today I reflect on nudity

So a few nights ago I went to the Emerge art party at VisArts and there was a girl in a hamster ball. She was completely naked. And it was at this moment that I remembered a friend of mine saying that she often had a hard time being a performance artist, as she kept her clothes on. That is grossly unfair. Especially as I have some terrific friends whom work in performance art. That precursor being said, I have to wonder. I know that so much of nudity in this context is how people interact with the female. But honestly, most people are not really understanding her intentions. Yes, there were men in the elevator talking about her sexually, and a lot of people taking photos. With people posting things online, the whole thing is no longer about the viewer whom walks bye. I feel like 95 percent of the interaction ( and the honest reaction) is now on a medium that the artist has no control of: the internet. She kept telling me how she wanted to see how people reacted to her and I could not help but think that she was going to really miss the most real best/worst part of it. And frankly, being on the internet naked has never really been a way to improve your social image but it might get you to have a social image. So no thoughts. But personally, I just do not want to be in a hamster ball- ever, because I am not a hamster. And I like to have the option of getting off the treadmill I happen to be on. As for being naked on the internet- do I even have to answer that? I also have a new appreciation for how inhumane hamster balls are.

Me inc.

So being an emerging artist with a freshly printed BFA is a very interesting experience and one of the interesting things about being an artist is that you are really a small business. - yes - ME personally. As in, I could get incorporated or if I so desired get a board of directors and become a non-profit. (Which would be nice because right now I am not really quite at not for profit status. I am running at a loss.) Like many people I do not have an HR department, an IT department or any other particular compartments. For the first five years of most artist careers, most do not make significant amounts of money. And 99 percent drop out of the career of ambiguity within the first year. In some ways our drop out rate puts any chemistry class to shame. Which makes me wonder if being a doctor would have been that bad.

While my friends will be starting developing work habits, and establishing life work balance. I will be trying to sell my business or in this sense ...myself. I got a degree to sell ...myself. And I really like what I do, but it is not what you would expect.