Welcome to Travel Journaling: Final Entry 17-18 November

 I'm combing the last two days since my sister and I are no longer in Antarctica or with our tour group. I didn't get the chance to spend enough time in Santiago and hope to go back soon. 

17 November 2026

Mandarin Oriental 

Santiago, Chile

20:12

C.C. and I slept late and enjoyed breakfast in the club lounge. There was a small miscommunication with our tour, but we started out around 10:20. Our driver, Mo, took us all around the city starting at one of the large parks where we saw black neck swans. Santiago is very clean and well kept with lots of parks. We saw the tallest building in South America called the Gran Torre Santiago. It was hard to miss from anywhere in the city.

Mo told us the history of Santiago - mostly the recent history during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and the growth once Chile returned to a democracy. Roughly a third of Chile's population live in Santiago. They have a thriving financial district and a lot of new architecture.

I think my favorite area was the art district, Barrio Bellavista. An art show was going on outside and its where Pablo Neruda lived. We saw his house (now a museum), but it wasn't open to visit. It sits at the front of San Cristóbal Hill. There is a fine arts school nearby. Plaza Camilo Mori often has music and theater shows outside in the summer. One of the funniest street art displays we saw was a huge Olaf from Frozen on the outside of a ski rental building. 

Mo explained that Pablo Neruda has become a controversial figure in recent years - especially among women - due to his poor treatment of his ill daughter and that he confessed to raping a woman in Sri Lanka. He died at the very beginning of Pinochet's reign.

We passed by the Plaza de Armas and the National Church. We did stop to go inside the church. A service was going on, but we were still allowed to walk around and see the small chapel on the side. They offered virtual candles for 48 hours. 

Mo also told us a bit about Rapa Nui as it's properly called (Easter Island is it's colonized name). The island is now semi autonomous and requires special permits to visit. 

C.C. and I returned to the hotel around 14:20. We had lunch at Senso - the Italian Mediterranean restaurant at the hotel. The pasta was very good, but C.C. wasn't feeling well. We rested in the room after lunch. 

We had tea and desserts in the club lounge, then walked to the huge nearby mall to see the first IKEA in Chile. They have more locations now. C.C. and I walked through and took some pictures. Prices varied on what was or wasn't more expansive than in the U.S. We walked a bit around the mall - it was odd seeing spring and summer clothes out amongst the Christmas decorations. 

We had dinner on the club floor instead of going out. There was plenty of small plate food. We had an early night. C.C. got us a late checkout tomorrow. We plan to leave our bags at the hotel while we visit a few sites around the city. C.C. got us lunch reservations at a place Mo recommended. 

18 November 2026

Chilean International Airport, Signature Lounge

Santiago, Chile

21:05

It took us forever to check-in and get our checked luggage situated. 

We had a lazy morning. I spent an hour by the pool reading. C.C. enjoyed time in the room. C.C. requested a late checkout, so we stayed until our lunch reservations at La Calma at 14:00. Mo said that John Travolta had been there twice on his last visit to Santiago. 

The restaurant was small, but beautiful. We started with scallops and they gave us a ton of bread. C.C. had the king crab pasta while I tried mullet (Lisa), an oiler fish fillet. I also tried their mocktail, La Virgin, while C.C. enjoyed her wine.

Around 15:00 we caught an Uber to see the National Fine Arts Museum. It was celebrating 145 years of operation. It’s not a large museum, but it has a really cool collection of mostly Chilean art. Many of the older works are well produced reproductions, but their contemporary art is out of this world. 

As we entered, we were greeted by the piece Mamita Montana - which was huge. We also saw works by a Chilean woman who grew up in exile with her family in Sweden during Pinochet's reign. There were also multiple art house movies going on in several rooms. I especially liked the videos of letters spelling out "racism" being destroyed. The second floor had pieces from Chile's different art movements. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything precolonial. 

We left the museum and went back to IKEA for C.C. She wanted to buy a Christmas wreath that they aren't selling in the States. We shared a toffee tart cake at the restaurant to kill some time. We also stopped at H&M. C.C. had me buy some nice summer pants and a Jaws shirt to go with my hat. She also got a shirt with a French cafe on it. 

As we left the shopping mall area, we stopped for a hot dog at the fast food place, Doggis in the food court. Santiago has a huge hot dog culture. I got a Dinamico - it has tomatoes, avocado, and major on it. C.C. and I shared the Fanta and fries. It was good. 

Dogs in general seem to be popular in Santiago. People bring them everywhere - including the mall. 

We went back to the hotel to get our luggage and get on an Uber to the airport. There have been people outside the hotel, waiting for a celebrity. Based on outfits and recent performance schedules, we think Oasis was staying at the same hotel as us. Sadly, C.C. had no idea who Oasis was.

At the airport was a huge line to check-in. When C.C. mentioned her status, the crew directed her to a special lounge where we could check-in. It took a while to ensure our bags would make it to the final destinations. I managed to grab a pin for me and a few extra presents before going through security.

We are currently in the lounge having food and drinks. C.C. had a nice shower. I'm about to change into my flight clothes. 

This has been a great adventure and I'm glad I got to share it with my sister.

Until the next post. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like to hear from me.

Welcome the Quest to See Leo Da Vinci's Work

Da Vinci was into Steampunk before it was cool...or even existed. 

There's a really cool exhibit at the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library in Washington DC going on right now. On display in the library's basement are 12 original sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci.

You know the guy who painted "The Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper". There's a fun conspiracy theory book and movie about the guy that came out nearly two decades ago (geez has it really been that long?). That Leonardo Da Vinci. 

It's the first time these drawings have ever been in the United States. 

This exhibit is short, only 90 days, and then the drawings have to go back to Italy and be placed in storage for three years. That's right, these drawings are super delicate and can only be out of storage every three years for a period of 90 days total. So if you want to see them in person, you've got to get to Washington DC by August 20th, 2023. 

Thankfully, like many things in DC, this exhibit is 100% free. Plenty of libraries offer special exhibits for anyone who wanders in - you don't need a library card to enter. The New York City Library had several special rooms (though I'd only ever seen one in use) for exhibits on different authors or works of literature. The Martin Luthor King Jr. Library is no exception. Included in the exhibits is one on Black Feminism and Go Go (which was invented in DC).

My journey to see the Leonardo Da Vinci started in June, when an article popped up on one of my social media feeds as something to do in DC. I was super excited! I'd recently come across several documentaries on Da Vinci, including some on him being a queer icon (this is actually historically plausible and there is evidence of it in court records - three guesses why). 

Already, Da Vinci was starting to sound punk...at least in the literary subgenre sense that my writer friends have cultivated. I don't know if the whole punk subculture would accept him as one of their own.

The next step in my journey was to actually go do the exhibit. I picked a really hot day during the July 4th extended holiday weekend. Not only had I hoped to see the exhibit, but there was a special showing of Da Vinci recreated works at the National Gallery of Art's Library. It seemed like the perfect way to spend the day.

Except that when I arrived at the library, it was closed. There was a problem with some of the internal workings at the library and they had to fix it quickly. Thus, I was foiled in the main part of my quest. 

But since this was a quest, that meant that there could (and would) be side quests. 

I headed over to the eastern building of the National Gallery of Art. It was about a 20 minute walk in the hot and steaming sun. Washington DC is built over a swamp and the summer climate reflects that. I was sweating enough to fill a bucket by the time I got to the museum and when I arrived, the main floor was filled with people. The first Saturday of the month is when the museum hosts an activity for patrons, but is mostly geared towards kids (not that that's ever stopped me from joining in). It wasn't Da Vinci related. The activity was drawing fireworks over a DC cityscape. 

My objective lay in a corner of the museum not easily seen from the entrance. In fact, despite having gone to this museum my whole life, I'd never been in this area or even knew about it. 

The library at the museum is small, but held enough room for a few fun experiments and games for kids to do that related to Da Vinci's scientific side of his work. One area had enlarged photos of different people from Da Vinci's work "The Last Supper". It surrounded a table filled with reference books explaining Da Vinci's paintings.

Another set of tables was set up with museum library employees with more books, but these books were a little different. I really should have taken some pictures because these books were all recreations of Da Vinci's personal journals and notebooks. Each were made to look like they might have just recently been held by the artist with ink spots, artificial aging, and and even finger prints. According to the librarian I spoke with, each was accurate to it's original. 

This is where I learned how steampunk Leonardo Da Vinci thought about his experimental drawings. There were tons of gears and pipes that look like sketches out of a patent from the Industrial Revolution or a Miyazaki movie (not all, but many of his movies have a steampunk aesthetic like Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Howl's Moving Castle). I was especially intrigued by his telescope designs that wouldn't be invented for another hundred years and the intricate geometric three dimensional like shapes he did as illustrations for a friend's book.

It was also here, that I learned more about Da Vinci's quirks such as his preference for mirror writing (where you can only read what is written by looking in a mirror) and had it confirmed that Da Vinci was indeed queer (the librarian went on a passionate speech about the subject and evidence available). Additionally, the fact that Da Vinci's drawings were so meticulous in a time when paper wasn't as plentiful as it is today. Even his sketches had a fine, confident ink stroke to them that I can only dream of having. 

Side quest complete, I spent the rest of the day exploring the (relatively) recently reopened eastern wing on the museum before going to the folklife festival on the Mall. My initial quest objective might not have been completed, but I still had a great day and learned a lot.

This week, I finally did make it to the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library. 

My friend and I were already planning a trip into the city to see the all female (cis and transgender women) and non-binary casting of 1776 (you can read about that experience here). My friend wasn't having the best week and I wanted to make it a fun time for her. 

Originally, I had hoped we'd go to the library before the play and have lunch in Chinatown. However, timing wasn't on our side and we ended up going straight to the Kennedy Center - a new side quest was unlocked, though it had nothing to do with Da Vinci. We ended up taking a free tour of the Kennedy Center (hey look another free thing to do in DC) and learning about the many donations and art pieces from other countries. Coincidently, Italy had the biggest contribution to the Kennedy Center with their donation of all of the white marble that makes up the building. 

One thing I've learned from all this is that Italy knows how to treat the arts.

After the play, my friend and I braved DC rush hour to visit the museum. The ladies at the National Art Gallery said that going after work was actually a great time to go, since there shouldn't be much of a wait to get in. We arrived and checked in right away. The lady at the desk waved us downstairs and the Italian representative checked us in.

The room with the 12 sketches was dark, with only the illuminated drawings. There was an interactive portion with QR codes that allowed you to listen to an explanation as well. I simply enjoyed looking at the sketches, especially the perpetual motion machine.

The perpetual motion machine in question.

Da Vinci was certainly a man ahead of his time. He had ideas for drills, indoor plumbing, and studies of fountains. His notes, in his famous mirror writing, were all over the pages - which were distinct from other people's notes which appeared as standard Italian writing. 

After viewing the drawings, my quest was complete. 

Or so I thought. 

As my friend and I were about the leave the exhibit, the Italian curator mentioned that there was a back room with a solar clock built based on Da Vinci's designs. It was a short, but no less cool final side quest. 

Dolce & Gabbana were one of the sponsors of the exhibit and therefore wanted to show off their watches. They had a few displays of their fancy wrist watches, but the really cool piece they provided was the tall solar clock. 

It wasn't moving when my friend and I saw it, but I could see how it would work. It included time keeping for seconds, minutes, and hours as any clock does, but also included the month and zodiac sun sign. 

The side quest was short, but rounded out my journey just in time to enjoy dinner in Chinatown (or at least what passes as Chinatown in DC). 

Though I might

If you'd like to see the exhibit, the Martin Luthor King Jr. Library is open 7 days a week, some days as late as 9:00PM. It's short enough for people to check if out after work and miss the worst of rush hour traffic. I learned a lot, including how steampunk Da Vinci was, which is why I think we can just call him Leo from now on. It's much more punk than the formal Leonardo. 

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Art of Kusama

A couple weeks ago, I went to the Hirschhorn Smithsonian to see the special exhibit of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms. These rooms are covered in mirrors and are filled with Kusama’s soft statues. In addition to the infinity mirror rooms, there was a giant pumpkin covered in polka dots.

If you are unfamiliar with Yayoi Kusama, she is a Japanese artist who spent almost 20 years in the United States creating psychedelia art work and performance art. Some of her most famous work includes her signature polka dots, infinity mirror rooms, soft statures, and naked Vietnam war protests (most of these were going on in the 1960s). She was a contemporary of Warhol (who might have stolen some of her ideas) and is still creating unique works of art at the age of 94 (she was born March 22, 1929).

Currently, Kusama lives in Japan and has been a resident of a mental health facility since her return in the 1970s. She has been open about her struggles with metal health and how it has influenced her work. She has had some recent controversy following her collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

The Hirschhorn has several of Kusama's pieces in their collection - including her very first (and recently updated) infinity mirror room: Phalli’s Field (Floor Show) (1965/2017). The overall experience/collection is called: One with Eternity. In addition to Phalli's Field, there's also the aforementioned Pumpkin (2016), Flowers—Overcoat (1964), and another infinity mirror room with glowing multicolored fabric balls in otherwise complete darkness. 

I'm not sure if Pumpkin or that last mirror room was my favorite.

I can confirm that looking at it all was trippy as all get out, especially Phalli’s Field. They are supposed to be soft canvas representations of male anatomy, but I thought they looked like mushrooms - which I guess are also similar looking...

No matter. 

The collection was visually and sensory stimulating. Phalli’s Field was probably the most disorienting, as you are shut into a room with an infinity number of versions of you looking at infinity versions of the phalli, all white with red polka dots. When you actually take a change to look into the mirrors, it can be off putting and I nearly lost my balance gazing into the endless reflected space. There's a reason they only let you in for a short amount of time (about 60 seconds) even when there isn't a line behind you.

I did pick up a couple of things at the gift shop (I rarely do this at museums as they are usually overpriced), but I really wanted to read more about Yayoi Kusama and have an enamel pin of Pumpkin. The book I picked up was a biographical graphic novel by Elisa Marcellari simply titled "Kusama: The Graphic Novel". It's a nice introductory history to Kusama's life and work. 

I wish I could have gotten the "Alice in Wonderland" edition illustrated by Yayoi Kusama, but it was a little out of my budget. I'll have to find a copy of it elsewhere. 

This exhibit has set my creativity alight. Inspiration came a knocking this weekend and I ended up completing a melted crayon painting of my own based on Phalli’s Field. I call it Yayoi's Phalli Room and it's the first melted crayon painting I've done in a while.

The exhibit is active until June 16th. If you are in the DC area, I recommend trying to see it before it closes. Tickets are free (as is the Hirschhorn), but you have to get them at 12:00PM ET the day before you go to the museum. Same day tickets are available, though limited and have a timed entry.

I hope you guys have found some inspiration this week.

Until the next.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Creativity in Multiple Mediums

 One might say too many mediums.

Yesterday, I was given an hour to talk about my creative projects. My many, many, many creative projects in multiple mediums. I was asked by the leader of the Writer’s Group which I joined in New Jersey and have been able to stay in contact with (after moving several states away) due to Zoom. 

Naturally, I put together a presentation in PowerPoint that I breezed through in 30 minutes. This included my reasons for why I try so many different creative outlets (it boils down to boredom) and some examples of my work. I had a short diatribe on where I post and share my work (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Comic Fury, etc.). I even included a slide on transmedia storytelling (the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies.) - something I have dabbled in, but found overwhelming to do on my own - to show how knowledge in multiple mediums allows flexibility and a layer of interactivity in creativity.

Somewhat coincidently, I went to a meeting of my Art Club earlier in the day. 

Normally, the Art Club I go to is a free time for creative expression. Everyone brings in their work in progress (as long as it’s not too messy, we do meet in libraries) and spends a few hours chatting while being creative. Drawing, watercolor painting, and digital art are some of the more popular artistic choices. However, we have our fair share of knitters, cross stitchers, and collage makers.

Typically, I work on my digital blackout poetry project - turning every page in Jane Austin’s Northanger Abby into a blackout poem (see example not from the collection below).

I'm pretty sure this is an example from the novel Phantom of the Opera

This week, we had a theme. For two hours we took turns posing and being models for figure drawings. The shortest poses were held for 5 minutes, while the longest were held for 20 minutes. I held a seated pose for 10 minutes. Sketch books were out. Some people only used pencils, while others had charcoal, pastels or watercolors. Three of us (myself included) were working digitally - two tablets, one computer.

I still work with physical mediums like canvas and paper. I love turning my pictures into paintings with watercolors and acrylic. However, I’ve also been using digital mediums for a while now. 

Technically, the majority of my written works (including this blog) are in a digital space. I may still outline on pen and paper, but my final short stories and blog posts are created on my laptop or tablet (rarely, but still possible, on my phone). My webcomic started as me drawing in pencil and pen on paper and then scanning onto my laptop to post, but is now 100% done on my tablet.

I'm just not as good at drawing on my tablet, like I am in one of my sketchbooks.

At the beginning of my presentation for my Writer's Group, I stated I wasn't sure why I was given a whole hour to talk - that seemed like too much time. I ran through my slides in 20 minutes and reiterated my thoughts. 

And then the questions and requests came in.

The wonderful people listening and watching my presentation had loads of questions and wanted me to drop links to my social media pages. I showed them my webcomic (The Mighty Detective Mortimer & Lou actually does come up first in my Google search), my food blog (Cooking with Spirits), and my art/poetry Facebook Page (AJ's Corner of Cyberspace).

Needless to say, I filled that hour up.

I also have my cross stitch, knitting, and crochet projects (some of which I need to finish sooner rather than later). 

I admit, having all of these projects is a lot. And difficult to juggle. 

As I've gotten older and busier, I've found that balancing all of the projects is getting tougher and tougher. At some point, I will need to let some of these projects go - especially the long term ones that I've been working on for nearly 10 years (see this blog). It'll be hard and emotional to say good bye to them.

But if I want to keep evolving as an artist and writer, I have to be willing to move on to the next project.

I know I mostly discussed my art today, but I am also an avid writer (see my two blogs - you're reading one of them) and have published several short stories and poems in different literary magazines, zines, and anthologies. I'm not stopping writing any time soon, which adds another level to my creative balancing act.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

P.S. You may have noticed that I didn't mention anything about video production or music. I have actually worked in the visual medium space and have zero desire to turn it into a hobby (even vlogging sounds like too much work). Music is fun and I can (kind of) play two instruments (my family may disagree) and was in a music sorority in college, however, it is also an expensive hobby that I can't return to for a while.

Welcome to Scary Blossom

 I am a local to the Washington DC area. I spent my formative years within reach of the heart of the city center. I know this city, it’s seasons and it’s moods. 

This past week was the start of our tourist season. Bus loads of sightseers and out of town visitors are swarming the city. Traffic is worse than usual and everyone is driving five miles under the speed limit.

It’s Cherry Blossom time y’all.

Otherwise known as “Scary Blossom”, the DC cherry blossoms at peak bloom are truly beautiful. However, the tourists make navigating the city nearly impossible - even worse than the forth of July and protest season. (Okay the 4th of July might be a bit of an exaggeration because the tourists are also insane, but Cherry Blossom is when the chaos begins).

No more is Washing DC for the locals to the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia tri-state area). Now, we’ll have bus loads of school children visiting our world famous (and mostly free) museums, monuments, and government buildings. Protests will kick up activity in about a month - though they are easier to navigate. No one will know where they’re going (not just the tourists, but the new construction will create new,  longer routes to get to work).

For an event that lasts about a week (depending on weather, wind, and temperature), the Cherry Blossoms are an important part of DC culture. The original Sakura trees were planted along the Tidal Bain in 1912. These trees were a gift of friendship from the People of Japan to the People of the United States because of a correspondence between First Lady Helen “Nellie” Taft and the then Mayor of Tokyo. The original 3,000+ trees are over 110 years old and one of the icons of the city.

We put these flowers on everything DC related - along with the Washington Monument and Capital Building. Coffee mugs, pins, patches, chocolate bars, and more have pink blossoms and white buildings on a blue sky background.

One of my paintings of the event.

And yes, they are beautiful.

Sakura or Cherry Blossoms are incredibly pretty. When their petals fall, it looks like pink snow swirling through the air. They are the unofficial signal spring has begun and that warmer weather is around the corner. 

And they let the residents of the Washington DC area know that tourists are coming.

It is worth it to see the DC Cherry Blossoms once in your life. The Tidal Basin is a lovely area and the trees frame the backdrop of many of the monuments. My favorite area to see them is around the FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) memorial all the way up to Jefferson. I haven’t done that walk in years, but it is beautiful on a clear day.

Another of my paintings of the Cherry Blossoms

However, I can’t stand the traffic and clusters of tourists standing in the middle of roads and pathways while they decide where to go. Parking is a nightmare and the metro is overcrowded at all times, not just peak rush hour.

I love DC. I love the Cherry Blossoms.

I don’t love the tourists.

But that’s part of the life being a resident of Washington DC.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Age of AI

 I for one am annoyed by our new overlords.

This week, I watched in real time as the latest craze for tech bros caused serious problems for the Science Fiction publication Clarkesworld. I don't know who told all these people that they could make it big through the short story market (clearly they've never seen our pay scale), but someone said something and now Clarkesworld has had to close their submission portal and figure out a better way to screen for AI submissions without punishing human writers. 

No solution has yet to be found. At least for Clarkesworld.

And yes, the submission page has a little check box stating that the piece being submitted isn't AI generated work. These grifters don't care.

When I first heard about AI merging into the mainstream, it was through the art world. At first I was a bit middle of the road on my reaction. AI could be a cool new tool to make art depending on the programing and programmer. 

Yes, this is art. Mutt signed his name and everything.

I quickly changed my mind. 

A lot of what these AI programs are doing is stealing other people's art and awkwardly changing it. You might think that that's transformative art, people do stuff like that all the time. Except that some of these AI works are including the original artist's signatures and watermarks in their "art". The person behind the AI then tries to pass this new work off as their own original work without any recognition to the originator. The original artists in question are also not giving their permission for their art to be used. 

To make an easier art analogy, it would be like trying to pass off a famous painting like The Mona Lisa as your own work after taking the original canvas and splashing red paint across it. I don't think the Louvre will give you any credit. 

Art forgery has always been a problem and experts are often needed to confirm if a piece is real or not. Digital art is still fairly young (as far as art production goes), so the expertise on how to judge it's authenticity is a lot harder. And grifters are always out to make an easy buck.

That brings us to the latest AI target - literature. 

This is a space I am active in (not just passively like I am with art). Like creating quality art, writing any form of literary work takes a lot of skill honed over years of crafting. Writer's typically have a distinct voice that is consistent throughout their writing. This is something that is difficult for a computer to replicate and makes AI work stand out to a reader.

Recently, there's been a rush to self publish AI generated children's books. I'm not fully sure if this was a legit experiment or turned into an experiment when the creator started getting called out. Regardless, the children's book (called Alice and Sparkle) was a collaborative work by the human Ammaar Reshi and an AI. Both the art and writing were AI generated. It currently has three stars with reviews either raving about the author's innovation or completely bewildered by the lack of plot and strange art design.

It's currently the subject of a lot of mockery on many areas of the Internet. 

Though I haven't read the book, I have seen a few examples of the art work. All I can say is, it's bizarre - almost uncanny. And if that's the art, I shudder to think how off putting the writing is.

I am a writer, not because I think I'll make it big and end up as the next Hunger Games, but because I love telling stories. Even when my work doesn't go beyond my writing groups, I feel great sharing it with others. There also isn't that much money in short stories, self publishing, or even traditional publishing. The vast majority of writers have day jobs. 

Tech bros are trying to get rich quick by disrupting a market they barely understand with technology that can't replicate the creativity and voice that goes into these crafts. They have admitted that they don't care if they have to steal data to improve their technology and don't seem bothered by the real humans who are struggling to make their craft their full time jobs. Ten bucks says that we'll start seeing YouTube videos and expensive writing seminars on how to get rich writing stories and making art with AI in the next couple of months.

They are far more likely to just get themselves banned after trying to submit their AI nonsense. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me. 

Note: this is a controversial topic and I reserve the right to delete anyone.

Welcome to Social Art Time

It seems the best way for me to branch out of my bubble and make new friends, is to use the website Meetup.com. For those of you unfamiliar with the site (and, no, this is not an ad - no one pays me to write blog posts), it’s a place for people to find groups filled with people that have a similar interest. I started using the website in New Jersey - which is how I found a hiking group and my writers group.

Now that the pandemic appears to be winding down, I feel more comfortable meeting new people who share my interests. Last summer, I joined a group that does a lot of hikes and walks in my area. It was outside and there was less stress about masks. Since it’s currently winter, they’ve gone on hiatus until it starts warming up again.

However, I’ve been getting bored spending most of my time at home and somewhat socially isolated. Zoom is a great way for me to still interact with my friends I no longer live close to, but it doesn’t get me out of the house. I needed a new location with other humans.

Queue me finding an art group.

I mean I am an artist no?

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this group. The original location was a local coffee shop, but the RSVPs grew too large for the space and the organizers changed the locations to the local library. It was a really nice space that had enough room for all the people who came (more than 30). Some people had sketchbook, others watercolor paints, and a few borrowed a pencil and paper from their neighbors. Most people had their phone out looking at references to help them draw. 

I had my tablet and stylus - working on some digital blackout poetry (which I’m not sure what to do with yet). 

An example of my blackout poetry that is not digital.

Part of the time I was at the table, I was lost in my drawing. Completely absorbed. Conversation would go on around me and I didn’t feel a need to engage with anyone. There was no pressure.

Other times I would jump in with the conversation. No one shut down my opinion or said that my art wasn’t “real art”. It was fun and easy going.

A few people would get up and wander around, looking at what everyone was working on. I never stood up to walk around (unusual for me as I love pacing and moving). I didn’t mind when someone looked over my shoulder. I didn’t feel judged. It was more like being in a gallery with someone looking at a masterpiece while it was being created.

Granted I can’t speak for the other people there, but I didn’t hear anyone raise an objection.

Actually, most of the artists were excited to share what they were working on (myself included). There was a general sense of fun. A few people said they came because they wanted to get back into drawing, or sketching, or painting.

The time I spent with the art group was relaxing, stress free, and a positive social interaction. I was surprised by how quickly timed passed.

I probably will join the group again. One of the organizers wants to have outdoor art events and possibly organize trips to the museums in DC. I like the casual nature of this group and hope I make some fun new friends.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Street Art of Detroit

If there’s one type of art that I can’t seem to get enough of, it’s street art.

I first gained an appreciation for street art in Reykjavik. Everywhere I looked I spotted different works of art - many of which had a social or political message.

Now when I go to a major (or even minor) city, I keep an eye out for the street art. New York naturally has fantastic street art and DC has started to get more in the residential parts of the city. I’ve even seen some nice murals in Anne Arbor.

However, my favorite place to see street art is around the Eastern Market neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit has a lot of amazing street art, but the art in Eastern Market holds a special place in my heart. Most of the art is done in large murals on the buildings. Some of the art is used to advertise local businesses, while others highlight the the produce that can be found within the three buildings housing the Eastern Market farmer’s market (try saying that three times fast).

Within the market itself are a few samples of street art as well. The last building has a large mural over the exit doors, opposite the community kitchen. Another area that has art featuring clocks (of all things) is on a small shack that holds a shoe repair shop.

A lot of the art in the area has little to do with the businesses in the area and instead demonstrates the unique culture that makes Detroit special. These street art murals often have fantastical or abstract elements, bold color statements, and eye catching designs. I have no idea how often the murals are freshened up or changed because they always look like they weren’t up the day before.

Detroit’s street art is everywhere. As soon as you take the exit off the highway, you’ll be able to spot three or four murals off the ramp. Some of these gorgeous works of art go by so fast, it’s hard to fully appreciate them (let alone snap a picture). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record all of the murals I spotted (including some of my favorites), but I hope someone is documenting them.

Street art is a reflection of an community’s culture. Artists paint what they feel about the world around them. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the majority of murals in Detroit feature Black people and Black culture. Detroit has a majority Black population and the street art reflects that.

I get very sad (and sometimes a little angry) when people speak badly of Detroit. Yes, the city has its problems (what city doesn’t). However, Detroit has one of the most vibrant art cultures I’ve gotten to see (I prefer Detroit’s street art to New York’s). The city is slowly reinventing itself. Some of the current best things about Detroit are the art, food, music, and people. 

My mom lives in the Detroit metropolitan area and says that walking tours have started in different parts of the city to view the many different murals. I think this is a brilliant idea and one more cities should implement. 

I don’t know what the future of street art is. In (my) perfect world, street art would be celebrated and toured like the paintings and sculptures in museums. Outdoor walking tours would allow for stops at local restaurants and possibly incentivize local governments to make cities more pedestrian or bicycle friendly. Investment in public art might lead to investment in communities (though gentrification would need to be nipped in the bud), which would hopefully lead to a better living environment and happier people.

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite street art, why don’t you guys share some of yours. Let me know where you’ve seen some of your favorite street art.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to Mindful Writing

How easy is it to take out your phone or tablet, pull up your social media of choice, word vomit 250 characters (if there's a limit), hit enter, and then promptly regret whatever it was you wrote?

Thank goodness I'm not famous or a few thousand people would have screen shot me misspelling the word six.

Though I find that the ability to type on a keyboard is a skill unto itself, I don't find myself worrying all that much when writing on my phone or tablet. Heck I rely so much on autocorrect when I fat-finger a word that I don't always notice when it corrects to something ridiculous. 

If there wasn't a standardization for submitting fiction and poetry to different journals, I probably wouldn't even notice that there were font options. (Granted I use comic sans for my webcomic - but that's a joke unto itself.) 

I don't notice the individual letters on the screen I'm reading from, just the words. And the words are important, but someone had to create the template that the program pulls together the letter images to form those words.

Last Christmas, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a beautiful glass pen which requires ink from an inkwell to use and a calligraphy book. I've only recently started trying them out.

And I love it!

An example of my work... it's not perfect, but I'm getting there.

There is something so satisfying gracefully crafting each letter into existence. I have to think before and during each stroke I make. The calligraphy book I'm working in describes the act as drawing instead of writing. I'm inclined to agree.

This isn't my first time trying out calligraphy. I grew up seeing the beautiful work from Japanese and Chinese writers and artists in my relatives homes and in museums. In middle school, we had a calligraphy section in my art classes where I epically failed at trying to draw Japanese kanji (my Japanese cousins had fun pointing out how I kept poorly writing the days of the week).

Eventually my interests drifted elsewhere, but I held on to some of my art work from that period in my life (until I left home and then it was lost - most likely - to the trash bin). However, that didn't lessen my appreciation of the artform when I came across it.

I have a few friends who have absolutely beautiful handwriting. It's almost enviable. One of my friends sends me letters and I almost want to frame them because her penmanship is unbelievable. Another of my friends actively wrote with a pen and inkwell during writing critique sessions. Though his critiques could be a blow to my ego, they always looked amazing.

As someone who struggled with writing for a long time, I never thought of my handwriting as "pretty". I remember my aunt once saw my penmanship while I was working on my travel journal to Japan. She was appalled and had me practice each letter every day at the kitchen table. My 11 year old self spent 6 weeks in Japan and for 6 weeks my aunt made certain I'd be able to read that journal nearly twenty years later. 

(I still have that journal. That handwriting is still awful. I was obsessed with food. I can see the improvement over the weeks.)

I would argue that my current journey into calligraphy is more meditative than anything. Unlike when I write a letter to a friend or type up my latest blog post, I'm completely focused on each movement I make with the pen. Each stroke must be carefully made or the ink might stain or the letter might look deformed. I relax and block out the outside world.

I do something similar when doing yoga, shooting a gun (at a designated target range), or actually meditating (there I'm usually focused on breathing). My problems melt away and I am in the moment - enjoying the moment.

If you're struggling to find something new to do or want to develop mindfulness, why not try calligraphy. It will be tough at first, but don't worry about what your work looks like at the beginning. The beauty will come with time. What you might find (or at least I hope you do) is the peaceful feeling that comes when focused on one task while the rest of the world doesn't matter.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week...maybe.

Welcome to an Artist’s Hope

Story time guys:

For the better part of a year (possibly longer), I’ve started doing a poetry and art form known as Blackout Poetry. What this is involves taking text from a book, newspaper, or other source and selecting works to turn it into a poem. The other way to look at this is that I’m taking away the words that I don’t want to make a poem. Traditionally, you remove or “blackout” the words you don’t want and that’s it. However, some people take it to a higher level and add in designs and inked art to the poem.

Here is your first example of blackout poetry

I first came across this where I get a lot of my art ideas: Pinterest.

And I’ve been posting my blackout poems on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

My personal rule of thumb with this particular poetry and art form, is to only use text that is in the public domain or that I have permission from the author (which are mostly my friends). The two books I’m currently working in are Frankenstein (which is harder than I expected for multiple reasons) and Phantom of the Opera. I might add to this collection at some point, but these are the two books I’m working in right now.

Plus these books help me write some darker poems

I find doing these poems both challenging and relaxing. I have so many words I can work with and sometimes I can’t form the sentences or ideas that I want to. It can be frustrating when I want to use the word “was” and there isn’t a “was” to be found on the page. However there is something very cathartic in taking a Sharpie or felt pen and drawing all over a page.

If you are interested in trying blackout poetry, just make sure it’s in a book you won’t be upset drawing in.

I get a lot of these books for free or doubles if I enjoy the book

Now, here’s the reason I’m sharing this information and story with you guys today.

One of my friends has been following me on social media and has a daughter who is teaching in inner city schools. He shared my blackout poems with his daughter who in turn shared the idea with her class for their poetry unit. She took different pages from one of the books her students had to read, photo copied them, and explained the idea of blackout poetry for the unit.

The students loved it.

My friend shared a few pictures of the poems with me (sorry won’t show them since I don’t know the students) and the work was amazing. They were personal, raw, haunting, somber, and beautiful. Most of the students loved the ability to make their own transformation work that represented them.

I honestly hope that the students keep creating.

And I helped inspire someone to introduce this creative idea to these students. I feel humbled and happy that I was able to do that. As a small time artist and writer, I often feel that my work doesn’t matter. I write and create art to entertain my friends and to help me deal with my emotions. I like to hope that others are inspired by me.

And now that I know they are, it feels wonderful.

I can also work on my romance writing and self expression.

Maybe in the future, one of these students will publish a book of poems. Maybe one day, one of these students will become a famous artist or writer or both.

I’ll probably never know if I inspire someone like this, but part of me genuinely hopes that I do.

I wanted to share this story with you today because I think there are times when we don’t feel like our lives mean anything or that we haven’t done anything spectacular. Knowing that my blackout poetry was used to inspired students to express themselves in a new way has reminded me that, even in the small corner of the universe I wander through, I can still make a difference.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to an Interactive Dream

Recently I went to an art performance in New York City called "Sleep No More". In essence it's an interactive play. A sort of choose your own adventure story that you get to live instead of read (or play as a video game).

It's a very individual experience and I don't necessarily recommend sticking with a group or even following a crowd (though you'll likely see more of the main scenes this way). It's also nearly impossible to have the same experience twice.

My time at the McKittrick Hotel, which hosts "Sleep No More", began with my arrival at 6:00pm for a 7:00pm entrance. I was quickly checked in and told to walk through a nearly pitch black maze until I reached a small lounge and bar set in 1939. Though the show itself isn't scary, it's set up to be disorienting.

Lights are low and it's a little difficult to see inside unless a spot light comes down on a performer. Even then, some of the actors are out of sight and are only seen when they want to be seen. At 7:00 I was called to a small room, where I was given a mask, which I was told to keep on at all times "for my protection". Suddenly I was thrust into the movie "Eyes Wide Shut" and I became a voyeur to the activity in the hotel.

Voyeur is one of the words I'd use to express my time at the McKittrick Hotel. It was voyeuristic, dreamlike or better yet a nightmare, erotic at times, and perverse. We, the attendees in the white masks, weren't supposed to speak, but we could rifle through papers, open drawers, and even get a lot closer than I normally would to the performers.

The majority of the performance is silent - told in dance and wild gestures. Occasionally there is dialogue. In fact, I was lucky enough to be chosen for one of the coveted one-on-one scenes. During one of the major scenes in the ballroom, the Matron character asked me to come with her to a side room. She took off my mask and that's when I jumped from voyeur to character. I was now a part of the experience I had only before been casually observing.

The Matron took my hand and told me that she'd been waiting for me. She said that she, another woman (though I never discovered who), and I were in a lesbian relationship. She gave me a white box tied with a red ribbon. Slowly we opened the box and as we did, she described how the gift was meant to symbolize me. Inside was a rose. She made me promise to look after the third mystery woman, then kissed my forehead, and put my mask back on. She led me back out to the ballroom, which is where we parted.

It was an intense, intimate, and very unexpected series of events.

Most of my time was spent wandering around the many sets that are located throughout the five floors you're allowed to explore. Occasionally I'd stumble upon a scene and I might follow one of the actors to another area.

That was how I ended up seeing one of the most disturbing scenes in the whole show. It was basically an orgy with witches and the devil - who was wearing a goat's head - scene. There was a strobe light that distorted the dancer's movements and reminded me of stop motion animation. It was amazing and highly disorienting.

I also wasn't ready for the extreme nudity.

There are a lot of naked people in this performance. Some of it is like the orgy scene I described above. Other times it's someone taking a bath, trying to wash blood off their body. There was one moment where the person was simply changing their clothes.

If you want to experience this performance, be ready for a lot of full frontal naked people.

You guys might have noticed that I haven't mentioned what the plot is. That's because the plot is incredibly confusing if you go in without doing any research beforehand. All I knew going in was that it was largely based off of Du Maurier's Rebecca (as well as the Hitchcock adaptation by the same name) and Shakespeare's Macbeth. I was only able to discern certain scenes because of my familiarity with both sources.

However, there were some scenes that I got an entirely different vibe one. There's a pregnant woman (Lady Macduff) who becomes obsessed with drinking milk from a maid. From the descriptions of the characters I was able to find, the maid is trying to poison Lady Macduff and her unborn baby. I, however, got a creepy "Rosemary's Baby" vibe from the dance scenes. It was super creepy.

There also were characters that I saw maybe once for half a second before they disappeared from my experience. In fact, I'm not even certain I met all of the characters present that night. A few times I didn't even notice that I was standing in front of or behind a character until the light fell on them or they turned around.

The performance goes in three hour long cycles until the finale, which I will not be spoiling. It's an intense scene and I somehow ended up right in the very front of the ending performance. My only reaction was to gasp, though a few people did scream.

We were then ushered back into the bar area where there was live music. If you had wanted a table, you had to pay for a reserved seat - not worth it in my opinion - and though the drinks were cool sounding, they were also expensive (but what isn't in New York City). I don't drink, so I can't judge their taste.

The commitment to atmosphere and time period is on point. The actors, dancers, and helpers make certain that audience members are kept safe without breaking character. The audience is also just as important as the performers and our commitment to not speaking is very important. I did see one or two people take off their masks, if only because it was hot at times and the masks caused some of us to sweat.

Do I recommend "Sleep No More"? Yes if you're ready for an experience most people only have in video games. You are not a character, you are a voyeur, an observer, the fly on the wall, unless otherwise asked. Be ready to enter a dreamworld that is stranger than reality.

And there will be naked people.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to the Love of Animation

This week, I was saddened to learn about an arson attack committed at the Japanese animation studio Kyoto Animation. 33 people were killed with another 30 injured. Most of the victims were young women in their 20s and 30s.

Though I'm not super familiar with the animation studio's work, I was heart broken to hear about the incident and hope that the perpetrator is brought to justice. From what I understand, he is currently in police custody.

Following the news, a lot of people who couldn't pay their respects in person took to social media to talk about their feelings on the attack and how the studio's animated series and movies touched their lives.

Animation is a beautiful art. One that I think doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves.

There's something magical in the seamless world building created in animation. I never question the reality that Sen finds herself exploring in Spirited Away nor the appearance of the monsters in Moana. Everything fits in without looking fake or unreal. Contrast this with some CGI (particularly early CGI) and I'd take the animated world versus an unrealistic live action one.

Unfortunately some animated series from the US, also known as cartoons, are often only associated with children's entertainment, which isn't a good idea. I wouldn't want a child watching South Park or Futurama.

Gravity Falls is definitely one of the best animated series I've seen in a while that is also family friendly.

I have distinct memories of watching anime (Japanese animation) as a teenager and having someone ask me why I was still watching cartoons at my age. At first I was insulted by the comment, and then horrified by the idea that a young child would watch Black Cat (a fairly violent anime that was in fact geared towards teenagers).

However, I can't fault people for thinking that animation is only for kids. A lot of animated movies are meant for general audiences, especially if they have the Disney logo (or are of the knock off Disney variety) and cartoons, especially if they were made by Hanna-Barbera, were well known to be made on a shoe-string budget for kids. Once the 80s rolled around and regulations loosened on advertising to kids, cartoons were used as a 20 to 30 minute ad for kids to nag their parents into buying the accompanying toys (see anything made by Hasbro).

That doesn't change the fact that people who have since grown up, still look back on the animated works of their youth with fondness. This is likely why we've seen a recent surge in reboots of older series and/or live action remakes. Disney is currently raking in the cash by creating life action remakes of all the 90s movies I grew up with. Personally, I prefer the original animated versions, but there are a few of the remakes I don't mind. I admit that I'm curious as to the changes they made to Mulan (will it be closer to the original story from China?) and Halle Bailey seems like a great fit for the role of Ariel.

I'm not even going to touch the number of sequels that have come out this year.

Animation is some of the first art we're experienced to. Some of my favorite memories are of waking up early to watch Rugrats, Scooby Doo, or Bugs Bunny before my parents woke up. One of the first movies I saw in theaters was The Lion King and it blew my young mind away.

I'm currently writing this blog post while watching Spirited Away. It's one of my all time favorite movies (though Castle in the Sky will always be my number one Studio Ghibli film). I don't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much if it weren't animated. The world building, backgrounds, and characters all seem so tangible animated.

Castle in the Sky is beautiful and I recommend it to everyone.

The tragedy at Kyoto Animation is heart breaking and I hope the people who were injured are able to recover. They touched a lot of people's lives through their work.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Beautiful Destruction

A few years back, I saw a video on Facebook where someone glued crayons to a canvas and then melted them with a hairdryer to create a beautiful rainbow. You guys might have seen this video too, or a variation of it. There were versions with a night sky, people walking in the rain under an umbrella, and several with heart designed. Here's a video if you're curious.

I recently was looking for a new project (*cough way to express myself *cough) and once again stumbled upon the melted crayon art videos. It didn’t look too difficult or expensive. I brought a few boxes of crayons and some canvases and got to work experimenting with what I could do.

And I love it!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen a bunch of the “paintings” I’ve come up with (you can follow me at bartholomewalexandra). Each one is unique. All I do is pick the colors and control the heat and airflow on the hairdryer. Sometimes I draw images as the crayon melts, but I don’t always control where the wax goes.

I make beautiful creations out of the destruction of another object.

And there is something seriously satisfying about doing that. It’s like watching an explosion during a movie, there’s a rush watching the destruction take place. It might make a mess, but it also allows for new creation.

I love destruction. Fireworks, explosions, knocking down a block tower, or watching as a wave swallows a sandcastle. It’s beautiful in its own way.

But destruction is also dangerous.

I don’t like destruction if it’s going to harm someone physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. I don’t want to watch as someone lose everything in a natural disaster. I might like seeing a volcano erupt, but not at the expense of someone’s life.

Maybe it’s a morbid fascination. Destruction is beautiful and dangerous. I feel a rush of joy and a flicker of sadness. It’s the beginning and ending of a story. All of which is part of a natural order.

Even the known universe started with a bang.

Beauty is subjective at its core. My love affair with destruction in order to create is my own. I feel good when I’ve managed to make something beautiful after spending an hour or so melting crayons, especially when I’m having a bad spell.

And if I don’t love what I do, there’s no point in me doing it.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Also if you see any art you like here or on Instagram, please let me know.

Until next week.