| brew your knowledge well for men with aching minds and guts |
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[13 May 2009|08:09pm] |
I find myself hardly ever using LJ anymore. I do still try to read yall though. For those of you on facebook who aren't already my friends there, add me! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=29618651&ref=profile
I'm getting ready to leave the country next week. I'll be in London for a week, then Italy for five weeks. I'll have a little apartment in Florence right next door to the Medici Palace. Pretty sweet. I'll be in Venice for the Biennale and then on to Rome where I'll stay in an all women's hostel in an old 16th century convent. I'll post updates onto facebook while I'm traveling, so follow me over there if you're interested.
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| a fragment |
[19 Apr 2009|10:56pm] |
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.....crafting words just as I'd craft one of my sculptures, finding objects discarded by others, picking them up, collecting them slowly and methodically until one day they spill over and come together to tell a story completely true and entirely made up... my future poems, i'll call them found objects, too, because they are, the fragments of who I am becoming...
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| Support our beloved Starr |
[17 Apr 2009|05:22pm] |
My friend Starr is in the hospital recovering from major surgery and will need followup medical care. Her insurance coverage is falling short of her medical expenses, and because of her contractor status with her employer she does not receive any sick time pay at all. Her fiance, Dan doesn't get paid for time he misses at work either. Rent, domestic bills, and medical care bills are weighing on their minds. There are several ways to help support Starr as she and Dan navigate the financial demands in the coming weeks:
1. Make a direct financial donation (contact me if you need to know where to send it).
2. Buy a CD of Starr's band, The Lovers, here:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/loversaustin
100% of the CD proceeds will go to the Starr Recovery Fund and it is groovy music filled with lots of love. If you already have a CD, remember they can be great gifts for your friends and family.
3. You can donate money, time, raffle items, etc. for the upcoming benefit party, STARR BENEFITACULAR to be held on Friday, May 8th. You can attend the benefit party and invite your friends. I will post more info about the benefit as it gets closer.
Thank you for being so supportive.
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[29 Mar 2009|01:35pm] |
This was my response in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lynnivere's journal to someone arguing that raw foodies are somehow undermining thousands of years of history and culture, and are attempting to escape all the evils of modern society. They were also saying that eating raw means you leave behind the social interactions that are so important with family, friends, and during holidays. Clearly, I had to say something!
The social aspects of going 100% raw are indeed numerous and can be unnecessarily alienating if a raw foodist is not imaginative enough. It's one of my greatest concerns as a raw foodist myself. There are ways around this, like preparing a dish and/or dessert to bring and share to family gatherings. There are lots of great, extravagant, and divinely yummy dishes to make for holidays that EVERYONE will enjoy. Most people will like it so much, they'll demand that there must be cooked food/sugar/flour/egg/dairy in the food. And if all your friends are going out to a restaurant, there are usually ways to throw something together off the menu that is suitable. It might not be the best raw food you've ever had, but it will work, and in that situation, it's more about the company than the food. Pretty much all of my friends are willing to meet at one of the local raw food places if we're having lunch together. Even non-raw people enjoy the tastes and sensations of raw and living food, and it's a great way to introduce people to the variety they can get by eating in such a way.
When you experience the amazing changes that happen with a raw food diet, it's really hard to go back, unless you remain fearful and unwilling to deal with the changes that arise and thereby keep 'medicating' yourself with cooked food. Once on the 'other side' and in vibrant health, things seem much more clear, and cooked food, even 'healthy' cooked food, seems devitalized and wholly uninteresting.
And people have been eating predominantly raw food for tens of thousands of years. This is nothing new, in fact, it's the oldest way of eating there is. The history and culture that raw foodies are squashing is a relatively new one, namely that culture born of fragmentation, disconnection, fear, greed, and rampant disease. The fabric of culture is not based on eating cooked food, it is based on the ways people come together and create the story of their life through a huge number of means like art, architecture, spirituality, mythology, etc. Yes, food is a big part of this, but cooked food specifically is in no way intrinsic or necessary to this task. Culture is much greater served when its individuals are awakened to the potential they have for vibrant and radiant health. They will create a much more mindful way of living on the earth and in relating to each other. And while a lot of raw foodies are escaping the evil of modern diet, when the modern diet leads to an untold number of diseases and ailments, fatigue, obesity, cancer, and general malaise, how is this a bad thing?? Yes, it may be alienating at times, but when in the company of disillusioned people, you must keep your own council. It is a logical fallacy to say "Things are this way, so this must be the right way." It doesn't take a very long or thorough looking around to see how imbalanced (to use a nice word) things are. For one example, a huge benefit of eating raw is the drastic reduction in the waste a household produces. I now produce about a kitchen trash can full of compost every two weeks. I probably throw a garbage bag out every two to three weeks, if that, and most of it goes in recycling. Raw food lifestyle has far reaching, positive, repercussions for the earth and for the health and well being of all its inhabitants. There's a reason so many people enthusiastically advocate for this lifestyle, because it works untold wonders on every level of your consciousness!
Try going 100% for 30 days. One month is nothing in the scheme of things. And then come back and argue that raw food is somehow undermining thousands of years of history and the very fabric of culture. Raw food, and the state of mind it produces in people who follow this lifestyle, might very well be one of the few things that can actually make and preserve history and culture in any sort of meaningful way.
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[09 Mar 2009|04:42pm] |
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On my 11 day of fasting. I've been reading every raw food cookbook I can get my hands on. Why is it so much fun to read cookbooks while fasting? Anyways, I have lots of recipes I want to try when I'm eating again. I'm feeling close to ready for food. I'll be breaking my fast on Wednesday.
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| queer eye for the fruit fly |
[06 Mar 2009|05:28pm] |
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I kinda got distracted when I was writing my last post and forget to mention that one of my best friends, who is probably the gayest man I know, is going to come help me organize my house. He and I probably would have been married with kids a long time ago if we were both straight. Instead, I'm bestowed the honorable title of his fag hag, or rather, FRUIT FLY! So we're calling our little overhaul 'queer eye for the fruit fly.' We'll be going through all my cluttered spaces and closets and trying to cull and clean and organize. It is the external expression of what I'm doing internally right now, so it seems appropriate. I am looking forward to feeling a little more openness in my space, less burdened by the clutter and freeing up some of the stagnant energy. And it amazes me that I have such a good friend who enjoys this kind of activity and is really looking forward to it. He even warned me that he'll probably kick me out of my own house so I don't get in his way. I'm excited, and a little afraid.
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[06 Mar 2009|11:35am] |
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I'm on day 8 of my fast and feeling good. I think I'm going to go until the full moon, which is another 5 days. 13 total. That feels about right. I'm feeling pretty good with occasion cleansing reactions like dizziness nausea tiredness, which is all at manageable levels and to be expected (and celebrated since it means my system is successfully detoxifying!) I still have a cough but it seems to be getting a little better, albeit slowly. I've decided I'm going to go 100% raw when I come off, at least for a month. I've been reading lots of raw 'cook'books on my fast and am excited to try an almost entirely new approach to preparing foods. I'm looking forward to soaking, sprouting, dehydrating, blending, mixing all my food, making nut cheeses and pates, zucchini pastas, rawsagna, yummy raw desserts and on and on.
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| stuff and things to look forward to |
[02 Mar 2009|10:09pm] |
This year is starting to take some interesting shape for me. There are some unknowns up in the air, but I'm optimistic they'll come through in some kind of awesome way. So here's what's on my schedule so far...
March - I'll be an official photographer for SXSW film, interactive, and music conferences.
May-June - I'll be going to Italy for a studio art and art history study abroad program through school. This JUST happened and, like so many good things in my life, arose out of pure synchronicity and a series of fortuitous circumstances. I'll be living in an apartment in Florence and will go to the Venice Biennale and end with a trip to Rome.
July-August - If Dave and Marrilee's Temple is a go, then I'll be on their crew and go out to BM.
September - Wrap up all my requirements for my masters degree, defend my thesis, and get the hell out of dodge!
end of Sept-October/Nov. - Artist in residence in Portugal. If I have the money, I'll go to Spain and France while I'm there. This trip is still not entirely pinned down just yet.
So things are looking pretty good. I have some side projects I'm working on in my free time here at home. Right now I'm getting my whole house in order, figuratively and literally. Spring cleaning inside and out. I'm looking forward to the continual unfolding...
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| best veggie juice ever |
[01 Mar 2009|08:25pm] |
I'm on day 3 of my fast and feeling better each day, still having allergy symptoms but getting better, taking time to focus on things I should be focused on, nurturing my spirit, mind, and body in a variety of ways, trying to ease back into myself. I was having some serious italian food cravings today, so I went to the new market down the street (Newflower @ William Cannon and Manchaca is great btw, for those in the area) and I made this veggie juice that is hitting the spot, actually it's hitting spots I didn't even know I had, soooooo tasty.
4 tomatoes
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
2 big handfulls of spinach
2 big handfulls of parsley
1 clove of garlic
Alternate juicing the hard and soft veggies to keep the juicer moving properly, serve and/or chill immediately, makes about a quart of juice. It's probably a good idea to squeeze a little lemon in the juice that is leftover so it keeps a little longer. Generally, all fresh juice should be consumed within 24 hours. Enjoy!
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[27 Feb 2009|06:33pm] |
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I haven't been doing so well. I've been stagnant, not all super depressed like I get, but just generally lackluster. Then I got this crud that's going around... is it allergies? flu? Feels like a bug with terrible allergy symptoms. I don't normally get allergies like this. Anyways, I'm just feeling stuck in my stuff. Having a terrible time motivating and getting any work done, and feeling cruddy definitely doesn't help. So, today, in an attempt to pull myself up by my bootstraps, I started a fast/cleanse. This is the same program I started but didn't finish a few months back. The colon cleanse part comes first and entails a 5 day juice fast, and I remember feeling so good last time, I'm hoping for a repeat. I will continue with the whole month long program after the colon cleanse, and this time I'll be able to continue my fast as long as I want/need after the initial 5 days. Last time I felt I could go on indefinitely but had to go on the road with Guy so I came off the fast earlier than I wanted. This time, I'll go as long as feels right, we'll see how things are going after 5 days and play the rest by ear. With juicing, I feel like I could go a long time because I'm still able to get all the flavors and excitement of food but with juice instead. I need to peel off these layers of yuck and get back to my light-fill shiny self that I've been missing for a while now. I've felt far away from myself. I'm missing me. I dusted off Thorn's Evolutionary Witchcraft book last night and started getting chills again. I've been too far away from my practice, and it is manifesting in undesirable ways. I've gained weight, my body aches, I'm sick, I'm tired, I'm lacking passion and focus, nothing is exciting to me, my mind is foggy, my emotions are icky, my spirit is dull. How did I get here? I guess that's not the important question right now. I need to focus on how to get myself out and back on track and then I can take a good long look at what went wrong and avoid those mistakes in the future. It has taken all my will and intention just to start this cleanse. One day at a time. I need to recommit to myself, to my practice. I need to turn back to those things that bring so much light and love into my life. Magic, tai chi, yoga, meditation, writing, reading, loving, riding my bike, walking the dog (which is about the only good thing I've been doing on a semi-regular basis), being in community, being a friend. I really miss myself right now, and I want to feel at home and in love with life again. It seems like far too long since I've felt that way.
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| Greenhouse Project on Sundance! |
[12 Jan 2009|06:49pm] |
Laura Lea Nalle and the Greenhouse Project filmed at Burning Man 2007.
Aired on the Sundance Channel 2008
Director: M. Sean Kaminsky (Organik Media Inc)
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[12 Jan 2009|03:35pm] |
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Finally, I introduce my new and much improved online gallery including a bunch of stuff I guarantee you've never seen. Take a look! Still working on it, but tell me what you think.
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| holyfuckinshit that was the best show EVER! |
[10 Jan 2009|02:28am] |
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Doyle 2 and company rock every which way. Gary Clarke Jr. on guitar, Larry Fulcher on bass, JJ Johnson!!! on drums, Ephraim Owens leading the horn section, a guest appearance by sister Georgia Bramhall, and of course the musical genius that is Doyle Bramhall 2. And oh my gods some kind of almighty holy spirit was present shaking booties and blowin minds too. I'm officially blown away. Blown away. Wow. Holyfuckshit WOW!
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[09 Jan 2009|06:09pm] |
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I took my dog down to town lake for the first time since my shoulder injury. It's been a loooong time. She was so good. While I was in Marfa, she was at doggy boot camp where she was trained with a remote collar. It's like a miracle. I took her off leash in public for the first time EVER today. She went swimming and when I wanted her back, she came right back. She kept her focus right on me the whole time, looking up at me to see what I would do next. Tons of dogs were running around her, both on and off leash, and she didn't even bat an eye at them, even when they came up and sniffed her butt. I feel like I have control of my dog back without risking another shoulder injury, and that is an awesome feeling. It also works wonders when she barks at the wind while she's hanging out in the backyard. Just one or two corrections, and that problem was nipped in the bud. I don't correct her when she's actually barking at someone around the property because she should bark when someone gets too close. Now to work on the times when she raids the cat food inside. Problem is, she gets up early early in the morning while I'm still sleeping and gets into the cat food. I need to let her hang out inside while I'm awake and try to catch her in the act. Anyways, the remote collar is like magic, for real. I feel like I can enjoy my dog all over again without the fear that she might pull me down again. The guy who trained her said it's like the remote collar comes with a halo. And I laughed, but it's true, she's a little angel now, such a good girl. I love that dog.
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| lj book |
[07 Jan 2009|07:25pm] |
Has anyone tried to use LJ Book lately? I've been trying the last couple of days at all hours but keep getting this error and a prompt for donations: Sorry, but too many users are currently using this service.
I've used it before but don't remember it being so hard to get through. Anyone had any luck with it lately? I figured my attempt at 2am would work, but nope.
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| ode to 08 |
[03 Jan 2009|03:29pm] |
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One thing missing from my new years post was paying homage to 2008. It was a pretty good year for me, I think. I co-produced Art Outside, toured with Guy Forsyth all over the US and Canada, spent two months working at Chinati, had a little thing air on Sundance, and managed to do some significant work on myself and my home. I took a little hiatus from burn events, for the most part, but I tried to bring that understanding into all the other stuff I was doing. I turned 30 and celebrated with lots of friends that I admire and who inspire me. I heard lots and lots and lots of really great live music. Lots. I realized that I've been about 99% gay all along. I started screen printing for real and made a little t-shirt line. I made real progress on organizing my past art and making space for new projects. I got lots of love and cuddles from my baby girls. I watched persimmons grow on a tree in my own backyard. I saw an uncanny amount of puppet shows. I acquired an old upright Steinway made in 1895 and played it hours on end. I was interviewed a few times. I experienced a lot of really awesome art in some really amazing places. I had lots of remarkable house guests. I was inspired, in awe, in the ecstatic love sadness, in surrender, in doubt, in fear, in anger, in my power. I thought deeply about the things I did and said. I did my best even when it wasn’t much. Most of all, I made things happen and got stuff done while having fun and looking good doing it.
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| new year agenda |
[02 Jan 2009|02:49pm] |
I think I'm finally out of my funk. That was probably the deepest, darkest it's been in, well I don't know how long, a long time. I was worried during much of it that I wouldn't actually make it out. But alas, here I am, feeling good again, with many thanks to all my awesome friends. First night kicked ass. I saw so many familiar faces, and it really helped me refocus on important things and the things I have to give back to this community. I got to reconnect with friends and fully intend on following through with the whole, "let's hang out and catch up more fully sometime" plans I made with several folks. After the clock burned, I ended up going home and spending the midnight hour making art and smooching my beloved feathery and furry creatures. There was a rowdy party two doors down and they lit bunches of fireworks throughout the night, so that was nice.
This year I have a few goals. One was to get into an international artist in residence program. That just manifested today. Portugal in September! I'll still apply to others and see what happens. There are a few that are rather interesting to me. One in Buenos Aires where you simultaneously work on a community project alongside your art work. Another in Spain that invites artists, scientists, and researchers from various disciplines to explore the relationship of art and the environment. There's one in a forest in Denmark where the artists use only natural forest materials to make their work and then reinstall it back amongst the trees. That exhibition stays up for half the year. There are others elsewhere, of course. I have some recommendations from Chinati's current artist in residence for a few he has participated in - mostly in Germany but one also in Brazil.
I also am going to start interviewing one of Austin's greatest artists of the 20th century. His name is Kelly Fearing, and his work is really remarkable. He's getting quite old, but I've felt called to go spend more time over there with a formal intention to write some articles on him and perhaps a full length biography if that seems like a viable project.
I'll also be finishing up my masters degree this year. I need to find a way to reclaim that project in a way that feels authentic and satisfying. Right now it feels like an obligatory task I must complete. But I have got to make it something that is right for me in the scheme of how my life is unfolding. I need to pick paper topics that resonate with all the other things I'm doing in order for it to feel relevant and worthwhile. Don't know how that'll work with Logic, I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and get her done.
I'd also like to get a solo exhibit for this new body of work that is presently emerging. I kinda dropped the whole gallery searching ball right before I left for Marfa. I need to get back on that asap and see who might be interested.
I also need to get back in shape. After seeing some recent photos, I'm shocked at how I look and I don't like how I feel. So here's to regaining balance in my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies. I think I'll do a more thorough cleanse in the very near future. I kinda had to cut my cleanse short a couple months back, I felt like I could have kept fasting for a long time but couldn't because I was back on the road with Guy. I think I'll do that fast again but now with the time to naturally extend it further and to have the opportunity to go as long as I feel like I can and need. I'm looking forward to that, and to feeling more fit and strong in my body.
I also feel like I need to be a better friend to my friends. I end up opting to spend lots of time alone because that's important for me, but I feel like I have been an unreliable and distant friend. I don't like that feeling, and I want to make greater effort to maintain those connections with all of you that I very deeply value. I hope those of you who want to hang out will get in touch, and I will do the same, and I will also say 'yes' as much as possible to all your invitations to hang out.
And if 2009 wants to bring love into my life, that's great too. But ya know, I've been happily single for a long time now, and I've enjoyed that. It's been really important for me to reject the wrong relationships in favor of flyin solo. I definitely don't need anyone else around, in fact I do better alone in many regards, but it might be nice to cultivate something with someone else. I am open to the possibility of love with the right person(s). Healthy, balanced, nurturing, mutually supportive, creative love.
Today, a good thorough house cleaning is in order, as well as continuing to edit photos from Chinati and writing up a blog about that experience. I've posted some sneak peaks on my Facebook profile, and there are a few photos on my website serving as a placeholder for the upcoming blog. Oh, and I'm working on an entirely new gallery software that will be much improved on the current one, so stay tuned for that.
Many blessings to all of us in this new year.
xo
LL
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Ben Harper live at Stubb's, SXSW 2009