“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.” -Rainer Maria Rilke
This is about those moments of lucidity, when all things feel possible and the universe pours from the tips of your fingers and the ends of your hair. This is about the days when everything falls into place, when you step into a groove and stay there until the light has faded. This is about feeling the balance of all things, catching the rhythm of the day, moving effortlessly through time.
Ian Weaver spoke to us in October from South Bend, Indiana where he teaches at a small college. Throughout the pandemic, he’s found teaching difficult, but he is fortunate enough to currently be on sabbatical, which allows him time to be in the studio. In terms of his art, he’s been able to use the pandemic to his advantage, using his on-campus studio to create more art than he may otherwise have been able to. Weaver is currently preparing for a solo exhibition at Fort Worth Contemporary Art in fall 2022. To hear about Weaver’s work, the influence of his upbringing in Chicago – including the decimation of the community in which his mother grew up – and more, listen to the complete interview.
Christopher Kondrich spoke to us in October. The pandemic impacted his domestic life within the walls of a small house where he lives with his spouse and small child. LIke many, he struggled for distance and space. Kondrich was fortunate to spend time at the McDowell Colony over the summer and discovered some things that have sustained him creatively since. He is presently working on a new manuscript following the release of his book Valuing in 2019. To hear more about this and Kondrich’s other work, including live readings, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
This is about those days when it all just works.
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 is here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Ian Weaver is reading In the Wake: On Blackness and Being by Christina Sharpe. Valuing by Christopher Kondrich is available through University of Georgia Press.
Deadlines:
The StudioWorks Artist-in-Residence Program at the Tides Museum of Art (TIMA) invites artists to apply for residency. This opportunity is open to U.S. and international artists and is intended to deepen and develop their practice within a community setting in the far-flung coastal Maine town of Eastport. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is February 1.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis 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. His book, Making it in the Art World, is available now with bonus content here.