A soon-to-be college graduate scours the streets of Austin, Texas, looking for a deal. A deal on shoes. The recent trend of kitten-heeled or wedge shoes made it possible for the said graduate (me) to drink a bit and still dance the fuck outta the night. These shoes fit the bill-too uncomfortable to wear for a full day but fantastic enough for the poorly-lit dance floor. They cost me four whole dollars, that is two dollars a foot! How could something so complicated be worth so little and what could that mean for our society? Did the person who created these shoes get more for them, beautiful wonders that they are? I can only hope so.
Time in Austin was key in development but one thing I hadn’t truly learned during my university experience was to create. At a liberal arts college with a ginormous fine arts program I learned so much about process, history and analysis of art. My eyes keener, hands sharper and brains addled after four years, I still knew nothing about creating or what that meant in daily life. My goal was to consume and be consumed. So my work suffered; pithy lines on insincere parchment.
Four years later, I know the value of a day and hours, even minutes key in its foundation. Maybe the concentration of this new town I live in, White River Junction, breeds a creative fervor in its inhabitants. Without the call of a mall or movie theater in walking distance, we often resort to making our own fun (as the saying goes). All I know is my friends and loved ones are all driven to do more, be more than a paycheck or a smear on the wall after the rolled up paper of life smacks them. That need to consume is still beaten into our skulls by advertisements and even psychologists. Buying a new outfit can temporarily provide the body with endorphins and simulate happiness!
To hell with that I say. Create something instead. Take clothes you already have and staple ‘em, stitch ‘em together, bleach ‘em, color ‘em, anything! Mod something you sorta like and make it yours forever. Tired of the restaurants? Find a recipe on the internet or better yet, a friend and make it! We forget how much joy there is in using our own hands unless it is exchanging money for something tagged or eating off of dishes that are not our own.You need not spend an exorbitant amount on shoes or food or even make your own yet consider your daily choices and live fully. Go from ‘had’ an interesting life to ‘having’ one now because you only get worn out on that dance floor so many times before you’re pitched.
yes yes, i think I’m going to bleach a design on my bleach stained shirt from work today. inspired to create!