Politics, Media, and the Election Cycle: Oh How it Weighs on Me

Posted on May 1, 2012 by unsubtlety

Hey, America, expat friends, and whoever you are if you are not in the above categories. In the midst of yet another drawn-out and beleaguered election cycle here in the States, my time living abroad made me realize some things that I think might be valuable to share. This is an opinion article and yes, I have turned comments off (but because you get a lot of spam, even on a low-traffic blog like mine, not because I don’t want to converse). All content is of my own experience, plus I made all the pictures (thanks for linking back here if you’d like to share). This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I think there’s some things no one ever talks about that we should talk about.

1. People aren’t perfect and everyone is biased. Objectivity is a myth.

Everyone has opinions. Stop expecting people to be unbiased. It’s human nature to both have opinions and yet to expect there to be an objective, non-biased entity somewhere. Debate moderators, journalists, researchers, pollsters, television networks, all are human or run by humans and therefore, biased. Nothing is objective, even. There have been studies that show researchers’ beliefs, inklings, or desires influence the outcome of the results – and certainly the interpretation. That’s right, all studies are interpreted. All of them. Humans have a hand in every part of everything, so nothing can really be objective (political or not). (This isn’t to say that they can be quite useful in decision-making if the human factor is understood.) So yes, the news and journalism and surveys that we are subjected to constantly are all biased to some degree. Know this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Everything is theoretical. Facts presented to you are not actually facts.

I’ve already explained how I’ve come to see that nothing is objective. Similarly, nothing is “for sure”. No candidate has been president, with Congress of x make-up, in year 20xx, when x happened, with x bubbling to the surface, and with y and z pressures. Here come humans, extrapolating and interpolating to come up with theories about how each candidate will or will not do something – and did you notice that I used concrete terms, just like they do? (Will or will not.) Not may not, or likely, but these theoretical babblings are stated in false language of objectivity. None of these situations have actually happened and we need to stop talking like they have. Similar, sure. But we’re talking about huge proportions here – the United States, global conflicts, natural disasters, crises, international relations, grassroots movements, these are things no person can predict with accuracy and no one therefore has any business acting as though they can. And if you think about it, a leader who can survey these critical issues and take them to heart instead of spewing machine-like reactions is probably something we need. They, like any other human, are biased and subjective.

 

3. POTUS is a person.

Therefore, the above rules apply to him/her has well. S/he is biased. S/he is subjective. We should not expect otherwise. Yes, consistency and knowledge are important, just as much as not being a liar or theif, but it seems to me that the expectations for this office get higher every year, as well as dehumanizing. Along these same lines, everything that happens during a term is not the complete fault or causing of the president. A striking proportion of people seem to have forgotten that our government, regardless of how well you think it works, is three branches of checks and balances. POTUS is one. There are hundreds in the House and Senate and an esteemed panel of Justices also in the mix, not to mention millions of us citizens – plus the unpredictable events I mentioned earlier. Nothing, no event, no person is one sided. Things take years to happen, decades. They also take seconds. One person should not be pinned as a result.

 

4. It’s not the end of the world when things don’t turn out how you want them to.

Really, it’s not. Think of your world view as a pie chart. The narrower your point of view slice, the more of the pie that’s left to be angry because of what isn’t included in the view. Please spend more time thinking and less time in a tirade against other people. Even if you intend your tirades for the politicians themselves, we all have to read them on Facebook. It’s great to care about your country or really believe in causes, but remember: you are unique, you are biased, you are not objective, and you are one of millions. Here’s another example: a lot of us have different political opinions from our parents, but love our parents all the same. While we might agree with some of your tirade, your harsh wording against the views of my parents still tick me off. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but no one, no one, is entitled to belittle someone else’s. Chances are, you’re not going to get what you want all the time. Life usually isn’t fair. Grow up and deal with it. Thanks from the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

5. “Black and white”, “yes or no” are mythical questions.

Everything is a gray area or really closely related to one. Think about it – if everything were such simple dialectics, Congress’ debating time would be quite a bit less. Also, a lot of people would be left out. The two big parties would be even more dominant. If you think things are bad now, I urge you to take more of your world view pie for the view part, and consider what things would really be like if the questions that news/opinion show anchors and journalists really did only get yes or no answers. There are a lot more than two opinions on every single matter; every issue is either a continuum or a revolving door. Adopting the “you must answer yes or no” attitude is the worst way to form an accurate picture of a person and his/her political views. This is related to all of the above, as well. Speaking of that world view pie, please include more than two ingredients. The standard “political view” and “anger” ingredients make for a very, very terrible pie.

 

 

 

 

6. Research is up to you.

There are billions of influences – and dollars – that go into our elections. If you only listen to one source for your political view-making, you’re basically being willingly brainwashed. Please, please, take in other points of view. Change channels. Listen – actually listen – to some people that you generally don’t agree with. Take the time to actually consider their concerns. Walk a mile in their shoes and understand why they get blisters. Listen to some smaller parties and treat them as equals. If you were them, wouldn’t you like to be heard? Treat others as you’d like to be treated (possibly the exemption to #5, to be treated with a resounding “yes” in all situations, if you ask me). I’m not saying you need to change your political standpoint, but having the heart and knowledge to understand those different from you (given that we’ve already discussed the critical weakness of forcing people into groups) will usually just make you a better person, less angry, more willing to cope if the election doesn’t go your way, and perhaps most importantly, less susceptible to journalistic and editorial bias stated as fact. Widen that world view pie slice. See how it changes your life.

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Entry Fourteen: 29 Feb – 5 Mar: Land of Ice and Fire

Posted on March 27, 2012 by unsubtlety

Let’s start with the gorgeous photos!

My arrival into Iceland went very smoothly, but got a bit… er, slippery once we got into the city of Reykjavik. Coaches run from the international airport to a main bus hub, where you have the option of paying a few extra bucks to be taken to hotels. Since I had a lot of baggage and my Couch Surfing host was very close to a hotel, I took them up on this option. Some of the passengers deboarded the coach, got their luggage from underneath, and got into van/minibuses to do the second part of the trip, but I was to stay on. One of the other passengers must have removed one of my bags to get at theirs and didn’t replace it! Of course, I didn’t know this at first. Our coach got stuck just outside the bus station, for several minutes, as the snow pelted down. Then someone tried to go around us into the right turn lane, got half onto the curb, and also got stuck. I’m not sure if there was any collision, but if there was it was minor. At one point, our driver came on the coach again and asked if any of the men could help push the car! They ended up not doing it and it got dislodged somehow. I had picked up a SIM card to use in my unlocked iPhone at the airport and got it going on the ride in. I texted my host to let her know of the delay and she responded pricelessly, “Welcome to Iceland! :D ”

Eventually we got out and on our way. When I got out to get my two suitcases that were under the coach, only one was there! Luckily, it wasn’t the one with all of my clothes and one of my laptops in it. I called the coach station later that evening and it was there, safe. It must have been left at the transfer. My host was excellent and her cat took an instant liking to me, which made it all the more homier.

My first day, I woke well-rested and got up to take my first geothermal shower! All of the hot water is heated geothermally, and it is also used for heating through radiators. It has a slight sulfur smell, but is wonderfully relaxing. I walked down to the coach center and picked up my suitcase, got a visitors pass (unlimited bus travel and admission discounts – I highly recommend looking into them in any European city you visit). I took a bus back toward my host’s apartment to drop off the case, and started in on the museums! First was the National Museum of Iceland, which was incredibly intriguing. I walked in toward the city center after that, gazing at the Scandinavian design in houses, iron gates, even tombstones. I got a delicious lunch in a café before visiting one of the art museums. The galleries were well-done and there were three artists/exhibitions in the building – a very digestible size. I also visited a settlement exhibition, which as the actual foundation from a Viking longhouse in its original place, surrounded by some informative displays – very cool. I headed back to my “home” to meet up with my host and take a load off before we went to have dinner with a group of her friends who met mostly through the Couch Surfing community. There was me, American, my host, Icelandic, one other Icelander, an Australian and his Russian girlfriend, and a New Zealander who also lived in London for a while. The conversation, food, and lovely apartment made for a fantastic evening – until we left to walk home and were met with driving rain and freezing wind. Apparently later that night there was a little earthquake – but no one thinks much of them in Iceland, and I missed it because I was fast asleep!

On my second day, at least the rain had stopped. My first visit was to a very Scandinavian cathedral, built in the 1970s. The sanctuary was a beautiful mix of classic Gothic shapes treated in the distinctive Scandinavian way. I went up into the tower, where the sound and force of the wind was amazing, and the sound of the bells chiming was eerie. When I looked around a nearby sculpture garden, a random fluffy cat came out and wanted to play, chasing leaves when they blew across the ground. Next stop was Perlan (the Pearl), a dome on a steep hill on the edge of the city. There’s a museum in the basement (though it wasn’t on my to-do list), a book fair, a small souvenir shop, a buffet-style café, a nice big restaurant, and a 360º observation deck. I did some post card sending, as per requests, got lunch, and nearly got blown off the deck, but the views were worth it. I visited another art museum, also a nice smaller size, which had some work by an Icelandic painter that was incredibly unique. Since the weather was turning wet again, I decided to take a bus ride north to Akranes, one of the few other sizable settlements in Iceland. While the island holds about 300,000 people, 200,000 of them live in Reykjavik and the capital region. This bus route takes the highway along and then UNDER one of the many narrow ocean fjords, where they’ve built a bit of a Chunnel under the sea in order to make the road passable and shorter. My the time I get there, the weather is about as terrible as last night, but just seeing the glacial mountains so close through the rainy bus windows in well worth the journey! I walked a short 10 minute loop in the town, holding onto my bag and hood, before getting back on to head back to the city. My host prepared a lovely meal and I was so glad to be inside and dry and warm!

My last full day in Reykjavik was beautiful. My host took me on a tour of some of the downtown significant sights that I hadn’t seen yet, a tour and lesson on traditional foods in the market, an amazing famous hot dog, and a hands-on session with lava and volcanic rock. I took a bus and walked to a ferry port to visit a small island just minutes off shore in one of the bays in the north part of the city. There are only a few buildings there, a peace monument dedicated to John Lennon, and several trails to roam. The views of the mountains surrounding the city were excellent and it was a fantastic day for a stroll. I was sun/wind burnt by the time I returned with a pocket full of volcanic and lava rock souvenirs. Exhausted but delighted, I picked up a few food items for my host on my way back to collapse and have dinner. I worked on packing up and organizing while the cat demanded my attention. I really didn’t know what to think about heading back. The banter of the middle aged British tourists who shared the coach mishap on my arrival made me miss the UK already. But that door was closed, and I am grateful for that time. Looking back now, many times it seems like a dream.

My journey back to the US didn’t go incredibly smoothly. I woke up with a definite sore throat – probably caught from the sick girl I sat next to on my flight over, after giving my aisle seat to a woman who had recently had a knee replacement – but giving my host a signed copy of my Belfast book after having such an amazing time made me forget about it. I took the same bus/coach combination back to the airport, and on that 40 minute journey we saw brilliant sun, rain, hail, sun with gray clouds, snow, sun again, and it was snowing lightly when we arrived. The Keflavik airport is fantastic – having checked in online, I dropped my bags, went through passport control and security, and was digging into a panini lunch within 35 minutes. The flight was off only a few minutes late, but due to headwinds landed nearly an hour late, then we just sat on the tarmac for another twenty. I got processed through JFK, where the passport stamper kindly welcomed me home, and found my way to Penn Station via the AirTrain and an E Train subway. Other than the AirTrain, I was kind of struck with the strange and desperate (and kind of rude) people that I’d forgotten about while in Europe. The city seemed dingy, cramped, and depraved. I had just enough credit on my UK SIM to let my family know I wasn’t going to make the last train out of the city and to call a friend who was my backup plan. A shower felt amazing, and I forced myself to stay up until midnight. Because I missed the last Amtrak train that night, I now had to insert three more trains – one from the city to my friend’s house for the night, one from there to Trenton, and one from there to the Philadelphia train station. Luckily they weren’t crowded and were more or less on time. I had a few hours to kill in Philly, where I got lunch and appreciated the oversized bathroom stalls that allowed a single traveler to keep all their luggage nearby. Free WiFi always placates me, so I caught up on emails and browsed until my train was due. It ended up being half an hour late, but since I only had about an hour and a half of travel left after having already done so much in the last 36 hours (not to mention 5 months), I just dozed on my feet as I waited first in line to board.

Then there I was, on the other side of the Mount Joy, Pennsylvania Amtrak platform, where it all had begun five months and five days ago.

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Entry Thirteen: 17-29 February: York, Goodbye England, and Yet Another Unknown

Posted on February 26, 2012 by unsubtlety

Abbey Ruins, York, England

From 17-19 February, I couch surfed again, this time in York. I went partly because I am from a city in the US called York, partly because Rick Steves recommends it, and partly because I wanted to go to a city or two in northern England. I went by coach, since it was incredibly cheaper than the train. My host was welcoming and I again ended up with not a couch but a whole bed and room to myself. When I arrived, I still had some daylight, so I browsed the very nice art gallery (more like a mini museum) and walked along the walls. As I learned on my (amazing and free) walking tour the next morning, the walls have Roman foundations, as the northernmost city in the Empire they arrived around the year 70 AD. For the most part, the Roman parts are now underground, and the visible parts are largely from the 12-1400s. Only a 50 yard section is missing, which was torn down in the early Victorian age, but the rest were not only saved but reinforced and given a wider walkway for pedestrians by a campaign started by the York Philosophical Society. Before this time, the ideas of leaving a legacy and preserving things of historical importance weren’t incredibly popular. There were also Norman and Anglo-Saxon abbey ruins, which were made ruins by Henry VIII’s break with the Pope. The beautiful York Minster (built about the same time as the medieval walls) survived, as the King didn’t want to alienate this important city, as it was a stronghold in respect to those barbaric Scots. The archbishops of the Minster also singed to go along with the whims of Henry VIII, as well as his daughter Mary and those after them that came and went with the Catholic and Anglican churches, also preserving its life.

After the tour I cut through the city centre, through medieval streets to the Castle Museum, which is a mix of exhibitions, mostly dealing with life through the ages with example rooms and a recreated Victorian street. There were also exhibits on Britain in the 60s and a prison section, which had great projections of actors portraying prisoners that actually were kept in those exact cells. I spent the later afternoon exploring the Minster and stayed for the evensong service, which induced goosebumps a couple of times. The choir, which consists of about a dozen boys and a dozen men of various ages, led most of it with a handful of tuneful clergy. On my last day, which turned out to be gorgeous, I left my host house a little early to get some good pictures before boarding a bus to Leeds, about an hour southwest. I only had enough time to grab a sandwich and walk up to the art gallery, but the exhibit I saw there was quite nice – a show of Northern Art Prize winners. Leeds city centre is full of massive Victorian buildings, reminding me a bit of the look of Belfast. The coach took me south past coal power plants, through Yorkshire and the Midlands back to Milton Keynes, where I had to wait for two buses to get me back to my end of the area from the coachway. I will certainly be glad to have a car again, I think I’m “bussed out.” Pictures of York and a few of Leeds are right here.

Ode to Roundabouts

I did do a couple of creative bits this month, of course. One is a handful of digital drawings representing the patterns and distinctive things about Milton Keynes, which are in this album. The other, still in progress, is a collection of iPhone notification screen which present you with political and life decisions rather than confirmations of settings. They’re incredibly fun to do, and quite fun to look at on an iPhone (and hopefully even not).

One of my Notifications

The end of February was a handful of lasts and a small bunch of goodbyes and spurts of organizing and planning. I will be couch surfing in Reykjavik for four nights on my way back to the US, and have just printed out the last of my planning materials. I’m down to just a load of laundry to do Monday, and a ride to the train station to confirm for Wednesday morning, and the task of packing. As our weather has gotten to be fabulous (in my opinion) with sunny highs in the mid-fifties, my hikes through the woods have been daily highlights. As for what I’ll be doing when I return to the US… who knows. Hello again, Unknown.

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Entry Twelve: 1-16 Feb: Job Application Madness, Incredible Pain, Lovely London, and The Interview

Posted on February 26, 2012 by unsubtlety

After two days working at the equestrian centre, four days traveling and walking about Berlin, and another two days with the horses, my body gave up and I had a severe episode or relapse with my fibromyalgia. Literal aches and acute pains from head to toe, all over my back and shoulders, and deep into all of my hip, leg, and foot joints. Even laying in bed it was enough to make my eyes water if I let myself think about all the pain signals screaming in my brain from all corners. I couldn’t even think of getting on my bike, and the walk to get groceries certainly took a bit longer than normal. Over the next five days I didn’t do much, a bit of digital drawing/art, booking tickets back to the US, helped a painter with some images for a show announcement, watched it snow, a few more job applications, and an attempted hike on my favorite route through the woods. Terrible idea, though sometimes taking a walk helps. This one certainly did not. Between the snow and the pain, I wasn’t going to be taking my bike to the equestrian centre, so I managed to beg a ride in with people around the studios that week, and just walked back. Getting out made me be in a better mood, but the pain remained bad enough that I didn’t mind too much when I wasn’t able to get in a ride on Mable. I was finally getting enough relief that I jumped on a day of decent weather and took another day trip to London.

My first stop in London was the Horse Guards – they’ve got their own changing of the guard which is much much less attended than the one on the other side of Westminster at Buckingham Palace. The ceremony isn’t as flashy or interesting, but as a horseperson I was fine with looking at the equipment and grooming of the horses much longer than the other spectators. Most of the day I spent at the Natural History and Science Museums, both filled with too many screaming kids but typical London excellent exhibits. The interactive projections in both made me curious how they work. After a late lunch in Covent Garden I spent the evening in the V&A Museum, another gem. I also took in a fabulous hour-long concert by two students at the Royal Academy of Music, who played some classical classics and closed with a chillingly mournful piece composed by someone in a WWII concentration camp. I’m going to miss being so close, and after this trip New York certainly doesn’t do much for me.

Around the end of the first week or so of February, I finished the list of job applications I had compiled since last October. It was odd. I’ve spent so much time and effort and worriment organizing and searching and submitting, it’s strange to not have it hanging on my to-do list. I found another handful, and had those done within a couple of days. But, I still look forward to the prospect of teaching full time – so that seems like a good sign. I also had my first phone interview, and I think it went well. The only question that made me hesitate was the classic “where do you see yourself in five years (other than teaching at a college or university)?” I haven’t thought about this question since 2008, when I was trying to find a different design job and had a couple of interviews. The answer was completely different, and the answer my interviewers wanted was completely different as well. Honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was that I’d like to be magically cured from my painful chronic illness, skipping about and able to do all the things I could do before. I hadn’t quite realized how much it has changed my outlook, even now that it isn’t as severe as it was several months ago. I did come up with a completely true (and I think good) answer about rejoining my colleagues on the international synesthesia conference arena.

Pictures of my London day out are here.

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Entry Eleven: 21-31 Jan: A Bit of Routine and Berlin

Posted on February 26, 2012 by unsubtlety

This month was all sorts of bits and pieces. I think of it as my “gift month,” since I was originally going to leave at the end of January. I continued to work/ride at the equestrian centre a day or two a week, which brought a welcome minor commitment around which to make a bit of a weekly cycle. Being around horses and horse people is like speaking an international language, even given the different terms used for some equipment, rules for safety and the general daily rhythm of horse care are usually quite similar. And a bit of fresh air and some manual labor always seem to do me well.

At the end of January, I took a trip to Berlin to meet the curators and see the gallery where I am to show in early 2013. I decided that if I can’t get a job, I wanted to take the opportunity to get to Germany when it costs just a fraction of the cost of going from the US. All of the travel in both directions went quite smoothly. On my first full day, I set out on foot from my hosts’ apartment in the Kreuzberg neighborhood toward a couple of close museums. My first impression of the city is that it is imposing and serious – and this doesn’t change. It’s not a negative thing, just a stark contrast to the more charming capitals of London, Paris, Belfast, and the older parts of Stockholm. I think most of this is due to the blockiness and relative newness of the architecture, and as I started exploring more things, the sprawl of the city. It’s hard to point to a specific area and call it the “city center”. There’s also a definite American influence and connection, which is definitely a charm-cutter for me.

Brandenburg Gate

My first stop was the Jewish Museum. Both the building and exhibits were thought-provoking experiences. It was like learning about the actual hundreds of years of persecution of the Catholics in British areas (especially Northern Ireland) that only in recent history came to violence, but on a bigger, more violent, and more tragic scale. In both cases, there was a big emigration to the United States, as well. Which made me feel odd to be bred and born in the Land of the Free yet so eager to leave. Next stop was the Berlinische Galerie, sort of a modern art museum dedicated to artists and art that are concerned with, commenting on, or connected to Berlin. I really enjoyed the photography exhibits and a room of Dada works, many of which I had only seen in slide form before. Seeing these things in person still makes them “click” for me – and I thank this reminder experience, as it gave me a good answer during the phone interview I talk about later. On my way to the tourist office to get my travel/discount card, I happened to pass Checkpoint Charlie, which is actually a replica and basically an intersection mobbed with camera-clad visitors. Seeing its location on a map and adding it to the other sites where the wall ran was a creepy sort of meaningful, though. The Brandenburg Gate towers regally and proudly on its plaza, its architecture starkly older than any of its surroundings (built in late 1700s, damaged in WWII like everything else, finally restored in early 2000s). I took a subway train back to get a bite for dinner, then went to an opening at the gallery I came to see – and greatly enjoyed it.

The next day’s exploring began at Alexanderplatz, containing a massive communist-era TV tower, towering over an old church and fountain. Nearby is Museum Island, where I toured a bit on foot and ducked into an old church converted into a sculpture gallery. I eventually got to my intended destination, the DDR Museum, which describes life in East Germany under Socialist rule. In spite of it being incredibly crowded, I spent a bit more time than I had planned and learned much more than I had intended. In looking at all of the “artifacts,” it also seemed like their design aesthetic was about 10 years behind “the West.” My next stop was the East Side Gallery, a bit of the Berlin Wall that has been repurposed into a mostly well-kept line of murals. This also reminded me of Belfast, even though the paintings had a much more diverse appearance. The wall itself seemed much thinner than I would have thought, but as I learned in the DDR Museum, there was much more to it on the East side – guard points, open space, wire fences, even raked sand to catch tracks. Next, I went to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church/Hall. The original old church, left in damaged state from WWII as a reminder of the horrors of war, was covered up for surface cleaning, but the fantastic mosaics inside were well worth the journey out there. I spent a while in quiet in the new tower built beside it, which kind of looks like a square-based honeycomb filled with stained glass, and it was a welcome break from a crowded, bustling day. There’s something soothing about candlelight. When I emerged from the train in one of the northern neighborhoods, a heavy (but fairly short) snow shower and started, and by the time I got to the gallery opening my hat and shoulders were covered. I convinced myself it was magical instead of annoying.

Bauhaus Archive

The snow and clouds were replaced by sun the next day, which slowly began to melt the white stuff. It was a great morning to visit the Reichstag dome, a new glass addition onto the old Bundestag (Greek/Roman-style old parliament building). From the top of the dome, I could see the sun hitting the TV tower in Alexanderplatz and reflecting in the shape of a cross due to the square tile-ish covering of the ball on the tower (which now holds an entire restaurant). It’s called the Pope’s Revenge, since the Socialists renounced religion as part of their rule, but I guess they were too proud of their modernist tower to either change its surface or take it down. I cut through Tiergarten to see the Brandenburg Gate in the daylight and got on the subway to the Bauhaus Archive

As a Bauhaus groupie, I listened to nearly the entire audio guide (excellent for its educational value and honesty about changes and opinions in the school) and enjoyed every bit of this small but very well-done museum. The Hamburger Bahnhof, on the other hand, is massive. It is an ambitious repurposing of an old train terminal, which retains much of the stairs and platform layout, the high arched ceilings, and exterior, yet the inside is art-gallery-white and filled with contemporary art of all types. My left foot/ankle (the one I broke in 2010) is absolutely DONE by the time I get back in for dinner and art chat.

On my last day, I don’t need to leave the city until early afternoon to get out to the airport, so I took in the Deutsche Guggenheim (free on Mondays!). It’s another smaller museum, but it’s curated to a high standard with a reasonable amount of work to really take in without having to spend all day walking about or trying to choose galleries within a bigger museum. After a good lunch in a lovely café, I was off to the airport again for the short flight back. On the budget airline, a lot of the passengers are around my age, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed in their absorption in their smartphones, to the point where they disregarded the instructions to put them in airplane mode and not use them during take-off and landing. Two people near me made calls while we were still taxing. I mean, really? It also took me a good twenty minutes to talk my way back into the UK, even with an official letter from my current residency host. I was told I had to leave in six weeks this time. I guess the fun is over. I forgot about my disillusion with humanity when I arrived back at the farmhouse, saw a fox, and opened the final, complete proof of my second book. And then slept like a rockstar.

Pictures from Berlin? But of course.

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Entry Ten: 25 Dec – 20 Jan: Holidays, Helping, and Horses

Posted on January 20, 2012 by unsubtlety

The holidays did prove to be a bit odd and lonely. On Christmas Day, I took up an offer I had gotten a couple of weeks earlier to join a retired couple and two other family-less ladies for dinner. I opened crackers, read cheesy jokes, wore a paper crown, and sampled the many sausage-based dishes at dinner, played board games, and learned a bit about each of my fellow diners. I stayed up late to chat with my family, and found a nice new walking route that goes through two wooded areas and took a nice hour. I found out that my forbearance on my graduate school loans did in fact process in time, a big relief… not that I like putting off their payment, but I haven’t got a choice.

I approved my Belfast book for distribution to the Amazon database and marketplace! I also made a font that contains the new punctuation symbols that I came up with in my most recent project and began designing a small book to flesh those ideas out. On Wednesday (28th) I found a new trail leading through a fragrantly evergreen part of a wood, across several fields and sheep pastures and ending in a tiny village centre with a church similar to the castle-looking one I found when I first came. I debated instead walking to the equestrian centre that is just a bit too far to walk to/from and spend all day working, given the chance for nasty weather.

My birthday was on the 29th. In an effort to not spend another day in solitary silent confinement, I walked to the nearby shopping plaza and browsed in the thrift and bargain stores. I came away with a spiral art set and travel book on the cheap and a dairy milk caramel chocolate bar. All were quite enjoyable! The next day I just couldn’t get motivated after an uncharacteristically poor night’s sleep. The spiral art set led to a few more hours of creative fun. The 31st was more productive, taking care of some design chores and favors, organizing my room, looking for a used bike, and beginning a careful, laborious digital tracing of my scanned handwriting in order to continue teaching myself how to create fonts from scratch. I made a new mini walking tour of a couple adjoining villages/estates/parishes since a bit of rain has made the already damp woods just mucky. In watching a couple of movies at night, I would have missed the notable midnight if it hadn’t been for the faint sound of fireworks. New Year’s Day held another local foot tour and some videos while resting my bothersome back.

Early in the first week of the year I got permission to give my studio to an interested local artist, reduce my rent, and keep my little attic bedroom for an extra month, staying through February. I continued working on my font and taking hour or more walks most days. One day, when off to mail a residency application, I happened to find peanut butter cups! The weather continued to be fairly mild and usually dry, though the winds have been howling for a week.

On the 8th, I won a local eBay auction on an old town bike. I found a ride to its current home and walked it to a local bike shop, where I got a seat adjustment and tire pump-up as well as a basic lock. I’m mobile! The studio has agreed to buy it at the same low price to have on hand for future residents, so I won’t have to worry about trying to unload it before I go. I got a plastic tub and a set of bungee cords to strap onto the pannier rack, which is stable enough to carry light items when I get groceries and greatly speeds up that task! It also enabled me to get much more quickly into the city centre a couple days later to try on some pants, as my hiking/long walking habit has all but done in a pair of pants I’ve brought along.

I also set up the details of a speaking invitation that I received before Christmas from a creativity magazine/organization in London. However, two days later I was bumped from the lineup due to mistakes on their end. But, the next day I was offered a free place to stay if I could make it to Berlin, so that much softened the blow of disappointment. Having just completed some freelance projects, I decided to make that work, as it’s MUCH cheaper to visit from the UK than the US. I’ll be there from the 26-30th this month! I still have a few places I want to visit in London, so I’ll be making another day trip there in February.

On the 14th, after not getting a response to a phone call for a few days, I rode my bike to the equestrian centre and chatted to the yard (stable) manager. Tuesday (17th) was my first day helping out there. I spend 11-4 on Tuesday and Wednesday helping with chores and lessons for beginners, and on Wednesdays I get to ride! It looks like my mount here in England will be Mabel, a soft chestnut draft sport horse, about the same large size as the Irish draft Thomas, but a bit more laid back about things. We got along quite well.  The stables are lovely old brick buildings, I can’t wait to photograph them. Come Wednesday night I was nicely exhausted from the days on my feet and the strenuous pedaling home (the bike is stuck in 4th gear and I can only move the H-L dial, so inclines are not pleasant!) and went to bed early, letting myself get a much-needed and pain-dispensing 12 hours of sleep.

Over the past 10 days, I’ve been productive in very good spurts, finishing two weights of my handwriting font, wedding stationary for a friend, a web portfolio for another, a few job applications, a few residency applications, the finishing touches on my New Punctuation book, and some freelance work. I’ve had two marathons of TV series during these times, it seems that type of thing might be a muse of sorts! I’ve also spent a couple of evenings being social with a group of young adults I was connected with, and began debating the route I am going to take back to the US. At this point, I don’t want to leave, but hopefully I will be having job interviews… which will be easier to do in a time zone on the same continent, and I will soon need to find a menial type of part time job somewhere. As it is illegal for me to work in the UK, that kind of seals the deal. To be honest, more horse farm work for a few months would be absolutely fine with me, but of course this whole plan is assuming I will get one of the 30 faculty jobs for the fall that I have/am applying for.

Assuming… not something I like to rely upon. Mostly because it’s a distraction from the delightful place I’m in right now.

My growing England album is here and photos of the equestrian centre will be coming soon! Images of the things I’m making for my artist residency are here.

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Entry Nine: 2 Dec – 24 Dec: Adopt, Adapt, and Advent

Posted on December 24, 2011 by unsubtlety

As you can probably tell by my absence of posts, this month has flown by. Now, on Christmas Eve, in a huge old empty and cold house, things seem to have slowed down. Life here has been different, but good. I’m at least half a mile to a bus stop, have to carry my groceries a mile, with no pubs or eateries for a mile. On the other hand, the area is extremely walker-friendly, providing paved paths instead of sidewalks, with underpasses and bridges to avoid all roads. Plus, there are woods with paths and access to long trails for horse and bike riders as well as walkers. I look forward to my few miles a day that I cover most days of the week. I am very much enjoying being out of the city in spite of the sharp decrease in convenience, but I don’t have the money (or reason) to travel about the area or go out to eat.

I am very much missing my access to horses, though. The closest place is two miles away, and it wouldn’t be worth taking a bus because it would only cover about ½ or ¾ of a mile, especially for the cost of two rides. There’s a possibility that I may be allowed to stay through February (instead of just January), and if that works out I’m going to try to find a bike and look into getting out there. Four miles of walking a day is no problem, but not if I’m scheduled on a winter day with terrible weather and no other way to get there.

As far as the US, I am still missing my cat, and now the freedom that my car provides. And while I am glad to have the opportunity and the fortitude to be away for the holidays, I will miss the home comforts of Christmas on the day. I have an invite from an older couple who I met at a village church carol service, so I’ll have a bit of fellowship tomorrow.

The highlight of my stay – other than the walking trails – is my trip to London on the 22nd. I went to two museums I didn’t have time for on my visit earlier this year, Tate Britain and the Design Museum. I took a fabulous tour which just happened to be starting a couple minutes after I entered the Tate, lead by an incredibly excellent guide who have us context and interpretation on the highlights of the room containing the oldest paintings in the collection. I could have stayed there all day, and looking back wish I’d stayed longer. There was a bit of a walk, two tube rides, and another long walk to get to the Design Museum, so I left after checking out a few other rooms of art. The Design Museum was surprisingly small, but the exhibits were very well done, thought provoking, and filled with interesting stuff. There were also fantastic views of the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge on the riverside walk to and from.

My first Christmas-themed stop didn’t pan out at the Barbican Centre, as it didn’t start for a couple of hours (which didn’t match with the information I had found online). So, I went on to Covent Garden, which is normally a market building and a fun walk-through, but this time of year there’s even more food stands, lots of street performers and musicians, and even bigger crowds. I got a crepe in one of the cave-like eateries in the lower level (amazing), and a couple other smaller things from street-level stands.

Next stop, Trafalgar Square. Filled with hundreds of people around the blue-lit fountains, simple tall skinny tree, Olympic countdown clock, steps of the National Gallery, and surrounding plaza, each hour from 5-9 for several days provides different musical entertainment. When I was there, they were groups from or representing particular charities. While they sang, other volunteers circulated through the crowd taking donations and offering song sheets. Most people sang along to the familiar songs, and the combination of that with the donating of coins created an atmosphere of Christmas spirit you could almost wrap around your shoulders.

My last stop was the “Winter Wonderland” in Hyde Park – I don’t recommend it at all. It was part carnival, part lame “market.” It was disgustingly overcrowded on such an unseasonably warm evening. Some of the lights were nice. I had another market on my list as an alternate, and am regretting not taking a bit more time to get back to Southwark to try it instead. Next time!

I made my way back to the Euston station to get a train back around 9pm, about 12 hours after I got a bus in to the Milton Keynes station. I got my return train ticket plus unlimited bus and tube pass through Virgin Trains, and as a bonus, you can get trains that don’t stop between MK and Euston. That’s only about 35 minutes on the train – amazing. I can’t wait to come back.

Here’s pictures from my trip to London and here is my England album

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Entry Eight: 26 Nov – 1 Dec: The Actual Book and Departure

Posted on December 3, 2011 by unsubtlety

First of all, THE BOOK IS DONE, BEAUTIFUL, AND FOR SALE! I would love to give you all a signed copy, but as a hobo, my checkbook doesn’t allow it. There’s no pressure to buy, it’s just quite exciting. That’s what the capital letters were for, not a forceful statement.

Finally getting to hold the printed copy, even though the first proofs printed one page off, was unreal. I nitpicked it and made some small changes to make the next ones print even better. I should get those any day.

On 1 December, I traveled from Belfast to Milton Keynes. Everything was on time and went smoothly, with two… “incidents” that I perhaps should have seen coming, but nonetheless didn’t. The ferry was much more than I expected for a two hour trip – two little café lines, a huge expanse of comfortable seats around tables, a shop, even a few Christmas trees. I had hoped with fairly calm winds and being on such a big ship (it was big enough to carry several vehicles below) that I would be okay with motion sickness bracelets that I use on buses. I also never got around to finding and buying drugs. Within about 40 minutes I just decided to sit near the bathroom. I had noticed that if I stood up, it was slightly better, but was starting to move to the sweating and feeling short of breath stages beyond nausea, so I went back out onto the open top deck, found a place more or less out of the whipping wind without smokers, and had a very scenic and settled end to the ride.

When we landed in Wales, I was a suspicious person to the border agency. With a purpose to hard to describe and with all countries clamping down on immigration to save jobs for their own people, I was investigated for nearly 40 minutes. Looking back, if I’d taken the longer route through Scotland, never leaving the UK, I probably would have been okay, but I’d cut through the Republic of Ireland instead. They didn’t like the looks of my battered copy of the sponsorship letter from my time in Belfast, or the typos in it (that I had nothing to do with). I ended up having to show them a bunch of emails as a way to prove where I was going. What if I didn’t have a UK cell phone? And an iPhone capable of bringing those emails up? Let’s not think about that. The border agency guys weren’t ever rude, and I understand their concern, but it still wasn’t a very comfortable situation. They let me go with just 10 minutes to spare until my train left. Ultimately, I arrived at my new home on time. It’s rustic but comfortable, and I’m looking forward to the next couple of months–but more on that later.

I’ll end this post with the retrospective essay I wrote for my time at Digital Arts Studios in Belfast. While this was required of me for their records, it was a brilliant exercise that I need to keep doing every so often. Until next time, enjoy!

I came to Belfast recently graduated with an MFA and having completed a one-month residency in the US, beginning a new career (the first having been graphic design). I wanted to incorporate my exploration of this new and exciting city, so brimming with recent history, into whatever work I ended up creating. I had tirelessly pursued international residencies; I was tired not necessarily of the US, but the sameness in which I’d lived my entire life. I had left my design career while I was still moving steadily up the ladder, tired of sameness. I moved a couple hundred miles from the region where I’d grown up, gone to college, and worked, tired of the sameness. Whatever I was going to do in Belfast, it wasn’t going to be about sameness.

It was certainly going to be about synesthesia. Nothing in synesthesia is or even can be about sameness. This neurological quirk is about the consistent, involuntary combining of sensations normally considered to be separate. Personally, I get impressions of color, shape, and movement in my mind’s eye when listening to sound and especially music. Pain appears to me in specific hues on a map of my body. Many concepts have visual identities–some combination of shape, form, and movement–as well as certain strong and distinct emotions. As I learn more about synesthesia and meet more synesthetes, we realize new manifestations. One of my more recent self-discoveries is the consistent personality traits that colors exhibit. Like many types of synesthesia, it can be useful when picturing maps and remembering places. Naturally, this was a good fit to draw upon in Belfast, and the residency was a perfectly timed opportunity to explore this gift.

When I came to this realization about 10 days into the residency, the work took off. Using photographs from my explorations, I chose the locations that stuck me as symbolic, historic, and showing a unique type of spirit of the city. I left out anything that seemed too touristy or otherwise without a meaningful legacy as I continued to research Belfast’s social and political history. When drawing each of these things, I applied the coloring that most suited each item’s reputation, story, and character by matching the personalities that I synesthetically perceive when describing different hues. For traditional instruments, I drew upon my synesthetic perception of color when hearing sound. The final set of drawings includes 19 significant features, buildings, and locations that I assembled into a book in PDF and Flash versions titled Belfast in My Colours: A Synaesthetic Exploration of My Temporary Home. As a compilation, I wish it to be a small example of the ways mental imagery and perception, while experienced by all, are very different for each one of us. It is these differences that make each of us our own, and this book is a bit of me. This project proved to be a pleasing, goal-exceeding process and product, especially when I was able to self-publish it and ultimately when I held the completed bookstore-quality print in my hands.

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Entry Seven: 16-25 Nov: The Book and The Talk

Posted on November 26, 2011 by unsubtlety

It only took a couple of days to finish the layout of my book, now titled “Belfast in My Colours: A Synaesthetic Exploration of My Temporary Home.” Everything has happened and come together so smoothly, it’s almost unbelievable. Over last weekend I sent out a copy of the book to some trusted sources for comments and mistake catching (thanks!) and took a bit of a break from staring at it myself. Of course, that meant still staring at a computer, searching for jobs and residencies. But, anyway…

On Monday I was finally able to book my travel through to my next destination, Milton Keynes (about 50 miles northwest of London). In order to save money and fuel, and to see bits of Ireland, Wales, and England, I’m doing a Rail & Sail. I’ll go by train from Belfast to Dublin, than cross the Irish Sea in a quick ferry, landing in Wales at Holyhead. Two trains later, I’ll be in MK. It’s certainly not saving time, it’s a 12 hour journey, but I’m game. And it’s a good thing I’m departing next Thursday and not Wednesday as I’d considered, because there’s a massive government employee strike planned for Wednesday, including all transport branches, schools, and more.

Back to the book – this past Wednesday I presented my it project to a handful of excellent staff and guests at DAS. It went extremely well. The whole book was well-received, including (and perhaps most importantly?) by the Belfast natives there. I was strongly encouraged to send it to print. It was an idea I’d flirted with, but not felt I could afford. I was given some suggestions on vendors, and, in a surprisingly quick amount of time and the help of lulu.com, I’d self-published it. Published. ISBN number, barcode, and everything. I’m eagerly awaiting my proof copy now, and then it will be available to buy online like any other book. Unreal.

Of course, as soon as I know it is printing right and of good quality, I’ll post the link! Maybe I’ve finally made a bit of artwork that could sell? I’m not into the commercial aspect, but creating something that could be in the libraries and museum stores here as a way to appreciate and promote Belfast would be grand.

Until the printed copies are ready to go, here’s the project page for the book on my website. Click on the image of the cover to flip through an electronic copy. Enjoy!

Also this week, Thanksgiving and Black Friday happened in the US while things proceeded as normal here in the UK. While it was a bit odd to not have turkey and family time on the last Thursday of November for the first time in 28 years, I could not have been more thrilled to be an ocean away from the day after. It’s a celebration that I can’t appreciate. When I told the members of my After Effects workshop (motion graphics and compositing software) (definitely a great three evenings of learning) about it, there was a great mixed reaction of slight disbelief, eye rolling, and laughter. It was wonderful. (And uplifting to be on the outside of American situations looking in, especially ones that I consider to be ridiculous.)

While I’m looking forward to my next creative adventure in England, it wasn’t until the past couple of days when the book publishing happened that I could really feel like I’d accomplished something here in Belfast and that I’d actually been here working for two months. It would be nice to have time to promote the book here, but hopefully the magic of the internet can help me do that from across the sea.

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Entry Six: 8-15 Nov: Sectarian Streets and The Book Begins

Posted on November 15, 2011 by unsubtlety

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
My excursion this week was to take short trips into the two most sectarian neighborhoods in Belfast. They were each certainly the most grim things I’ve seen since I arrived. A variety of quite creatively menacing fences lined most things, and barbed wire was as plentiful as it is in livestock fields. There were several empty lots, some still full of rubble; a few had signs to the effect of “this land has been reclaimed.” While it didn’t have the excitement of my other explorations, it was an incredibly important thing to do, having lived here for two months and been interpreting my experiences in my artwork.

Falls Road is the Republican/Catholic/Gaeltacht neighborhood. Politically, they’d prefer to be part of the Republic of Ireland (or “the South”), and you can tell by the complete absence of the Union Jack and several large Irish flags. As a Gaeltacht, Irish is taught and used and most signs are bilingual. In some cases, It’s the primary language, and English is  second-billed. There are dozens of murals commemorating heroes and those lost in wars, hunger strikes, bombings, conflicts with the British army, or underdog figures like Che Guevara. They were all obviously looked after very carefully. Since I was already in a bit of a macabre mood, I took a walk through a massive cemetery, full of a variety of big celtic crosses.

Shankill Road, just to the north, is the Unionist/Protestant neighborhood. Politically they favor remaining part of the United Kingdom, and you won’t see the green, white, and orange Irish flag anywhere, but rather a haze of Union Jacks. There didn’t seem to be quite the number or zeal of murals in the area that I saw, but they were equally well-kept. I could see the Peace Wall from a couple blocks away, but had the strong feeling of not wanting to go any closer. Any gates in it have been open for about 10 years, but its presence is enough to be foreboding.

Why yes, I did take a few pictures, they’re in the album with the cathedrals.

On a bit of a brighter note, I began the compilation of the drawings I’ve been doing as my art/design work during residency at DAS. I ended up with 19 final drawings. I started a couple more, but as I went, it became clear that they didn’t fit with the rest, they were either too “touristy” or somehow more superficial than the others. I’m still loving the cover design, which is a good sign, and am really looking forward to laying out the insides when I get to the studio tomorrow – another fantastic omen. It will, at minimum, be a PDF book, so I will probably make it available here. Stay tuned! Here’s the album.

It’s hard to believe that my time here is really coming to a close. While I have really been enjoying living here and would gladly stay in a favorable situation, I am looking forward to heading to England and being part of an artist-run organization. More on that, I’m sure, as the end of the month happens.

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