Scordati ogni esperienza che provoca sussulti.
E qualsiasi cosa abbia a che fare con la musica da camera.
Musei in piovosi pomeriggi domenicali, eccetera.
I vecchi maestri. Tutta quella roba.
Scordati le ragazze. Cerca di scordartele.
Le ragazze. E tutta quella roba là.

Raymond Carver

(A presto un post su di lui)

A vintage Kins-shot to start the post; I found lots of old pics on our external hard drive, so I saved some to include in posts for you.  This one was particularly cute, I think…Shelli was very interested in the camera.  you can also see her little shaved belly; they spayed her at six weeks; sometimes they do that to help them be more adoptable.  It helped us a lot because we couldn’t have afforded the spay fee.

I don’t feel like talking about food today.  Suffice it to say that I had too much of it yesterday and the day before and that I’m pissed about that and plan to eat extremely cleanly for the next week at least.  Also suffice it to say that I’ve learned a very important lesson about being a vegetarian at omnivore family gatherings:  I will need to bring a very good veggie dish to every one I go to.  Green beans?  Cooked in beef stock.  Turnip greens?  Same thing.  My options?  Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.  I’m sick of them.  Anyway, on to other things.

One of the most fundamental aspects of voluntary simplicity is the idea of “minimalism,” or reducing one’s possessions down to what is absolutely necessary and/or important.  Possessions should reflect one’s values, and those values should not include amassing as much “stuff” as possible.  One of the first steps, I daresay, into a more simple life is taking inventory of one’s possessions and paring them down to the important stuff.

We’ve done this a few times; we’ve had two or three yard sales and have made decent money, but we’re still really bad about keeping stuff because “we might need it later.”  I’m over that.  We have an office that we can’t even get into, and the dresser in the bedroom is so covered with junk that I have to stand on tiptoes to put my hair in a ponytail in the morning.  Our mission for the next few weeks is going to be to get those rooms cleared out.

A truly minimalist Christmas is impossible for me; I’m stuck in the corporate world, and we have THREE, yes, you heard me right, THREE holiday “events” that we have to participate in.  And, as much as I like the people I work with, the amount of time/energy/money that we have to spend on those events is incredibly draining.  Then, our church puts on a musical every year, with six performances (and a dress rehersal) that ends up taking up an entire week of our lives, and then we need to fit in a Sunday School fellowship…etc, and the list goes on.  For me, this year, our commitments will not allow for minimalism (although watch out, because that very well may change next year), but at least I can take some steps now to help reduce the clutter and stress of the holiday season.  Here’s what I’m doing:

1. cleaning off the dresser
2. getting rid of articles/paperwork that I don’t need anymore
3. putting away/organizing my shoes
4. getting the bedroom closet so that we can store clothes in there again.
5. starting on the office

Now, anyone can “clean.”  The point of the minimalist-driven clutter project is to take a very hard look at EVERY item and asking oneself whether or not it’s really that important.  Have you used it in the last three months?  four months?  If not, then you probably want to sell it, donate it, or chuck it if you can’t do anything else.  Don’t be overly sentimental; just let it go.

If you need help mustering up the courage to start, check out Far Beyond the Stars.  This guy is extremely serious about the minimalist lifestyle, to the extreme.  While the lengths to which he goes may not be for everyone, his philosphy is something that can really be taken to heart, and his tips are worthwhile, regardless of what level you’re comfortable taking them to.

Enjoy your Saturday!

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I think this is a Latvian arts magazine. If you click on the image above and scroll down you get to a collection of the covers. They’re relatively current. I like the colour consistency and the evenness of the aesthetic, although all the covers are each original and have different colours. Here’s another:

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On the longtail boat to Koh Yao Noi

Just a one and a half hour ride on a longtail boat from the busy tourist island of Phuket lies Koh Yao Noi, a small island where developers have not yet started their abuse of beachfronts. Rolien, a good friend who lives on Phuket, and I just spend three days there. Three days of doing nothing more than being on Koh Yao Noi. Rooms with views over Pha Nga Bay offer the only activity necessary, looking at it.

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We took our motorbikes to the island

Luego revelaré el detalle de las distintas applicaciones y chiches que mueven mi mac-mundo … pero a manera de adelanto confieso que todo se maneja a través de Quicksilver … hasta ahí confieso por ahora.

Ever hear of the show Hoarders? I haven’t. Except that I have, and I’ve seen it too. Allow me to share.

I was chillin on my sofa the other night, resting my legs from the race when I saw that Hoarders was on A & E. Real life. Drama.

The show chronicles the lives of actual hoarders, people who become so attached to their belongings (mostly trash), that they can’t bear to part with it.
According to the show, 3 million people suffer from compulsive hoarding.

I couldn’t believe the filth that some of these people were living in. They made my apartment look like a photo spread straight from Dwell magazine.

This one dudes bathroom sink was eternally clogged… with Cheeze-its and dog hair. It didn’t help that his father was a raging alcoholic and had been collecting wine bottles since 1397. Yes, before Columbus even came to the Americas.

The cool thing is that by the end of the show the dude was able to clean up his apartment. And it looked way more minimal and clean than my apartment.

I really need to step up my game.

Look at those vertical blinds. gahh

The sad thing is that the above picture isn’t from the show, it’s my apartment…suc

Here is a photo gallery from the show Hoarders.

Goblet Portraits 1977

ArtistsinAuction

The work of Zeke Berman demonstrates a truly unique eye in the world of photography. We are truly grateful to have such a talented artist on board, partaking in our upcoming auction.

Berman has honed his craft over the last 35 years, producing singular, studio-based photographs that reflect his long-standing interest in visual cognition and optics.

His work has evolved much over the years but always explores an intersection between sculpture, photography and drawing.

From the outset Berman received strong critical acclaim. His work has been collected, published and exhibited in galleries and museums such as MoMA, The Metropolitan, The Whitney, and Art Institute of Chicago. He has been featured in the first New Photography Exhibition at MoMA and has received multiple awards, including the Guggenheim, NEA and NYFA Arts Fellowships.

In the beginning

As a kid, Berman loved sculpture. He attended the High School of Music and Art and studied sculpture at the Philadelphia College of Art. He only backed into photography after graduating. To date he approaches photography as a studio based art and his sculptural training clearly plays an important part in his working process.

During his years in art school, conceptual art and minimalism were a fresh aspect of contemporary art. At that time, Berman began a developing fascination in perception theory -  a lifelong interest that involves questions of cognition, optical illusion and the evolution of the senses. The idea that an illusion can change in appearance,  right before our eyes, is equally fascinating and inspiring to him.

His study found its way into his working process when he began to experiment with a camera in the studio. Berman’s epiphany came when he discovered a deep mystery and possibility in the transformation of a three-dimensional construction into a two-dimensional photograph.

A cumulative process

The formal range of Berman’s work and his sculptural use of materials is varied, original and idiosyncratic. All his pieces are intricately designed and constructed in his studio.

Berman uses a 4X5 studio view camera  to create all his photography. The procedure is an old one that delivers extremely sharp, and clear prints, as well as images that are very realistic in the description of the materials used. The end result is often a photograph designed from a construction but with the appearance of a drawing.

His process is cumulative in nature – he makes photographic sketches constantly as he constructs and reconstructs, creating many, images as the work evolves. Intuition and spontaneity ensue throughout the process. We asked him how he knows when he has finally completed a piece.  His answer is that it simply feels complete.

Optical illusion

In the late 1970’s Berman had a direct interest in creating different kinds of illusion. His work from this period clearly demonstrates optical illusion and the transformation of three-dimension into two-dimension.

“Cup with Objects” from 1979 is a great example of 3D/2D play. All the objects fill up the frame up to the edge, however, one slight shift of the camera and the pieces wouldn’t work together.

Cup with Objects

“Web,” a piece from the late 80’s contains an actual spider web. It is a very linear, abstract work, and one that clearly depicts the flow from drawing to sculpture to photography. In fact, much of his work from this time period was very linear in nature.

Web

Later pieces demonstrate the evolution and progression in his photography.

Take for example “Shoe and Tire,” a 1993 commission piece for Progressive Corporation, an auto insurance company. The company CEO is an avid art collector and commissioned Berman to create a suite of still life’s around which the company’s Annual Report was designed. He won several design awards for this work.

Shoe and Tire

“Heart,” created in 1995 was commissioned by graphic designer Mark Schwartz for his daughter who was born on Valentine’s day.

Heart

Although Berman rarely photographs people, “Standing Stack” from 1997 was made at a time when he wished to bring more human presence into his work.

Standing Stack

Berman lives and works in NYC. He now works mostly in color, a new turn in his evolving body of work.

To view the ArtistsinAuction website click here.

To view more of  Zeke Berman’s work, click here.

Plant Slice 1999

Fat Lamp and Cherry Blossoms 2008

I have recently discovered Charlie’s Soap – a powdered laundry detergent that is free of all those additives and unnecessary things that are usually included in detergents. I absolutely LOVE it! Charlie’s Soap has made my life so much easier in the past week that I have been using it.

After having great results with Charlie’s as a laundry detergent (You don’t even have to use fabric softener or bleach, and your clothes come out looking clean, smelling fresh, and feeling so soft!), I wondered if it could be used in the dishwasher or elsewhere. After a little research, it turns out that other people have also tried Charlie’s in other ways. I decided to use it in my dishwasher, and the results were AMAZING! My dishes have never been cleaner (so sparkly!). Next, I read that it can be used in steam cleaners to clean carpets. I tried that yesterday, and my carpet is now clean and soft, with no crunchy residue or yucky smell.

Did I mention that I love Charlie’s? It is such a time and money saver, too! I paid $9.99 at my local Whole Foods for an 80-load bag. I have done several loads of laundry and dishes since last week, plus the steam cleaning yesterday, and the bag still looks almost full! Plus, I was wasting a huge amount of time pouring liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and bleach. Now, I just scoop up a little powder (1 Tablespoon per load to be exact) and toss it in the washing machine or the dishwasher. So simple! It helps that my laundry room is located right next to my kitchen. I just keep that cute little bag of Charlie’s on top of my dryer, and I can use it wherever I need to. It’s also great for creating that minimalist look I’ve been going for lately…but that’s another post!

…in a fast machine by John Adams.

The greatest things in my life have never happened on purpose.  They’ve all been accidents.  Becoming a minimalist was no exception.  I’d been interested in simple living for years, but never associated it with minimalism.  I’d dismissed minimalism as architectural steel accented by a sea of white paint.  Then, I went to the dentist.

Suffering from an aching tooth, I hoped for a quick filling.  In Exam Room 2, suspended in a blue leather chair, my hopes were dashed.  ”Well, Sunny,” my dentist began with a deep sigh.  “You need a root canal.”

“A root canal!”  I exclaimed.  Canals are meant to be floated along while tucked into a gondola, complete with a singing Italian.  Somehow I knew this kind of canal wouldn’t have a lovely parallel to Venice.  “How much?” I asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Instead of telling me, he wrote the figure down.  I wasn’t nearly as quiet about the amount.  “Three-thousand dollars!”  I shrieked.  “What are you going to do?  Stuff my molar with diamonds?”  When he shook his head, I cried.

Normally I’m not a hysterical person, but I didn’t have three-thousand dollars.  I’d just finished paying off my debt, but had nothing saved, and suffering another financial setback (there’d been many) was too much.  I did get my root canal that day, with the agreement that I’d make payments on the balance.

At home that evening, I popped painkillers while walking through my apartment, seeing each belonging through different eyes (thanks to the drugs, no doubt).  I stood in my dining room and ran a finger over the dark wood table.  A shrewd grin lit my face.  “You’d fetch a nice price, wouldn’t you?”  And so it was.

Refusing to go back into debt because of my crooked dentist, I introduced myself to craigslist and we became fast friends.   I sold my bed, dining room table, kitchen appliances, wall art, arm chairs, and lamps.  Then I moved to eBay and auctioned shoes, winter coats, scarves, designer jeans, sweaters, handbags, and electronic gizmos.  This ransom of my worldly goods didn’t total three grand, but it helped.

My apartment seemed to have grown without my stuff everywhere.  I looked at the empty space, knowing I should feel like a failure for releasing all of the trappings that signified that I was an adult.  But I didn’t. 

I felt free.  I felt alive.  Nothing weighed me down. 

“This is fantastic!” I declared, happily digging through drawers to further shrink my possessions.  I learned that this craziness had a name – minimalism – and I read about other minimalists, which both assured me that I wasn’t crazy/alone and encouraged me to keep going.  I became unstoppable.

Liberated from my things I found space – not only physical space, but mental space.  Seduced by the absence of stuff, I melted into contentment.  My mind untangled the thoughts it’d been suppressing for years.   

I realized I’d never craved the furnishings or enjoyed the hours spent searching for another pair of shoes to inevitably pinch my toes.  I’d been burying my true longings by chasing hollow pursuits.  Without shoes (theoretically speaking), I was able to figure myself out.   

It all happened by accident, because of a toothache, but I’m forever changed.  I’ll never return to a non-minimalist existence.  I’m light, floating on possibility.  No longer frustrated. 

This doesn’t mean the only path toward minimalism (and happiness) is a truck loaded with furniture barreling toward Goodwill.  That’s how it worked for me, your way may be different.  But, if you haven’t already, clear a path and make room for yourself.  You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll find in the middle of …nothing.

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- Trots att vita kök dominerat försäljningen i flera år, satsar vi vidare med två vita modeller som vi tror oerhört mycket på. Vi är övertygade om att speciellt Sandviva med sitt ovanliga ytskikt kommer att bli en storsäljare i flera år framöver, säger HärjedalsKöks vd Mathias Abrahamsson.

Sandviva ger ett modernt och trendigt kök med stilrena detaljer för den medvetna kunden. Luckans struktur skapar skiftningar som ger liv till rummet och dess raka, rena linjer erbjuder flexibilitet och utrymme att skapa ett personligt kök.

Syrén ger ett klassiskt och tidlöst kök med mjuka linjer och omtanke för detaljer. Luckan har ett lätt och elegant uttryck med ett harmoniskt formspråk. Den passar kunden som vill ha ljus och rymd i köket för ett svalt och vilsamt helhetsintryck.

Precis som HärjedalsKöks övriga sortiment går både Sandviva och Syren att kombinera med ett 20-tal mönster, allt ifrån en enkel slät lucka, till en klassisk spegel eller lantlig pärlspont.

Bildmaterial laddas ner från vår bildbank, http://harjedalskok.se/?id=168

Läs mer på www.harjedalskok.se

…a longterm photographic series i’m working on.

{all photos © julia schiller}

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Following my earlier success with my 100 things challenge (6 possessions in the kitchen) I decided to accelerate my plans and review my personal items in the remaining downstairs rooms – the hall, utility room and lounge. An updated list from these rooms follows:

The Hall:

Despite a huge number of coats and pairs of shoes, the only non-clothing items I could find in the hall belonging to me where a pair of shoe shapers. These were donated to a local charity shop over the weekend.

The Utlity Room:

1. Electric shaver and recharging station – I use this a lot but do I really need it and all that goes with it?
2. Travel case for electric shaver – see above
3. Box of cleaning cartridges for my electric shaver recharging station – see above
4. Box of cleaning cartridges for my electric shaver recharging station – see above
5. Box of cleaning cartridges for my electric shaver recharging station – see above
6. Vaseline – useful for stopping chaffing on long runs but there is a shared pot upstairs so do I need this second pot?

• Bottle of electric shaver pre-shave balm – recycled
• Empty bottle of Aftershave – recycled

The Lounge:

1. Collection of CDs
2. Collection of DVDs
3. Cufflink box (holds about 10 pairs of cufflinks (not counted as they are clothing related))

• Electric weather station – given away

I am now up to only 15 items having done a first pass of the downstairs rooms. At this stage my 100 things challenge is looking quite acheivable but I am not complacent. I have my home office to look through next and a quick standing count last night reveiled over one hundred items. What makes this worse is that, for the sake of expedience, items such as the chest of drawers and it’s contents were counted as a single item when there could easily be a further hundred or so items hidden away in it’s drawers!

“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”- Lao Tzu

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupe

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more, and all good things will be yours.” – Swedish proverb

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and to a hundred or a thousand. We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Plurality should not be assumed without necessity.” – William of Ockham (also known as Ockham’s Razor)

“It looks like you can write a minimalist piece without much bleeding. And you can. But not a good one.” – David Foster Wallace

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

“A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

“The simplest things are often the truest.” – Richard Bach

“Great acts are made up of small deeds.” – Lao Tzu

“He who is contented is rich.” – Lao Tzu

“Less is more.” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

“One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” – Francis Jourdain

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

“We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” – Lao Tzu

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“… in all the things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers

“If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life.” – Wu-Men

“Simplicity is the essence of happiness.” – Cedric Bledsoe

“Be wary of any enterprise that requires new clothes.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” – Frederic Chopin

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann

“Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter.” – D.H. Mondfleur

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” – E.F. Schumacker

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy.” – Richard Halloway

“Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, simplify, simplify! … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.” – Henry David Thoreau

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.” – Donald Horban

“People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.” – Albert Einstein

Saturday is here in all its glory… gentle breeze, the old dog sleeping at my feet and a handful of quiet hours stretching out before me. And here are a few of the songs that will carry me through. Saturday morning come downs never sounded so sweet…

Sweet Come Down – The Black Ryder

The Black Ryder blend fuzzed out noise, hypnotic rhythms and a sweet country twang to create a sound all of their own. Sweet Come Down showcases the vocal interplay of Aimee Nash and Scott Von Ryper – Nash’s voice floating and ethereal, Ryper’s cracked and earthy. It burns slowly and then it is gone… crawling into a corner of your consciousness and asking to be played again. Don’t expect any hooks from this band… just settle in for the ride.

Soon It Will Be Fire – Richard Youngs

Richard Youngs is one of those incredibly prolific talents, recording more than 50 albums as collaborator or solo artist. And there is no sign of slowing down, his latest release Under Stellar Stream released this week through Jagjaguwar. Youngs hyopnotic folk sits deep in your belly, his at times fragile voice, and deeply meditative playing draw you deeper into the silences so carefully left. This is music to slow time and drift toward vanishing point. Soon It Will Be Fire is from his 1998 release Sapphie.

Minor Careers – Spokane

Spokane create music that reflect the moments in between events. Each song exquisitely crafted, achingly subtle yet strangely brimming with emotion. Rick Alverson’s murmuring voice hovers in the at times barely there instrumentation and loving stretches of ambience. Nothing is rushed. Like a sparsely furnished room, Spokane provide the necessary space for you to enter into their soundscapes. A fine place to inhabit in those increasingly rare, quiet hours.