“It’s a waste of time to think that if you colored a painting red what might have happened if you painted it black.” -Yoko Ono
Here we stand, for better or for worse. The past is done and cannot be undone no matter what we wish may have happened differently, or how we wish we may have behaved differently. The only way we can go is forward, learning from the past but not able to repeat it and endeavoring not to dwell on it. We make decisions, thousands of them, every day that inform each moment, shaping and reshaping the path before us. There isn’t time to wonder how life might look different if we had made another choice, only to learn from those choices we did make and use them to inform how we continue on.
Andrea Giaier spoke to us from Kathmandu, Nepal where she teaches art at an international school. When we spoke in May, she was on day 59 of lockdown and had moved her teaching online. All other foreign residents had left so Giaier was the only person remaining in her building at the time. Before moving to Kathmandu, Giaier lived in Portland, Oregon but taught art remotely to students in Vermont and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This experience served her well when school went online due to the pandemic, though she says the experience this time was a bit different. For their final projects, Giaier’s students worked alongside the music teacher and students. Music students created a phrase of music and art students created work in reaction to those phrases. To hear more about this and how Giaier’s own work ties in with that of her students, as well as her thoughts on the future of online education, listen to the complete interview.
Caveh Zahedi also spoke to us in May from New York City where he lives and works. At the time, he was working on the third season of a show he’s been involved with for many years as well as writing a book titled The Autobiography of my Autobiography. His show, produced for BRIC TV is called The Show About the Show. In it Zahedi discusses what happened behind the scenes while making the show and uses that as the basis for the script for each episode. The arc of Zahedi’s career has been rather unusual and his often autobiographical work has evolved dramatically over the years. He believes things happen for a reason and has never been afraid of using his own life and his own pain, examining them closely to create his films. To hear more about the book Zahedi is working on, the evolution of his film making and more, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Don’t waste time on what has been – time is precious – use it to focus on what is and what may be.
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. Andrea Giaier recommends A Big Important Art Book (Now with Women) by Danielle Krysa. Caveh Zahedi was reading Foucault in California by Simeon Wade.
Deadlines
Ridgefield Guild of Artists is currently accepting entries for the 43rd annual juried show. This is a flash opportunity as the deadline is fast approaching. All regional artists are invited to participate and there is a small fee for entry. For full details and to submit your work, visit the website. Deadline is August 23.
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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.