It is not quite 9:00 am, and I have already done my morning routine of meditation and exercise, walked into town, bought basic groceries which should last me awhile…
and now I’m here at the computer ready to do some writing.
This is the excerpt, which I mentioned in the prior post, from Kim Suhr’s new book, Close Call. It is from the final essay in the book, Eradicated. I loved it and had her send me the file to share with my calligraphy class and here.
Dr. Bells, the “I” in the scene below, has come to one of the last “Artist Colonies,” a place where creatives are quarantined from the rest of the public because they suffer from “Artism,” in a world where creativity is seen as a mental illness and must be eradicated. He is a researcher and wants to see the last of the creatives before they go extinct, “like the glaciers.” Working on his notes one night, he notices that he has–without realizing it–created (yes, CREATED!) illuminations in his notes and one of the residents/patients, Elizabeth, takes him down to the community art room to ink it. (They allow artists to create all the art they want–but it is incinerated rather than going out into circulation, presumably without their knowledge.)
I took the pen in hand and bounced it a couple of times to acclimate to its mass compared to the pencil. I practiced for a time before settling in. I wrote, ‘The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs.’ Where had that sentence come from? The ink glided onto the paper with a satisfying sweep. Elizabeth found an extra small nib for the tiny outlines on my embellishments, and I used the magnifying glass on a stand to put in the finishing touches.
When I finished, I held up the last sheet and couldn’t help myself. “Lovely.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Absolutely lovely.”
I couldn’t leave the pages there to dry, but they would smear if I moved them.
“I know.” Elizabeth found containers of paint and small tubs of clay to weigh down the corners. “Here.” She handed me a piece of cardboard. “Fan.”
She moved her own cardboard just above the papers kicking up enough wind for me to feel it on my face. It felt like summer. I started to fan, too, and noticed the ink drying. The places where it was dry were slightly lighter than the wet spots. Before long, the four sheets were completely dry.
Elizabeth looked pleased. “There, now you can take them back to your room and finish your article or chapter or what- ever you’re writing.”
“A bit of each.” I carefully stacked the papers alternating horizontal and vertical just to be sure they didn’t smear. “It’s silly, though. I’m the only one who will see these.” My manuscripts would be sent electronically, of course.
“It’s not about who sees it, silly,” Elizabeth said as if she was talking to a nine-year-old. “It’s about who makes it, how it makes you feel.”
“But—”
“Well, of course, it is important, inspirational, informational for the viewer even, but everyone here will tell you they’ll keep making art whether anyone else will ever see it or not.” She paused long enough to make me uncomfortable. “We make it even though no one will ever see it.”
I was supposed to conclude she was talking hypothetically, but I knew if I met her eyes, they would confirm that she knew exactly what became of all the artwork created in the colony. Nothing.
She took my chin in her hand and tipped my face up, so I had to look at her. “We make it anyway. Maybe that makes us insane.” She smiled. “Maybe not.”
Today at 1 pm I have the appointment with Austin MacCauley Publishing. Hope I get it right this time.
At 5:30, I’m going to Lesley’s house for a neighborhood party. It will be great to meet everyone. I am going to experiment with Natalie’s Instant Air Fryer and make Sweet Chili Chicken Wings.
This is to answer the question “What do you DO all day?” It is my general daily schedule.
7-8 Coffee/Emails/Heather
8-9 Meditate
9-11 Exercise/Walk/Shop
11-2 Calligraphy (Podcasts/Books)
2-4 Paint/Write
4-5 Spanish Class
5-7 Cook/Knit/Netflix
7-9 Read
So, way ahead of schedule. That’s what happens when one gets up at 4 am. Still adjusting I think.
Right now I’m going to make yogurt and then get to my calligraphy.