In a way it was convenient. There was something to talk about with everyone. Instead of the weather, we chatted about the bleak environs in which we found ourselves. More than a few times we heard folks speculate how they will finally figure out the geography by the end of the week. Four days in this space? Four windowless days of meetings and cafeteria food…

By the end of the day I was tired. Bleary. Confused. So the question becomes:

Why do we make our lives so exhaustingly ugly?

I’m writing this with an eye on the NJ Turnpike; a monument to careless aesthetics. Strip malls, concrete, concrete, asphalt, construction, garbage, tree stumps, cheap nondescript housing, concrete… The trees become an afterthought, rather than the beautiful forest they once made up.

So never mind the fact that we are slowly destroying the planet, because it’s obvious that our view is not longterm. My question is why we don’t take more care to live our lives in beauty? This is something that affects us every day. We could be walking in a world that stimulates each one of our senses: sight, sound, taste, feel, smell.. and probably also the ones we don’t yet recognize.

How can we take steps to walk in beauty?

Well… doesn’t it become mine, too, when I see it on the street? It’s part of my experience, my neighborhood, my environment, my life. It’s a piece of someone else’s puzzle that I find but can’t necessarily fit anywhere.

There’s a story behind every bit of MOOP (Matter-Out-Of-Place) we come across. Maybe not a good story, but that could just be a matter of perspective.

So I pick it up sometimes. I try to limit myself to one piece at a time, otherwise I would drown in it.

Here’s one that came pre-torn. It feels charged with emotion: hope? disappointment? fear? resignation?

Someone spent cash that they probably needed for a gamble that didn’t pan out. In my own experience I remember scratch-off cards as a fun activity at the convenience store. A toy. A treat. Loaded with the promise of money. But if I didn’t win the loss was minimal. It wasn’t my dollar, after all. But those few times I did win… what a joy:)

Now that I think about it, for my mum it wasn’t a risk. It was a distraction. Something to keep me occupied and mystified while we were out doing errands. And from what I know of childcare, that’s worth more than a couple bucks.

I have been developing a more intimate relationship with my garbage, recently. This came about while developing a strategy to frame some small square paintings of mine. I couldhave gone the easy route, and buy cheap ready-made frames that come from China. I took the other road….