Details of Normality

     I smoke out on my porch a lot, which faces what is essentially a backyard and a frontyard because of the layout of my building. And, I find it easy to find things to observe, so it's a nice time for me to sit down and think. I'm sure the stuff I smoke helps, but also the environment that I am surrounded by really ignites a part of my mind that is creative. There is something about the act of taking time to just sit, and inhale, and look at the scenery before you that gets a train of thought chugging along.   My backyard here is beautiful. Unlike the place I was staying in the Springs. It's drier there, and more red, which isn't to my personal taste. But, here I feel that this is a taste of the inspiring outdoors that I'd like at a forever home. My wife and I have dreamed of living on the Oregon Coast, and I'm sure we will one day, but as we complete our life goals to make that happen, this place has been wonderful.   To give a sense of what it's like, ...

A few weeks ago my Fostering Creativity class went to the Emanuel Art Gallery on campus. Here, I found this piece by artist, Andre Ramos-Woodard. This piece stood out to me unlike any other that we viewed that day. I had been re-listening to another Kendrick album at the time. This time it was How to Pimp a Butterfly , which is all about the Black experience, and what it’s like to be a Black artist, so maybe it had something to do with that, maybe it had something to do with the fact that listening to that album made me think of my own experience as a Black femme artist. Maybe listening to that album and seeing this piece made me think of two themes that come from them both: Blackness and capitalism. One of the many evils of capitalism is that it incentivizes media that makes money, over media that is inclusive. I mean, I suppose that is the main evil of capitalism, that money overrides consciousness, but I digress. Disney made fun of and mocked Black people and Black culture for years...