Yesterday I cut my hair really short,
and lots of folks in my building noticed which was cute. The door men and the old ladies. I shaved it from long to short so it's hard not to.. but I felt seeen.
Why does that mean so much?
. It's creeping up on me but it feels like community is possible in this crazy dragon pit of a town.
I went to a school called Oberlin in Ohio looking for community. small school, small place etc. i came form nyc and wanted the opposite of what i perceived my experience to be growing up.
It was awesome and I could write a million words but I'm not there anymore and I can't live in a place where I don't live. Does that make sense?
Im back in nyc and the question for this year I believe...
How do I turn New York City into a small Town?
ahem, how do We do it?
I think it's possible. I think it demands compromise and patience and love and letting egos aside and internal balance that naturally radiates outward. Like a love virus. How can we infect each other with our love?
or can we build a love bank in our hearts? with low interest rates and no fees? Can we give without the expectation of receiving? Can we connect people and create relationships between others that don't need to involve ourselves?
I am open to any and all suggestions. This city, this country, we need to be connected because that is our real currency.
I'm selfish and I want my own community to be filled with artists who are kind and kind people who are art and other folks who are awesome but I want this for everyone as well.
Everyone's version of community is different after all. for some folks who have certain identities that might mean finding only similar folks and that's okay and beautiful and necessary
I suppose the question is how we prevent our communities from being in conflict, however, exclusive they may or may not be.
I'm not pretending to know the answer but I suspect love might be involved somehow.
I've decided that the name of this post will also be the name of a small big endeavor that I will embark upon and I hope to regularly update this blog on the progress.
In my efforts to build community I am open to any and all collaborators who are aligned with this vision of healing love spreading like wildflowers in da breeze.
It might start in my own little esoteric sphere, I've resolved to reach out to art professors in the area. Of which there are many. And ask them where the people are? Ask them what they do and what they do for their communities? where they live and who waters their roots. I'll try this first and maybe go on to the urban planners next? So many possibilities.
I think this is a good opportunity to learn but also just meet people and make some friends, ask questions ( the best thing you can really do...) and see if I can crack this gigantic nut.
. When I first got back to the city I was going to a bunch of gallery openings, trying to figure things out. Not many people came up and talked to me and I didn't talk to many people. I felt like I needed some excuse, some kind of introduction but alas I just needed to make something up.
This is the partial inspiration for this project. I spent an evening with a notebook in hand asking a few strangers if I could interview them for a "piece" It sort of worked, i only did it for an hour or so before I got exhausted and left. I've haven't been feeling well enough to try again, for nearly two months! Things have been hard. I'm building strength and confidence. I want to keep trying because the world is at stake. But it's not that serious... but it is.
Anyway,
stay tuned for updates on this new journalistic- world saving endeavor,
Jack
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