every child is an artist...25 june 2008 gratitudes

"every child is an artist...the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up". pablo picasso.

1. had breakfast with my darling amy merrick. she shared this beautiful manuscript of diary entries from her great grandmother that she and her mother unearthed while at her family home in new hampshire. my word, i could have listened to her read these stories to me for hours! what a way to start the morning, hearing a young girl's world read to you by a dear friend. i felt like i was listening to louisa may alcott retelling little women to me.

2. had a moment of dyslexia when looking at the schedule and realized that my day off was today! oh i was so happy, like coming to school on a forgotten holiday, and then getting to leave.

3. ran into the president of the company on the street as i was leaving work. he has been so kind to me, and all of the savannah kids. we are still bewildered that we are here in new york; working where we are; living our lives like this. he has taken such good care of us and we all are still stunned by it all.

4. collected my sweet pete cooney for an adventure in the city!

5. found a book on joseph cornell at the new museum on the bowery. the marionette hot air balloon girl caught my eye and i got goosebumps when i looked at the back of the book. automatic writing sprawled over the page with overlapping words and motifs similar to what i jotted down a few days ago. lord knows automatic writing is a common brainstorming step for artists; it was just so strange to see it staring at me. by chance. in a museum bookstore. i love happy accidents.

6. went to opening ceremony and the new jil sander store. both completely different in concepts, but both like galleries. i love seeing the way stores display their wares.

7. caught up with the sweet cast of characters at opening ceremony. my beautiful and talented friend, madeleine alder-cossitt used to be the assistant designer for the store's in-house label. this store is where i discovered mary ping and gerard tully, two designers and artists i respect and adore very much.


8. dropped off archimedes, my beloved owl ring off to get re-gold plated. i love this ring. it is the most precious ring i own other than my engagement ring. one time, during a window display change at christmas time i thought i had lost it. a full on anxiety attack took over my body until frances pezik prayed to saint anthony, the finder of things lost. hours later, from thin air and no disturbance, i heard the sound of rolling metal on bare flooring...my precious archimedes ring, rolling back and forth under a clothing rack. now who doesn't believe in magic?

9. stumbled upon the alexander wang sample sale. so flipping excited! i have had the pleasure of meeting this sweet boy a few times; and i might be just as in love with him as his clothing. i've been saying for months that i just want some alexander wang pieces, but couldn't afford them. thank the lord new york city has sample sales.

10. went to the galleries in soho like i had planned a few days ago, when they were all closed. oh how i love looking at art! i love the physical reaction your body feels when a piece touches you and makes you feel something inside. some people like to talk about art because it makes them feel smarter. i am magnetized by how art speaks to different people and how it can change a person's mood, outlook, state of being...it can change everything. i am thankful to be in this city, surrounded by art and the people who create it. in georgia, i only had books and professors telling me what art looked like and how i should feel. now i can look at the originals and feel the way i want to feel. and i love that.