8 years on

i still find that much of my motivation is related to this experience. As someone who lived/lives life with no particular plan for what is coming next, I remember my cage being rattled by this moment. I was in the studio, in college that morning. someone brought in a radio and said we were under attack,and i remember the moment I said to myself what difference can i make in a world where this happens. I remember going back to the studio that evening to process what had happened and for the first time feeling how incredibly powerless art making made me feel. It was in the following weeks that I cut my dreadlocks, and made a commitment to produce art that was impactful to me and felt more of this time than of the turn of the century. Ironically this desire to connect so sincerely with my time led me to an in depth investigation of the art of other times, particularly the art of the late 60’s in america and the early 70’s in england. For some reason I felt a kinship with these two moments and places. Through this process I have found my own voice and interests. Not least of which is to engage with my audience as directly as is possible. Although I am fortunate as an artist to experience the transcendence that comes from art making on a daily basis, to share some amount of these feelings with an audience is the real gift of making. As I continue my travels over the next year taking my “shtick” on the road, I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to acknowledge one of the profound events in my life that gave me the motivation to commit to art making. I remember reading an article following semptember 11th that said the purpose of terrorism is to terrorise, and disrupt life. I imagine if I had followed my line of thinking after september 11th I might have taken a different path in life, abandoned art, music and expression and figured out what my purpose was in a different way. Fortunately the listlessness and anxiety I felt after September 11th led to a stronger commitment to my studio practice. This is what I think about each year that passes, and I think about this moment as the beginning rather than the end of an era. If the time before September 11th was the age of anxiety, than Post 9/11 is the age of commitment and resolve for me.