C.ommunity (for me at least) involves showing up and participating in any form of action which assists and or brings value to a situation. Being willing to step in when extra hands are needed. Eagerly a participant sans the motive of some sort of reward in return. 

Popped out to a pop-up in Crown Heights to experience an exhibit of art and music co-curated by Okai (@okaimusik), a member of my community in Brooklyn. I brought my camera because it would be a good opportunity to capture candids and I love being able to pass anyone photos documenting an event even if there are people there to document it. My friend Rich (@haitianrich) who’d normally be taking stills was filming. There was no dedicated photographer. 

Sometimes people have a difficult time knowing how to fit in various community situations. This for me always involves at minimum two things: 1. My awareness of what I definitely have to offer. 2. An awareness of what assistance is needed and whether or not I can wholly accept the responsibility of whatever work that needs to be done.

I'm a natural team player who by default arrives ready to get hands dirty. A success for the community is a success for C. 

I was able to contribute more than being a body in a space at the event which alone is valuable when we speak of community support, but I also have material to contribute in the form of documentation of this experience that for the most part will only be a memory for those who attended. The moment can live on through the videos recorded by Rich and the stills I captured. Also benefiting continued promotion of the album that was released which was part of this as well as the art on exhibit and it’s creators.

Think about how you can bring value to your own community especially through the things you enjoy doing the most and do well while also being open to assist in things which may not be in your purview, within reason. Engage in this exercise mindfully thinking on how you can show up in the healthiest way which suits the occasion and is comfortable for you. 

Sometimes just stick around to fold up chairs after the function or help tidy up to get the venue back in the order it was in before the engagment began. Simple.

C.

I love talking to people. I did radio for 10 years so it allowed for this to happen on a regular basis. I also love interviewing people; but live and in person. Sending anyone a list of questions to answer even if they're good ones sucks. I've been testing ways to create more awareness for  creative beings I encounter online. One way is to ask a singular question in a DM, screenshot it and share it. This is also an effort to show artists how simple it is to connect and 'support' other artists.

So I slid into Amber Asakura's (a mosaic and micromosaic artist from Denver) DM who had just recently followed me to ask how she found me. 

Clearly one definite connection point was the skull above. Always Skulls is the official mantra. Amber found me through my Art Card Dispatch feature. (Shout out Lindsay!) 

C. How'd you come to the wonderful world of Mosaic creation?

Amber: I’ve always had a weird fascination with old dishes. I owned a coffee shop in Denver a long time ago and had collected a bunch of vintage plates to serve pastries on. I hung onto them for years after I sold the coffee shop even though most of them got chipped. Then I had this GORGEOUS antique jadeite mixing bowl I would eat huge salads out of. One day my now ex-husband was washing dishes and dropped it. I saved the broken pieces for like 5 years but didn’t have a plan for them. Finally in 2021 I saw a woman in Denver sharing her mosaic work and advertising a class, so I signed up. I loved the idea of taking things that would otherwise be discarded and making something new out of them. She turned out to be hella arrogant but I learned a lot and seemed to be a natural at it. I was deciding to be done with my accounting career after almost 20 years and I needed a new creative outlet to challenge me and I could finally do something with all the old plates I had been hauling around!

Then I discovered MICRO mosaics and that shit BLEW MY MIND. No one really teaches it in the states so I watched the few videos I could find and mostly figured it out on my own. I started sharing the pendants I was making and people seemed to like them. I got invited to put some pieces in a gallery show and most of them sold! That was super encouraging so I’ve kept it up. This shit has been WILD!

Now I just make whatever weird shit my creepy little heart desires and let the people who will love it find me. Right now I have a painting of my tits and a mosaic that says FUCK YEAH hanging in the lobby of the building my studio is in. I never would have imagined this shit a year ago. Soooooo much fucking gratitude!

https://thecrookedcat.com/

But why skulls? Well, for a number of reasons. One, I like them. We all have one. To some skulls in certain settings communicate death and or mortality. I am a fan of exploring death. It is inevitable as far as our physical incarnation goes but as for a general metaphor on different levels we die multiple times in one lifetime. With color my skulls are more playful than scary. They came from a simple doodle on paper. Iterating is my thing. 

Something I've always shared with people, 'namely artists' is that your past work possibly is speaking to your present and future selves. At least that's been the case for me. I am reminded of this today as I revisit material going back as far as two decades or more. Introspection whilst looking back reveals much. Sometimes it's answers to questions you just can't seem presently to find answers to until you realize an answer has been living in a past work of yours. When they say you're already equipped with all you need, this is a prime example of the sentiment. Some of our creations reflect life patterns. They can be iterations of your entire life's play. Time is not linear and the inner you is aware. What you channel subconsciously will never be the same as what you consciously articulate. 

The image included with this post was a bio written many years ago. It's a mere snapshot of the massive being that is C. It reminds me of not only what I've done but what I am to do and how expansive I can be. It affirms my past, present and future self. It's fuel. 

Today, I encourage you to take time and look at your work from the past, your journals, notes and anything you've kept but have not revisited in a long while and sit with it. See what comes up for you. Do this sans judgement. Appreciate your history, whether favorable or not. You may find some keys to doors your present self can't seem to unlock.

P.S. It's New Music Tuesday, there will be a second post later. 

Raps from the archive. Originally an open track I never found a second voice for, I released this years ago via Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Mixtape era vibes. Sped up soul sample type beat. Stream of Conscious flow per usual with a quasi poignant narrative. 

The last few days have started off weird. A keen departure from a highly vibrating few weeks leading up to now. I walked a bit aimlessly from Williamsburg to Greenpoint, attempting to be present and not ruminate on anything which would derail my day. I captured images of flowers and stopped to smell each one. There are so many roses in Brooklyn. Some literally growing from concrete. I came across a stationary store I'd never noticed before and decided to enter thinking perhaps I'd find something for myself. In for a moment I perused and was going to leave until I paused. In the center of the store is a long wooden table covered with notebooks. There are jars of pens you can try out and if you like any, you walk them over to the register and someone goes in the back to get you fresh packs. I found three I liked. I got my self something I liked and need. Treat yourself to something. Anything. 

C.

I've never been a jewelry wearer. Definitely not fond of anything drapped around my neck. No chains. I've worn bracelets which were gifts and a ring on occasion, but finding rings for me has always been a challenge. Every few years I get this idea about making my own rings, then it passes. Recently though that changed when I made a ring during my creative partner’s (TK) workshop at our Art Compund. We used epoxy clay and upon manipulating the material in real time I was able to invision different processes to craft unique pieces. I basically only needed to get started and without any idea or plan for design the action was catalyst to ignite my minds engine. Similar to the majority of creative work I do these newly fashioned rings were made in a very free stream of conscious way.