“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
-Leo Tolstoy
Change begins within us. We cannot move forward in the world and create change unless we are willing to do the work to change those things within us that perhaps we do not even see. It takes the courage to look, with raw honesty, at the gaps in our sight and our knowledge both of the world and of our own perceptions. Every one of us carries things that are invisible to us, that we have simply held for so long that they no longer make their presence known. Whether small habits or sweeping beliefs, it takes the willingness to step back, be honest with ourselves and see these things anew.
Robert L. Straight has been in the studio quite a lot since the start of the pandemic. Presently the painter is creating 16″ x 22″ works on paper. When he began, the works were made up of interlocking circles but as time went on the paintings became much more free and about color. He has also, for the first time, used a word in a painting. This time for him has been a great chance to experiment without any outside pressure. Previous works were shaped paintings on wood and foam. These were based on his upbringing in California and an interest in surfing, including the structure of the surfboard itself. To hear more about his past work as well as his current series, listen to the complete interview.
Jason Bayani is a writer, organizer and artistic director of Kearny Street Workshop, the country’s oldest multi-disciplinary Asian Pacific American arts organization. Bayani is the author of Locus (2019) and Amulet (2013). After writing Locus, which was part of a larger and very involved project, Bayani fell away from writing for a time. Now with the pandemic and social uprising, he finds himself questioning where he wants to go with his work, what his place is now and what he can contribute. His work as an organizer is critical now and Bayani feels a strong pull to show up for his community. To hear more about his work in all roles as well as further discussion of how the author sees his place in the times we now find ourselves in, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Look inward with the eyes of another – seek out those things you cannot see and pull them into the light.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Locus by Jason Bayani was published by Omnidawn. Amulet by Jason Bayani was published by Write Bloody.
Deadlines
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) invites artists to apply for their quarterly Fiscal Sponsorship. This initiative is intended to help artists raise funds, find new audiences and discover more resources to develop their work. Applicants must submit a minimum budget of $15,000 along with a plan to execute their project. For more information, visit the website. Deadline for this quarter is June 30.
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.