january 4, 2012

“Whatever it is you want…Live it [life] as if it has already happened…and then it does.” ~Deb Chenault

Today brought several bits of inspiration, like the brilliant opening quote from my pal, Deb. Then, there was the inkdye for photo printing that can be used on textiles from Lumi, and a reminder that Walker Evans is one of my favorite photographers. Lest we forget the Impossible Project, in particular their Polaroid Classic line.

My friend Lori-Lyn Hurley today released one of her dreams: Spirit Voyage. She says of the magazine, “I believe story telling, art making, creative expression – divining down into our truest truth and sharing that truth with the world – to be a sacred and necessary act. It is the very heart of wellness. It is what it means to be alive. For that reason, it’s important that we share collections like this one, that we connect in this way with one another.” I couldn’t be prouder of Lori-Lyn. Let her inspire you.

That was followed quickly by a facebook note from an old professor, Nikky Finney, who also happens to have recently won the National Book Award for poetry in which she reminded us that “Dreams not only do come true — sometimes their truth outdoes the dream.” May it be so for us all.

Finally, today brought news of Gatewood Galbraith’s death which I feel compelled to mention here because I once had an inspiring conversation with him. Though it was short, it was nevertheless significant and impressionable. As an undergraduate, I did quite a bit of research on the legalization of hemp. I called Gatewood and asked if he’d grant me an interview for my research. He very willingly said yes. We met at Ramsey’s. He couldn’t have been kinder. He got a little weird when I asked about the legalization of hemp for personal purposes (marijuana grade, not industrial grade – there’s a significant difference for those who don’t know). He probably thought I was an opponent’s plant (he’d already run for governor once or twice at this point) or an DEA agent. Carefully avoiding an answer, eventually we got back to the matter at hand. He turned me on to The Emperor Wears No Clothes. I hate to see Gatewood go. He was a smart man with big ideas who was overlooked by the masses because of those big ideas. Not all big ideas are born from artists; not all people have big ideas. But collectively we must have big ideas – we’re all connected.

Related Images: