Friday, February 05, 2021

Ramblings

 I've gone off the socials again and I'm glad of it. Once a week to check Facebook. 

Meantime I'm finding things to help me understand the socials and the deep polarization that I have believed for ages is created...in other words I believe that fundamentally we have more in common than not, and we need to find a way back to that. And we need to get off devices (but shit I'm writing this on my iPhone, so...)

I've recently digested The Social Dilemma and The Great Hack on Netflix as well as a podcast called Your Undivided Attention. All have been beneficial and scary. Is this a dystopia, and if so how do we course correct? Is democracy under assault, dying, and what do we want the future to look like? How do we navigate a world full of conspiracy theories aimed at exploiting every human weakness and fear that we have?

Then I paint some from this Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings book or knit in an attempt to sooth my brain. Lianna is concerned about the excessive number of "mini paintings" I'm producing in the way that only a five year old can be. "You have enough of these mini paintings, omie. There's a lot of them. Why are you making these mini paintings?" I give her a canvas and a brush periodically and wish I had these resources when my kids were small, both the physical and emotional ones. 




I'm learning that I don't like abstract. The impressionist one wasn't as hard as I thought once I got rolling but it wasn't by favorite. I'm getting better at sketching with pencil and with paint. 


I'm ever aware of and grateful for the space to play with all of this. I still worry about Gene working so I can I play. But at the same time, if he doesn't then my stuff would fall apart - babysitting.so Rachel can have a safe place for the child while she's working, museum volunteering, art...they'd all be mostly eliminated. Does unpaid labor have value, the endless question and internal battle. That and imposter syndrome. Fun fun. 

The goal : make a painting that is art from my brain, and sell it to someone not friends or family. For five minutes it'll make me feel like I can paint. Then I can go back to feeling like a fraud. (Insert lol emojis here). 

6 comments:

Michelle said...

What. What? Who is Lianna? Has part of the family iceberg thawed???

As for "art from one's brain," I think that is largely a fantasy of non-artists. For millennia, amateur AND professional artists have worked from reality, including that captured in photographs, whatever their final form and style. You are not a fraud for doing the same!

Melissa Morgan-Oakes said...

Hah! Only one quarter of the family is an iceberg/hedgehog/porcupine, and she remains thus sadly. Lianna is one of five(!!!) grandchildren. Anyone remember when it was just one? Then two?? Apparently they're like coat hangers and single socks. You turn your back and they multiply! 😉

ccr in MA said...

Nothing wrong with making mini paintings! If you enjoy it, why not? Make as many as you want, I say.

Michelle said...

Do I remember when it was just one??? I remember when your kids weren't yet coupled up! And since I only have one (19-year-old) offspring, I sure HOPE grandchildren don't multiply like that!

Melissa Morgan-Oakes said...

That feels like a long time ago...the first grandchild DRIVES now. The second one just turned "teen". It's crazy how fast it goes. Really crazy!!

Anonymous said...

I'm making Tuscany 2 at a time socks (my first try at toe-up) and I am hav\ing difficulty at creating the gusset.

if I increase every other row 14x I only get 46 stitches on the sole needle....that is following the directions as written...repeating rounds 1 and 2 (increase and 1 & 2 even) 14x to end up with 30 stitches on the instep side and supposedly 60 stitches on the sole side.

if I re-read the instruction and just do round 1 (increase side1 and increase side 2) the count comes out correctly at 30 stitches on the instep side and 60 stitches on the sole side.

which is correct? I love the pattern but since this is my first attempt at toe-up. I am confused by the language. Please, can you help?