Mimi Jung is quickly becoming someone I admire.  There is a rare breed of artists who can seamlessly collaborate with others and also transition through different mediums without appearing disjointed or scattered.  Some creative intellects of this tribe that come to mind are Maria Alexandra Vettese, Mike Mills and Leanne Shapton putting Jung in good company.

 With great fluidity, she has created several installation pieces, designed books and exhibitions for Art+Commerce, and showcased three successful jewelry collections. Jung is now focusing on fiber art sculptures like the incredibly beautiful assortment seen here. What I respect most is how her career has evolved organically and that she lets her passion lead. 

January has been full of transition: going back to work, increasingly cold temperatures, and less sleep as Riley has started to wake up in the middle of the night again.  It's charming how much we try to "crack the code" as to why she might be waking (versus why she was not before) as if there might be a perfectly reasonable theory.  More than likely it's not related to anything specific. The hardest part has been not being able to focus on creative projects which leaves me very out of balance.  Any free moment is spent searching for ways to incorporate and grow this part of my life.  Apparently, this falls in line with the Chinese astrology forecast for 2013 (although the chinese new year does not start until February 4th).  Last year was the Year of the Dragon: a year full of change and transitions largely for the better.

Where as 2013, is the year of the Snake: a year of very slow but steady progress.

" The snake is a studious creature. Preferring quiet predictability to ruckus and mayhem. Peaceful solitude is also a Saturn preference. It's not surprising that Saturn has such a strong influence during the year of the Snake. Deep transformation and healing are often represented by the Snake.... Moreover according to general 2013 horoscope, Pluto exposes what is hidden through a deep revealing of subconscious material. Slowly we begin to see the reasons for things, we understand the root cause of some dysfunction. Just like the snake, slowly we shed our skin. We become shiny and new as we acknowledge and release the past.... A great deal of quiet progress can be made in the 2013 year of the Snake with the help of the planetary energy. Slow and steady wins the race."

{Credit}

Late last week you rolled over for the first time and landed straight on your face!  I was cheering even though I think it scared you quite a bit.  It was also the day of your first subway ride.  

I’ve been attempting to record our surroundings on special days like these; each time that we turn a page.  For instance, that day on the subway, the man sitting next to us was reading “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” by Samuel Beckett.  After finding out you were going to be a girl; the first song I heard was "A Candle’s Fire" by Beirut. The first restaurant we took you to was Juliette on North 5th street.  This November, we went to the voting booths together and contributed to the democratic process.  Now Barack Obama will stay in office for your first four years of life!  I remember thinking you were so tiny that day.  All of these sights and sounds will be so different by the time you may find these notes relevant.

I am so much more relaxed now that you feel less fragile.  Your smiles melt my heart as do your gurgles and wide eyed stares.

So much more to show you and so much more for you to show me.

I normally don't post about artists that I've met personally since I worry that it heightens the sensitivity around what I might say or how I interpret their work.  However, Caris Reid is a deeply amiable person who I find encourages any type of discovery or awareness anyone might feel at any moment.  There is an inviting presence about Caris and I can say the same for her recent work: an intimate series of paintings of dancers and performers.  Her own description of this project,

"Each of the women is locked in a posture of intense focus within the vocabulary of dance. All the women  I chose to work with move fluidly between dance and other creative mediums...Gloria also works as a painter, Caroline is a singer, and Madeline works with video. I was interested in capturing a hyper articulated posture, were the focus was primarily on the face and the hands, in a state of seeming self  hypnosis."

  I love the bold colors competing with the softness of these women. Each woman focused on something mysteriously internal; each evading any specific moment in time.  The duality of these images is complex.  Many are currently on display at Interstate Projects this month in a group show called "The Black Lodge". Black Lodge references the surreal environment within David Lynch's Twin Peaks series where time and space are non linear and any previous sense of reality dissolves.  The work is on display until the end of the month. A more indepth interview with Caris can be found here.

above quote from "POST NEW"

Earlier in September, I gave volume one of the journal Synonym a good read.  The theme of the issue is “ennui” or a specific sense of boredom.  It’s a topic I think could span several issues with many layers and opinions.  I think that a certain amount of boredom is essential to balance ambition/inspiration. It can be transformative.  It can be the empty moment that you need to refocus your energies and even serve as a catalyst for creative work.  What the editors point out is that social networks and other online media has burdened many of us with overstimulation, taking advantage of our weak resolve to “shut down”.  This creates a less than positive kind of boredom more closely related to fatigue.

 This first issue presents some artists that I’ve loved here on the blog including Leigh Wells and Marissa Textor.  Each artist/writer illustrates their take on “ennui” with the standout for me being the conversation between Jessica Stanley and Victoria Hannan.  It always feels so good to discover a written piece that has found a way to articulate a subject that I’ve been trying to express without finding the words. They discuss finding the strength and focus to carry on as an artist without having someone to produce for or a deadline to meet.  Those of us who have a full time job and try to juggle creative projects on the side can always blame the job for preventing oneself from more personal work.  Strip yourself of the safety net of “full time” and you no longer have a scape goat. You may find that it wasn’t the job preventing you from moving forward at all; having only yourself to answer to.

 Ofcourse, the idea of ennui has evolved for me personally in the past four weeks.  There are times that caring for a newborn can feel like boredom when mixed with sleep deprivation. I often have to remind myself how fleeting these moments are. How many women have warned me how much I will miss these moments (however slow and quiet) when they are gone.

Image above from volume one by Debbie Carlos

While we get to know our little one these next few weeks, I've asked some friends to guest post to keep the blog from going dead silent.  I will check in from time to time in the few waking moments that pop up.  ~ be well ~

Kristen Gregg writes the beautiful blog Marginamia; an ongoing study of names, their meanings and their relationships within our cultures, histories and other facets of life.  I love the way she connects the dots between monikers and the way we live and think.  I certainly went around the bend on choosing Riley Liv throughout the last six months of pregnancy. Other names rose like tides and then descended for one reason or another.  Should you be on a mission for that perfect name; you would be remiss not to peruse Kristen's findings. She is also available for consult from time to time for names of businesses, projects, etc.  No surprise that Kristen is a mother to two adorable (and beautifully named) children; I asked Kristen if she could provide some advice to new moms and I'm so happy she was willing to oblige.

 When I think about motherly advice, I often think about what I wish I had heard from a trusted friend before our first few years with our oldest.  When our new baby girl came, we were pretty baffled that in all our conversations with other parents, no one told us about the vast and intense difficulties of the first few months (years?)  It really was a complete shock.  But I've since come to understand the silence.  I've found myself before my pregnant friends, my lips tightly sealed.  I just can't do it.  I can't tell this excited, terrified, dreaming woman that she can't really imagine the exhaustion, worry, nipple soreness and confusing emotional and mental landscapes that might accompany this great new love.   I can't tell her how overwhelming it can be at times, or that she might miss her old freedoms here and there.  I can't tell her these things because I remember being in my own pregnant body, so focused on my birth experience, swimming in unnamed fears, hopes and nail biting anticipation.  The type of parental information garnered through personal experience can't really be digested by the expecting mother, nor should it.  But here is what I'd love to offer to any new mom (should she be able to stay awake long enough to read it):

Thirty nine acres of land in the middle of Brooklyn was reserved for botanic gardens over one hundred years ago.  Through generous donations over time, the plot has evolved to include the gamut of horticulture across endless gardens as well as several greenhouses, a bonsai center and an expanded conservatory. The experience is fluid between the interiors and the gardens throughout the property. Paradoxically, each space challenges the onlooker with it's own seperate identity.  I expected that spending an afternoon there would be peaceful (it was).  What suprised me was how modern the facilities are and how current the foundation is with installation art.  I recommend spending an afternoon here and getting lost in the translation of flora and fauna.