Art and Auto Repairs
Sigh. . .
I had to take my artistic ambition down a notch and therefore will NOT be entering into four shows within 2 weeks. Though it would have been very difficult for me to actually physically produce the amount of new pieces necessary, not to mention preparing updated artist statements, resumes etc, I could have accomplished at least 3 of them if I'd really set my mind to it (of course, nothing else in my life would have been accomplished, including but not limited to socializing, eating, laundry, dishes, cooking, or housework of any kind) but what's really interfered for me is that entering shows costs money. Each one can cost anywhere from $30 to $50 just to submit everything and of course there is no guarantee that my work will get chosen. If you also add onto it that pieces need to be displayed in some way, then there is the cost of getting frames, mattes, etc and the cost can go up considerably depending on what is needed.
This week, my car's transmission decided to give me a little trouble. K and I had been going back and forth as to whether we wanted to sell the car now or later. We decided to wait to sell it until the end of the summer. Then on Tuesday, while driving back from class, my car started to jolt, I had to really press the gas to get the car to move at all and the engine light came on. So, I spent a good portion of Wednesday afternoon going first to a mechanic and then to a transmission place where I was told that the problem was probably covered by the warranty, shouldn't I just take it to the dealer to have them fix it for free? So, the following morning (Thursday) K and I got up very early to drive the car out to Natick and just minutes after we'd left with the loaner car, we were informed by phone that the problem was, in fact, not what the transmission guy had said but something else NOT covered under warranty, which would cost us about $400.
Nice.
The interesting thing that came out of this was the discovery of the first mechanic that I went to. I hadn't established any loyalties with any mechanics so when the car started giving me problems, K did an online search to try to find someone with good reviews. He found this place in Cambridge owned by this Lebanese artist/ spiritual seeker/ mechanic that had really positive reviews overall. The place is hidden behind a movie theatre in North Cambridge and when you walk in you realize that only half the garage is actually a garage, the other half is an art gallery. When I walked in, I saw it was just him and his assistant. That's it. Nobody else actually works there.
He was on the phone but acknowledged me and as soon as he was off the phone he said, "How is your day going, my dear?" He then told me he would help me in just a second but in the meantime, to sit down and have some tea. He poured me a cup of tea, showed me to his little arrangement of chairs that sit in the middle of this sculpture garden of sorts ("garden" is perhaps a bit of a misnomer, it's still in a garage) and said, "Just relax. There is no rushing around here."
So, I sat and read the book I had with me and when he came back, he asked me what was wrong with the car. I explained it to him, handed him the keys and started to get up but he insisted I stay sitting down. Like I mentioned before, he wasn't able to fix the car due to the specialized nature of the problem but he didn't charge me anything for the diagnostics and he wiped down the windshield and al the windows.
He asked me what I do for a living and I told him, "I'm a counselor, yoga teacher, massage therapist-in-training and artist."
He smiled and asked, "What kind of art do you do?"
"I'm a painter. And I draw, too."
"What kind of things do you enjoy painting?"
"From my life, my experiences."
He nodded and smiled and then said, "Keep your other jobs. The art, that will make you happy but it won't make you money. Make art to be happy." Then he added, "Our experiences are what make us different from each other. If we all had the same experiences, we'd all be pretty much the same. That is interesting that you paint from your experiences."
And in a very Frida Kahlo way I responded, "That is what I know best."
The assistant mechanic, who'd been silently working on another car just a few feet away laughed out loud.
Before I left, I managed to take one of his cards. Here's a link to his website, I think some of you might find it interesting: http://www.mrkart.com/mahmood/index.html
Here's a link to the reviews that led me to him: http://www.yelp.com/biz/aladdin-auto-service-cambridge
I decided that I will be much less discouraged in the future to deal with car problems if I have the privilege to visit him in the process. I've always been really bad about taking sufficient care of my car because I hate going to auto shops.