“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
-Albert Einstein
Life is for complicating. Those who have found the most success have been willing to take risk after risk – never knowing whether each would pan out or fail miserably – and what’s more (and perhaps more important) they have been willing to screw up. Often. Making mistakes is an essential part of life and the human experience. We do not know all the answers, but we can pursue them if we are willing to be wrong, go wrong, do wrong. This is how we learn.
Jarrett Key joined us in August from Providence, Rhode Island. At the time, he had just closed a group show in Chelsea and was in the midst of his last week of another group in Tribeca. He told us that he’d been enjoying picking wildflowers all summer as well as painting them outdoors. His paintings have featured bucolic scenes and black people surrounded by flowers. This new part of his practice in which he picks flowers has made him rethink land stewardship and ownership and has prompted him to invite others to come along and pick flowers with him while he paints them in oils. To hear more about this and other work, listen to the complete interview.
Emily Skillings spoke with us in November. She told us that the last few years have prompted her to often say in emails, “I hope you’re doing ok in the strangeness of now,” a phrase she says has been in her mind often of late. A teacher, she has found this work and the resilience of her students very grounding throughout this difficult period. In terms of her own writing, this time has diverted her mental energy for that work and she is just now coming back to a place where she is moving forward with any poems. To hear more including live readings of her work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Get out there and make mistakes.
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. Jarrett Key was reading Drums and Shadows by Mary Granger. To learn more about the work of Emily Skillings, click here.
Deadlines:
BBA Gallery is accepting submissions for the BBA Artist Prize 2022. This prize is open to artists at every point in their careers, from emerging to seasoned. In addition to cash prizes, selected artists receive exhibition opportunities, an Artsy profile and more. For more information and to submit your work, visit the website. Deadline is February 28.
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.