Plans are coming together now.
Well, we have hit the Thanksgiving holiday, and I am back home for the first time in about two months. The past month has been hectic as hell, and being here with nothing to do has given me the chance to lay back for a bit and look at things from a distance, and I realize now that a bunch of shit (good shit) is about to go down.
First off, I have options, and plans, and plans to act on those options.
The main one is the one I'm most excited about. Within the last month, banter has been passed amongst me and my friends down at JMU about moving to Chicago at the end of next summer, and that banter is starting to turn into actual planning. The idea was mainly the brainchild of Brady, wherein about 8-10 of us move out to Chicago and lease a warehouse, renovate it, and use it as our work / studio space. The 8-10 people would be 8-10 of our closest friends; Me, brady and Tyler are all already pretty much on board. We've been doing research and found that a fuckton of these spaces are open in more of Chicago's industrial districts.
Not only that though, but Chicago is bidding for the 2016 summer Olympics, and we've found that they are desperately trying to revitalize these areas, so much so that they (the city) are offering grants to people who wish to move into these spots. Imagine 8-10 artists coming in, it would work beautifully.
I know this sounds like a lofty goal, but three of us are on board, we have two who are pretty much committed to the idea, and a host of others more than interested. Me, Brady and Tyler are the type of people who will follow through on anything so long as we're devoted to an idea, and I really think this thing is gonna move forward. Our main requirement is that everyone who moves their must find a job as soon as humanly possible. We've pretty much discussed that the first two things we're gonna do are... 1. Install a toilet, and 2. Go to the temp agency. Your basic cooperative. The goal is to use this space and each other's talents to basically as a collective get each other into the public sphere as far as it concerns the art world.
Basically this idea is something we've all been dreaming of, and we all know it can work as well, so long as we get the right people on board, which we will.
That being said, I know this could easily fail, so I'm still applying to grad schools. I've got a shortlist of four places I'm going to apply. The University of Washington, Indiana - Bloomington, Tyler, and the School of Art Institute of Chicago. I feel confident that I can get into any, or all of these places.
This'll all work out perfectly though. I'll find out if I'm accepted to these places around April - May, and by then I'll know for sure if Chicago is on. Hence, I have numerous options to fall back on. Needless to say, I'm excited as hell right now about the prospects of the future.
As for now, I'm still truckin'. A fluid routine of working and drinking. It's been a fun semester, and it's heading toward a decent ending. I've done two successfull shows, and got a third one coming up in two weeks which I know will go off without a hitch, (I'm working with some good people on this one.) and then I got another show coming up January 25th at George Mason's gallery which is gonna be awesome. (All my Northern Virginia brethren are required to attend!) I applied for a VMFA grant which I feel like I have a decent shot at getting, though I'm certainly not getting my hopes up. Everything's working out right now, and I couldn't be happier.
So that's about it for now. I'll get back on here eventually. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
First off, I have options, and plans, and plans to act on those options.
The main one is the one I'm most excited about. Within the last month, banter has been passed amongst me and my friends down at JMU about moving to Chicago at the end of next summer, and that banter is starting to turn into actual planning. The idea was mainly the brainchild of Brady, wherein about 8-10 of us move out to Chicago and lease a warehouse, renovate it, and use it as our work / studio space. The 8-10 people would be 8-10 of our closest friends; Me, brady and Tyler are all already pretty much on board. We've been doing research and found that a fuckton of these spaces are open in more of Chicago's industrial districts.
Not only that though, but Chicago is bidding for the 2016 summer Olympics, and we've found that they are desperately trying to revitalize these areas, so much so that they (the city) are offering grants to people who wish to move into these spots. Imagine 8-10 artists coming in, it would work beautifully.
I know this sounds like a lofty goal, but three of us are on board, we have two who are pretty much committed to the idea, and a host of others more than interested. Me, Brady and Tyler are the type of people who will follow through on anything so long as we're devoted to an idea, and I really think this thing is gonna move forward. Our main requirement is that everyone who moves their must find a job as soon as humanly possible. We've pretty much discussed that the first two things we're gonna do are... 1. Install a toilet, and 2. Go to the temp agency. Your basic cooperative. The goal is to use this space and each other's talents to basically as a collective get each other into the public sphere as far as it concerns the art world.
Basically this idea is something we've all been dreaming of, and we all know it can work as well, so long as we get the right people on board, which we will.
That being said, I know this could easily fail, so I'm still applying to grad schools. I've got a shortlist of four places I'm going to apply. The University of Washington, Indiana - Bloomington, Tyler, and the School of Art Institute of Chicago. I feel confident that I can get into any, or all of these places.
This'll all work out perfectly though. I'll find out if I'm accepted to these places around April - May, and by then I'll know for sure if Chicago is on. Hence, I have numerous options to fall back on. Needless to say, I'm excited as hell right now about the prospects of the future.
As for now, I'm still truckin'. A fluid routine of working and drinking. It's been a fun semester, and it's heading toward a decent ending. I've done two successfull shows, and got a third one coming up in two weeks which I know will go off without a hitch, (I'm working with some good people on this one.) and then I got another show coming up January 25th at George Mason's gallery which is gonna be awesome. (All my Northern Virginia brethren are required to attend!) I applied for a VMFA grant which I feel like I have a decent shot at getting, though I'm certainly not getting my hopes up. Everything's working out right now, and I couldn't be happier.
So that's about it for now. I'll get back on here eventually. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!