Introspection vs Distraction

Insanity, as we all know, is defined as trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I may be insane. Starting with taking a semester abroad my sophomore year of college, I've been doing the same thing over and over again. Escaping. The monotony of working in a field I have no passion for, the relational drama, the distractions of living a "normal" life always makes me feel uncomfortable. So I feel that I must go out - experience - live. Yet, each time I try something like this, I end up miserable for a period of time. And each time, I've selected a more challenging circumstance or location. Each time, I tell myself, never again. Each time, I look back on how much I learned from the experience. Well, I better learn something grand from this trip, as I think I've outdone myself. Being alone in a foreign country where next to no one speaks your language and there's no set schedule or task list (I do much better with structure...) has been really really hard. I've taken to walking for hours each morning just to get myself out. Today, after my breakfast of champions (burnt "fried" eggs - must get used to this stove), I successfully stomped from one edge of town to the other and back (roughly 5 miles). And without my usual walking companion (zee iPod), there's nothing to distract me. I've also limited my internet streaming most of my time here (except last night when I gave in to 5 episodes of How I Met Your Mother) to rid myself of the normal time wasting distractions. This has led to much introspection. I've never been a person to shy away from alone time, but when it is the only option, it is easy to get overwhelmed with yourself.

When you're alone:

- Time is much more prevalent. For the most part, it does not fly.

- Is there a need to use your vocal chords?

- Thoughts seem to be very self-centered. This is the part that concerns me. While introspection is a good thing, and I have already learned some things about myself (ie as hard as this has been, I am doing it, and I'm doing ok), I tend to think that being too self-involved is awful. However, it is good that we deal with our problems/situations as distracting ourselves (with friends, work, entertainment, etc) will only delay the inevitable. So I'm trying to strike up a good mix of introspection to deal and catalogue my experiences and production and distraction.

- You can let yourself go (a bit, let's not get too carried away with this one)

- What you really want/need is made a bit more clear

- What you have becomes much more dear

For these reasons and others, I've realized (yet again) how important people are to me. And also, how easy we have it in the US.

I know this has been wordy, congratulate yourself with these other things:

- Graffiti I stumbled upon today. Shirley Temple saying "I said no" and the pink figures say "I am a lesbian" and "lesbian power"

- I heard Mambo #5 today coming out of a car - yes, the English version

- I had an empanada from a cafe called Capitan Medialuna - medialuna is the word here for croissant, so this means Captain Croissant. Cute, no?

- I got a new space heater/best friend. Amazing. I put it right by my bed and only had to sleep in one layer. Miracle.

- For those of you who have never traveled outside the US, this image of my bathroom may shock you:

I'm getting quite good at 2 minute showers, as any longer than that, the water turns to ice. Adding that to my life resume....

Finishing up something else

I started this piece over a month ago - figured it was time to continue my experiment with watercolor and add some pen.... So, here's the process:

Something to get us started...

Between to lungs it was released

The breath that carried me

The sigh that blew me forward

Because it was trapped, trapped between two lungs

The breath that passed from you to me

It flew between us as we slept

Slipped from your mouth into mine it crept

Gone are the days of begging, the days of theft

No more gasping for a breath

The air filled me head to toe

And I can see the ground far below

I have this breath and I hold it tight

And I keep it in my chest with all my might

I pray to God this breath will last as it pushes past my lips

I've been wanting to illustrate Florence and the Machine's Between Two Lungs since I heard it. It's so full of imagery. So. Sitting here in La Plata, waiting for some inspiration (which I believe I now have - more on that later), I decided to do it. It's not exactly what I had originally imagined, but what ever is?

La Plata, Argentina

Hola, La Plata! La Plata is the capitol of the province of Buenos Aires. Located just about an hour outside of the city of Buenos Aires, La Plata is near enough to the big city, but also holds its own as a major city. La Plata, much like Washington DC, was highly planned on a grid and diagonal basis. As you can see in the map below, there is a park every 6 square blocks. I'm in the NW region, just a quick walk away from the huge park (bosque - see, I'm learning Spanish) at the top.

Much, again, like Washington DC, there is a central "mall" area. At the end of this mall is this:

Yes, that is a beautiful HUGE cathedral. Yes, I went inside. Yes, it's gorgeous. Tuesday, yesterday, I took an inaugural walk around the city, covered maybe 1/4 of it. It's big, but do-able by foot. There are many beautiful old buildings, much like Buenos Aires. Example 1, the bank pictured here:

The thing I'm learning about Argentina is that it is absolutely beautiful, but not kept up too well. The political climate is ever changing and the money is not necessarily rolling in. So unfortunately, although there are many beautiful buildings, many are covered in graffiti (not the pleasant stuff, but just messages written in spray paint), and many are just falling apart all together. So some buildings look like this:

And have a very ragged looking pony pulling a cart in front of them. I do love this pony.

At the end of my walk, I found a gallery at the Cultural Center at Plaza Islas Malvinas. From what I could understand from the Spanish description, the permanent piece below is commemorating all the missing Argentines from wars. With such a corrupt governmental and military past, there are many of these memorials, unfortunately, of people who disappeared. Don't worry, I won't be one of them.

On my first day here, Rodrigo, one of the men who runs the residency, gave me the skeleton keys to unlock and lock the doors here at Corazon. He speaks very little English, so our conversations have been quite hilarious with my broken Spanish - many many gestures :) Anyway, he said "This is your home now" as he handed them to me. That really hit me. Yes, I'm paying rent here, so technically, this isn't a gift of home, but it was a feeling, that goes along with the coming and parting kiss on the cheek, that this is a warm place. Home. Now, if only it was actually warm inside......

Residencia Corazon

I arrived on Monday to the city of La Plata and, specifically, the Residencia Corazon. This is the entry into the facility, and the gallery:

And the kitchen...this kettle gets used many times throughout the day/night. Note the beautiful mate gourd on the counter that Laura got me :) The mate drinking tradition is a warm thing about Argentina, that along with greeting with a kiss on the cheek, I love. Everyone passes the mate gourd and takes a drink. It's a social tea activity. Beautiful.

And the studio area. To the right is the entrance to the very cute patio - which, I would totally use if it wasn't freezing.

Now with this visual tour, you can imagine me sitting at this bench, with a cup of tea, drawing my heart out. Right?

1 Week/Una Semana

Last week at precisely this same exact hour, I was boarding a plane. I was sweating profusely. I was stressed and under-slept. Tuesday morning came, and I landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A wonderful amazing friend met me with her also amazing boyfriend (and a hot travel mug of coffee) in the airport and swiftly whisked me away to the heart of the city.

Buenos Aires is HUGE. I'm not kidding you. It's crowded and busy, and not at all what I expected. To be honest, I'm not sure what I was expecting... However, I don't feel as if I have a full understanding of the city, so here are some stray observations:

- Traffic signs - and clearly marked lanes - are of no consequence.

- It takes forever to get anything done (ie standing in line at the grocery store for 30 minutes at a slow time is very normal)

- The food is really really good.

- You should know Spanish before going.

- You may just see a dead woman on the street, and it may not be a big deal.

- The weather changes at the drop of a hat.

- The street art is beautiful and plentiful.

- Argentines are very passionate about their politics.

My experiences here have been wonderful, and I will be adding pictures and posts soon.

Today, I ventured to La Plata, where I will be participating in the residency. Today featured a bit of a drive around the city, a short trip to the grocery store, and much much shivering. Old buildings + space heaters = cold places in the winter. So hello MN winter skills, get me some lard and blankets.

Doing.

This past Friday, I visited a highly ranked school of art. My initial motivation for this was to see the facilities and get some one-on-one action with someone of influence in the program. These things were accomplished. This was not all. It ignited a passion inside of me. A passion that leads me to roll my eyes and question why am I doing this. Why? The answer, is, of course, because I need to. Yet, then, as I was so painstakingly reminded when signing into this damned internet site that keeps records of dates and such, why have I not touched a pencil or a brush since April?

Grounding.

So, as a great friend and teacher said: "Shut up and make something" - did I get that quote right, Alonso??

Doing.

I'm in the beginning processes of a collaborative body of portraits (much much more to come of that) but for now, I was recently persuaded to conquer my fear and past failures with watercolor. 6 hours of driving yesterday listening to some inspiring music, I got this image courtesy of Lissie. It's a little rough, but it's a first attempt.