these texts are an archive of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area from march 2007 - march 2015. it stands as a record of close to a decade of my life, charting the struggles i faced as an artist, daughter, and lover. messy and chaotic at times, eloquent and poetic at others, these texts are an index i am proud of. it was here in this electric box that i learned how to be honest about my experiences and the person i needed to become. it was here that i first learned the truism that words make the world and how to trust such a beautiful, rife, hard fact.

thank you for meeting me here in such tall grass.


my artist website is here.

Jan 1, 2009

and so it begins...

a brand new year. and i must say, i am so glad to finally see it arrive! i know not to expect miracles but having the ritual, the marker of one year ending and another beginning, does wonders for a person's outlook. it does for me at least. every January first, for as long as i can remember, has been filled with such a sense of possibility and a renewed sense of strength and drive.

though i've rarely participated in the making of resolutions, this year i thought i'd give it a whirl- the first big bad resolution on my long, long list is to blog every day. and that is going to be a feat. how many days go by that i feel too tired or too discouraged or simply too bored to write here? i figure if i force the issue, really make a concentrated effort to use the potential of this space, i'll be a much happier, smarter person next year; and (hopefully) a better writer as well.

other resolutions? tons. most are art related: finishing a new body of work, finding a second gallery, posting new available work at my shop at least once a week, going to all the openings i can, and doing tons of grant writing.

the loftier goals of continuing to learn about (and write) poetry, begin taking photographs again, reading great books, making myself a sweater, learning German, and things like that are part of an endless stream of ever-growing quirky, quaint desires that i hope to finally make time for this year and throw some real energy toward. i've wanted to make myself a sweater for years and just haven't managed to sit down and do it. all those little things that get put on the back-burner, saved for a rainy afternoon in-doors, or are just fun to daydream about, i plan to bring to the fore-front of my life. i've got the time to cater to those things now that one degree is in the bag and it'll be a few more years before i make my way to grad school... so why not? if i don't start chipping away at all my little dreams now, what will become of them? i'd rather spend the time re-prioritizing and begin living a more fulfilled existence than lose sight of the little things that make me happiest.

last night, i worked in the studio from 10pm to 1 am, breaking only to get my midnight kiss. i wanted to end one year and begin the next doing what i value most. it's a wonderful way to ring in the new year. way better than getting shit-faced (in my opinion, anyway).

i hope everyone had a wonderful time last night, remained safe, and felt alive and happy. i'm so excited about all the new art that will be made this year, about stumbling across new artists to admire, about learning and working and wondering. i hope everyone feels the same sense of encouragement and dedication that i feel right now. and feel free to remind me of this feeling in the coming months when i'm worn out, forlorn, and cynical. :) happy new year!

2 comments:

Alanna Risse said...

The shop is coming along so nicely. You are an inspiration to me. I'm glad your new years resolution is one that I get to enjoy. I'll be reading! Happy New Year.

angela simione said...

hi alanna! nice to hear from you!!! thanks so much, i'm trying to take it as seriously as i am able and make it as cool as i possibly can. i'm glad you like it!
and now that i've got a friend tracking my progress and charting my diligence in terms of sticking to my new year's resolution, i'll definitely be keeping on the wagon with it. :)