Its not New York, it's me.

Travel is an unfortunate but integral part of an artist's life. I say unfortunate only because I am not good at it. Many people I meet love traveling. They can sleep anywhere, take any problems that come their way in stride, and when they return home they share stories no one else has.

I simply haven't traveled enough. I hope the future travel engagements I make, challenge me but fortify me. I feel like I've reached a point in my life where I am too tired to "learn from mistakes" but inevitably, I must. For if I want to live, and have fuel for my work, the reality of mistakes must be acknowledged.

The best paintings I've made are the ones I redid.

As I reside in New York, I have to remember that mistakes happen. New York may be the city that never sleeps but I think a lot of people are sleeping all the time here. It seems people are in a strange daze, so exhausted from pushing themselves all the time, they are permanently in a fog. The fog of speed is dulling, an erosion of the surface like rocks under the waves.

However, the more rest I get, and the more adjusted I become, the more comfortable I am in the fast lane.

Most importantly, my painting has finally gotten to a place where I am proud to open my studio and share my progress. For the first few days, I could barely stand up, let alone get work done in the studio. The discombobulation I faced when I arrived threw me off my feet and only now has my balance been restored.

The sun is out in New York and the warm sidewalk heats my step. Many days and nights I walk alone, but being alone in a city of lonely people is like being an eroding rock under the waves. I will be smooth eventually, and look just like the natives before long.

Welcome to New York

Well, well, well.

I got in exhausted from my ride from Boston around 3pm. I stood in the longest cabstand line in New York after exited Penn Station in searing June heat. The cabbie overshot the mark when bringing me to my residence hall at Cooper Union, so he kicks me out of the cab and I am forced to walk about a block with luggage whose wheels break after a broken sidewalk chews them alive. I finally arrive at the residence hall only to be told the AC in my apartment broke so I've gotta stay in a temporary apartment for a few nights until its fixed. No internet yet, had to wait for someone to set that up.

I collect the boxes of personal items I had shipped to myself beforehand and get to work setting up some key things; bedding, pots & pans, etc. So even though I'm sweaty and starving, I dash to Trader Joes and buy a hodgepodge of groceries. Apparently the Trader Joes and Whole Foods in NYC deal with their customers in a similar fashion to traffic cops dealing with cars. Each customer gets in a lane when ready to pay, waits for a cue to line up and pay for their items, and then is wisked away to the outside world. I'm surprised my food made it out ok.

But I digress.

At 6pm we had a dinner with the other residents. The food was delicious, but one of the last free meals I imagine I'll be getting for a while. The artists seemed terrific, & friendlier than I would've predicted. I suppose I expected a group like this to be filled with artists who wanted to just get to work- not make friends or socialize, but get busy. Also I expected a group to really be after their career status, not so much their popularity amongst fellow painters. But, luckily, I'm wrong.

However, over the last few days, the temporary apartment situation put me in a state of flux I did not appreciate nor cope with very well. Its nobody's fault, per se, but I couldn't help but feel like I could not settle. Also, I am ashamed to say, not having internet was very upsetting. I can't help it. I just needed my internet by my side! Since there is no cable TV here, I suppose I counted on the internet being a great vehicle of relaxation and entertainment. These last three days have been very tough.

However, I am out of the woods, as they say. I feel ten times better about myself and my situation. I am ready to work, and paint. As denoted by this post, I have my internet back, and I feel more like a human being.

Thank you for reading and I hope to fill more posts with observations and experiences in New York, because now, after my broken luggage has been emptied & eyes open wider after resting, I am ready to enjoy New York.