@theurbanatelier.com or theurbanatelier@yahoo.com and we'll go from there.
Storyteller Story #3: Wind & Leaves
“I like long walks on the beach, horseback riding, and deep conversation…” No. Scratch that. “Stimulating conversation.” Crap. I hate writing these stupid things. You can’t sound too smart you’ll scare someone off. You can sound like an idiot and you might get a date. Then they are disappointed when they find out you are smart. If you are physically attractive and smart, well…then their head might just explode. Ok. Let’s try this: “Multi-faceted individual. Looking for someone to grow with…” That sounds like a resume. Ok. “Must love nature. Must love hiking or at least walking. I love seeing the emerald green of my surroundings and feeling a cool breeze on my skin after working up a good sweat…” Hmmm. No. Too cheesy. Well…wait. I don’t want to sound all ‘hippy dippy’ but that’s kind of who I am. Right? I’ll leave it. Oh, who am I kidding? “I love horseback riding and long walks on the beach. Looking for someone to be my ‘plus one’…”
Storyteller Story #2: I Never Want Summer to End
“You are like my soul, a butterfly of a dream…It sounds as though you were lamenting, a butterfly cooing like a dove. Her eyes were the color of faraway love. Sus labius se cortaron en la luz del coral…”
We read Pablo together everyday. On the beach, in the sun, in the shade. He read it to me in Spanish (Spanish is so romantic!). I would get something like little butterflies fluttering or giant fish flip flopping in my stomach whenever he talked. Off in the distance I could see Mrs. Talbot with her 3 crazy kids. They only really listened to me. Mrs. Talbot said I was the best babysitter they’d ever had. No more babysitting for me! And now there is only Pablo and Emmet. I asked My mom if she’d ever heard of Pablo Neruda. She said no. I told her how romantic it was. She didn’t think I saw, but I saw her roll her eyes. It’s not my fault she’s all dried up inside. Emmet says it’s not our parent’s fault they can’t remember love. That we have to help them to remember what it is like to be young. I decided I agree with Emmet: getting old is kind of like a disease and we have to help the people that are sick. I told my mom one of my favorite lines from Pablo: “Love is so short, forgetting is so long.” She just looked at me. I don’t think she gets it.
Storyteller - An Art Show
Storyteller is the newest collection from Urban Temple Jewelry (The Urban Atelier). This collection explores the stories we tell others and the stories we tell ourselves through how we adorn ourselves. Storyteller poses the question: What do you want to say to the rest of the world?
One of the most well known images of the storyteller hails from West Africa. There, griots are honored for their talent in maintaining the cultural traditions of poetry, music and storytelling. But storytellers have been around since the beginning sharing the stories of how we began. From the time we spent our nights telling stories around the fire and drawing the lives of ancestors on cave walls, storytelling has been integral to our human existence. The most important part of our stories is that they are all connected.
How we clothe and adorn ourselves is one of the most fundamental ways that we tell our stories. Do you have one tattoo, none, or ten? Do you wear a suit to work everyday or shorts? Do you have a diamond necklace around your neck or cowrie shells? Though these choices might seem benign, they tell others a little bit about your background, income, interests, and passions. We adorn ourselves to impress, frighten, and seduce on a daily basis.
The newest collection from Urban Temple Jewelry (The Urban Atelier) is Storyteller. This collection explores the stories we tell others and the stories we tell ourselves. Fancy yourself a beach goddess? Are you a king or a ladies’ man? A teacher? A leader? Storyteller poses the question: What do you want to say to the rest of the world?
The collection will make its debut at Violet Ray Vintage in Neptune Beach, August 21st 2014 during the North Beaches ArtWalk.
To celebrate the collection every week leading up to the show I’ll be sharing great human stories real and imagined from history, tv, books, and everywhere.
If you have a great story or know a great story feel free to share!
Bike Chain. ReIncarnated.
How should I celebrate Sunset and Lotus, the newest bike chain jewelry collection from Urban Temple? By talking about bicycles of course!
At the beginning of next month I am going to be sharing my newest collection of bike chain jewelry, Sunset and Lotus. I freely admit that recycling bike parts or even more specifically bike chain into the stuff fashion forward dreams are made of wasn't my idea.
When I lived in Philadelphia I worked with some folks who knew some folks that worked at this great and amazing place called The Bike Church. Run by this super organization called Neighborhood Bike Works. I participated in a fundraiser where I made art from busted bike parts.
Here's one of my pieces I did for the show:
I also helped this ( I believe now defunct) organization Spokespeople assemble their bike chain jewelry. Soooo much fun and I was hooked.
It was a while after being introduced to the idea of recycling bike parts that I decided to do my own thing. I had a different vision for the jewelry though. I wanted to combine the feminine and masculine characteristics of the chain. I didn't want it to just be seen as a 'guy thing' or a 'girl thing'. I Feel like the new collection Sunset and Lotus does this pretty well. Hopefully, I have something for the guys and the chicks.
To celebrate the new collection I'll be posting fun facts about bicycles and bike related topics. Silly facts, serious facts, facts concerning me and my fear of running over people on a bike...
Also, newsletter subscribers will get 10% off items in the new collection, so be sure to sign up before November 16th to get your coupon. This is a great opportunity to get started on your holiday shopping! You will also get a sneak peek at a few of the pieces. Those who attend ArtWalk November 6th (the first Wednesday of the month) will get a full preview of the new line.
If you have any interesting facts about bicycles, bike chain, and the like feel free to post them here in the comments section. I'd love to hear them :)