Love thy neighbor

This week's been a heck of week.  I've fallen down the rabbit hole of job applications, and although I've slowed down a bit here at the end of the week, I think my soul dropped out of my chest and fell all the way down the hole a few days ago.  What an arduous process.  We'll see what comes of it.

Last night, after a great conversation with a fellow artistic bee, I realized that I was so worried about pushing my art out there and getting a job with it, that I wasn't even making any art.  My hand has been asking me to make art all week, picking up markers, feeling the weight of them... But I kept chastising my begging hand, saying that I have to have someone or something to make art for if I'm gonna make anything at all.  This, obviously, is not true.  But life does weird things to your brain at times. So I'll keep making art, however small, just to keep my hand exercised and my soul in my chest.

This is today's doodle.  From left to right, it is Cambria house, my neighbor's house (where the Trez the dealer lives), my friend Josh's house, and his neighbor's house (he's a sweet political cartoonist with a bamboo forest in his back yard).  On top of the houses are words from a mural that my friend Brian made around the corner from Cambria.

ok. i mean, she's awesome...

There is this woman, Béatrice Coron, who makes spectacular cut paper art. She's someone I've admired for a long time. The piece below is one of her public art pieces.  Check her website out here.

I was just browsing her website and read her "statement" section.  It reads:

After briefly studying art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Lyon, and Mandarin Chinese at the Université of Lyon III, Coron experienced life with a series of odd jobs. She has been, among others, a shepherdess, truck driver, factory worker, cleaning lady and a New York City tour guide. Coron has lived in France (her native country) , Egypt and Mexico for one year, each and China for two years. She moved to New York in 1985 where she reinvented herself as an artist.

Coron's oeuvre includes illustration, book arts, fine art and public art. She cuts her characteristic silhouette designs in paper and Tyvek. She also creates works in stone, glass, metal, rubber, stained glass and digital media.
Her work has been purchased by major museum collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum, The Walker Art center and The Getty. Her public art can be seen in subways, airport and sports facilities among others.

OH! So you have worked random-ass jobs (like herding sheep!) and probably wondered what the heck you're doing with your life tooooooo!  And you've kept moving and look! You made it into the Met! The Getty! That's pretty cool.

Just wanted to put some posi-vibes out there.