ANALOG ALGORITHM II: Life update, New WIP and the Return of the Woo

Hey, again-

So... A little life update first. I know I haven't posted in over a month. And believe me, it's all my fault. I haven't quite fully regimented writing into my daily routine yet. 

In fact, I've kinda thrown routine to the wind lately to fall more deeply in love with painting (more on that later)

I also had some car trouble a couple weeks ago that resulted in an $1800 fix. So I had to side hustle and try and sell more of my wares to catch up. 

As always, I'm super grateful for your support, attention and care so that I can keep doing this! 

Newest WIP/ Year of the Dragon Print Update/ Catch me at Mirus on March 7th

This is what has me excited lately. This is why I've been throwing routine to the wind and dancing on the waterfall, so to speak. I haven't shared this in awhile and wanted to let you all see the newest iteration before anyone else. If you're interested in owning it, send me a message and let's chat!

Also, I've been working with Spirit Printing Services out of San Diego to bring you a holographic print of Year of the Dragon. It will be released by the end of the month at the latest.

Their prints are incredibly high quality and involve a lot of different layers. We're in contact and I've sent them a layered Photoshop file. I'm waiting on a specific date from them.

As soon as I know, you will have access to a discounted pre-order by being an email subscriber!

I'll also be live painting and vending some prints at Mirus Gallery Denver on Friday, March 7th. So come out and say what's up if you're in the area!

Return of the Woo

*cracks knuckles*

It's ramblin' time

In throwing routine to the wind and riding the waves of life lately, I've come to the conclusion that reality is based on consciousness and that the duality of free will vs. determinism is the wrong way to look at how we make decisions. I've had my affair with scientific rationalism that assumes consciousness must grow out of biology. I've also had my affair with channelers, the commercial 'new age' and gurus that turned out to be pretty terrible people. Both ontologies eventually left a bad taste in my mouth.

First, there's a strange thing to being a human that cannot really be encompassed by any single ideology-Ya get a little Bhuddism here, some Capitalism/Communism dialectic there, a side of psychedelics mixed with whatever is happening in your local community all the way up the media circus ladder and you have... well, I don't know what.

But all those world views have a cage match in your mind until all that's left are the serviceable parts of each one.

But it'd be a bit weird to say, "The theory of everything that I was born into believing nails it." Yet millions of people do.

Second, We're the only species on the planet who manipulate the physical world at a collective scale to suit our needs. Yet we seem to be the only species that can suffer mentally or emotionally over a prolonged period of time (other than maybe the animals we've kept closest to us over the millennia) 

We also have this sense that all of our thoughts are self-authored. That somehow our consciousness has escaped from biology and is immune to the influence of everything around us. Our current brand of viewing the world is based on the Cartesian model, separating the private, inner world of our thoughts and the outer world of nature that is controlled by random particles smashing into each other, or... something. 

But, if you look into it closer, there's no separating ourselves from nature. There's only a "self" for provisional reasons. We're in a big web of dendritic information, processes and the web of cause and effect; where we are both a cause AND an effect... and every single perceived separate phenomenon IS ALSO cause AND an effect. 

Yet, this doesn't mean I get to make claims of channeling the true vision of Atlantis without evidence. Or that because someone says some profound and deeply true things that we should look past their abhorrent behavior. Or that hyper commercialization of anything sacred doesn't make it a bit more profane.

OK. So, what?

The idea of synthesis and the middle way has really been sticking for me lately. I've come to believe that part of maturing is combining seemingly incompatible world views with each other and seeing what is sifted out and what is worth something.

For instance: Part of maturing, for me, is figuring out the balance between the energy boost and state change I get from, say- smoking weed - and not wanting to trip over random shit on the floor of my studio. 

Sometimes that balance is zero weed for years and taking in the content of motivational influencers. I know, I know... cringe, right? 

Other times, I'm cradled in the arms of the mystery, flowing through pigment, emotion, intuition and creating portals into the collective unconscious, unable to find the chalk or remember a good idea I failed to write down.

I think my work reflects these different approaches at different times. There's a part of me that only wants me to go where my most recent thought and desire directs my attention. There's another part of me that wants to impose deep an meaningful images into a painting and not worry at all about flow or improvisation. I think I'm getting closer to striking a potent balance.

The recipe is becoming evermore perfect as the big mystery recedes from ever being fully cooked.

So is this a blog post about moderation? I don't really know but I'm gonna get back to making art and keeping my distance from too much information. It takes a while to mix these ingredients. Stay centered out there, folks!