I'm always excited for "what comes after work." Tonight, it's a visit to Santa Monica Place, the newest addition to the 3SP area. Courtesy of my roommate, I'm attending a Market Preview Private Dinner, complete with a "make-your-own-sake" bar at Ozumo...mmm. SMP has a whole host of events in the works, and if the upcoming ones are as fun as Wine Riot was, I have no doubt this will be competitive with downtown for local foodie exhibitions. But like I said, what comes after work is always lovely on merit that it is not work...how to make the workday tolerable and a little more balanced, considering I can't sit here with a glass of wine while I work on expense reports? (can you imagine...)
As I find myself pretty focused on mastering the quantitative section of a certain impending test these days, I am reminded how needy the right side of my brain can be as well. I'm not talking about a desire to be "art smart;" that is, I don't need my artistic acumen level to rise as my analytical one does. I don't suddenly feel that I need to take up the jazz flute or fingerpaint with Christo, just because it's been awhile since I enjoyed a museum in person. I think it's more that I am noticing how design and music are tremendously accessible to me--and in small doses, undetectable to "the management"--as I sit here deciding which shade of grey to fill my spreadsheet cell. Asa wise person once said people in offices everywhere, at every second scream, "There must be more than this!" And there is. So I will share what SFW art I've found to indulge in this morning so far.
Use Pandora. Put one earbud in your ear, leave the other one open. This works well for me most days. My Johnny Cash station makes everything right again, and while you're telling me some blah-blah about how to tape receipts on paper, I'm sending you to Folsom Prison in my head.
Every morning I wake up to a personal collection of art, painted, sketched and printed by my mom. She's a fantastic artist, so I am lucky. I need that on my walls. If you aren't so fortunate to have an MMM piece (mine include an oil painting of a cafe she visited in France, and her charcoal figure studies from school), I encourage you to find a piece that makes you happy. I care most about these pieces for pretty simple reasons: they remind me of my mom and home, and I like the colors. It continues to be my belief that art hanging in your home should make YOU happy, and should not be a piece you picked because you think it will be impressive, or is the right shape. Nothing like presumptuous art to blow your cover as someone who really enjoys their own home. That being said, the internets can really provide some great inspiration! I can't write a posting about art without also mentioning my cousin's amazing thesis paintings (thanks A for the post! congrats L!)
This morning I received my daily email from One King's Lane, a personalized home decor discount service. Their offerings usually inspire me to find cheaper versions of their already-discounted designer decor, but today they are offering some really amazing rare lithograph posters that got my gears turning...affordable, too! Lots under $100. And then there's the Hollywood Bowl poster signed by David Hockney that I am eyeing. This is a great source for interior designers, decor-lovers, and people who love home aesthetic in general. I totally recommend signing up!
If you're just looking for a quick vacation from your desk, take a browse through Google's Art Project, which lets you explore museums around the world from your computer, including MoMA and The Met. I bring up these two because this city girl, in all my travels and dealings with NYC for work, have never. physically. been to New York. It makes no sense that I've never quite crossed it off my list:
Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Austin
Atlanta
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Miami
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Toronto
Zagreb
Sarajevo
Frankfurt
Sydney
New York
Paris
That aspiration is another post altogether :) but lucky me, in the meantime, I will Google my way through some galleries and I will go home to Mom's French Painting, loving the city I'm in.
P.S. Check out today's Google Doodle of Martha Graham (all Doodles archived here)...perfect animation!
As I find myself pretty focused on mastering the quantitative section of a certain impending test these days, I am reminded how needy the right side of my brain can be as well. I'm not talking about a desire to be "art smart;" that is, I don't need my artistic acumen level to rise as my analytical one does. I don't suddenly feel that I need to take up the jazz flute or fingerpaint with Christo, just because it's been awhile since I enjoyed a museum in person. I think it's more that I am noticing how design and music are tremendously accessible to me--and in small doses, undetectable to "the management"--as I sit here deciding which shade of grey to fill my spreadsheet cell. As
Use Pandora. Put one earbud in your ear, leave the other one open. This works well for me most days. My Johnny Cash station makes everything right again, and while you're telling me some blah-blah about how to tape receipts on paper, I'm sending you to Folsom Prison in my head.
Every morning I wake up to a personal collection of art, painted, sketched and printed by my mom. She's a fantastic artist, so I am lucky. I need that on my walls. If you aren't so fortunate to have an MMM piece (mine include an oil painting of a cafe she visited in France, and her charcoal figure studies from school), I encourage you to find a piece that makes you happy. I care most about these pieces for pretty simple reasons: they remind me of my mom and home, and I like the colors. It continues to be my belief that art hanging in your home should make YOU happy, and should not be a piece you picked because you think it will be impressive, or is the right shape. Nothing like presumptuous art to blow your cover as someone who really enjoys their own home. That being said, the internets can really provide some great inspiration! I can't write a posting about art without also mentioning my cousin's amazing thesis paintings (thanks A for the post! congrats L!)
This morning I received my daily email from One King's Lane, a personalized home decor discount service. Their offerings usually inspire me to find cheaper versions of their already-discounted designer decor, but today they are offering some really amazing rare lithograph posters that got my gears turning...affordable, too! Lots under $100. And then there's the Hollywood Bowl poster signed by David Hockney that I am eyeing. This is a great source for interior designers, decor-lovers, and people who love home aesthetic in general. I totally recommend signing up!
New York
Paris
That aspiration is another post altogether :) but lucky me, in the meantime, I will Google my way through some galleries and I will go home to Mom's French Painting, loving the city I'm in.
P.S. Check out today's Google Doodle of Martha Graham (all Doodles archived here)...perfect animation!
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