Perpetually Curious

#the100dayproject 20/ 100

From Flickr: Coconino National Forest. Nobody  necessarily wants a fire, but they're actually important to the forest's health.  When studying animal or botanical health, researchers generally talk about the health of the "ecosystem". Dictionary .com offers two definitions:  1. a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment; 2. any system or network of interconnecting parts, as in a business. "Ecosystem" is a relatively recent word, only dating to the 1930s. Before that, everything was just a "system": "an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole." Seeing an ecosystem-- interconnected elements/parts/organisms-- is challenging. In recent arts attendance research, barriers to attendance are discussed, but there is little evidence that any changes are being made by organizations with this new knowledge. The few ...

I got the unexpected chance to catch up with my college chums Jared Axelrod and JR Blackwell when they were back in NC for a weekend visit in Greensboro.  Jared holds his comic book  "The Adventures of Comrade Cockroach" Jared and JR, in addition to being some of the coolest people ever and a very dynamic couple, are both professional artists. By professional, I mean they are earning a living from their art.* They were in Greensboro to talk about building artistic careers after graduating from college. They had 4 main points, all of which I heartily agree with. They work for any artist regardless of discipline (JR is a photographer, Jared is a writer and comic book artist). 1. Don't be afraid of 30. There is only way to gain experience in life: living it. Every year or decade brings with it innumerable opportunities to learn. Building a body of work takes time. JR quoted a colleague who said, "It takes 10 years of working and putting your art out ...

Finishing up the reading!