Am I Doing It Right? A Question I Often Ponder
In which after a long hiatus of newsletters, I give you an update, plus loads of new art!
I’m a fan of Wes Anderson films. Not like a rabid fan, but a fan. I enjoy the quirky easter eggs hidden within, the artful and symmetrical scenes, the overall attention to detail, and the insightful discussion of life, art, feelings, prose, and meaning. Plus who doesn’t love a film full of wonderful actors. Look, I get it if you’re not a fan and you certainly have to be in the mood, plus pay attention, or else you’ll miss a lot, but stick with me.
I look forward to Anderson’s films (Rushmore is still my favorite), and if possible, I will spend good money to see them in the theater (which is saying a lot these days). I somehow missed Asteroid City when it came out last summer, and waited patiently until recently when I finally saw it available on the Amazon Prime. I am happy to report, I was not disappointed, as it delivered on all fronts, especially about the meaning, life and art bits. It’s for sure quirky, but I appreciate a good, deadpan comedy. This is a fun deep dive, PS.
My favorite scene, among many, is the scene with Augie (played by Jason Schwartzman, (Anderson’s muse?)) who seeks out his director Schubert (played by Adrien Brody) and asks about the meaning of it all. Just watch. The scene really goes around 0:26 seconds in.
“Am I doing it right?”
“Do I just keep doing it?… Without knowing anything?”
“I still don’t understand the play.” Not an actual question, but feels like one?
I am plagued by these questions in my own life. Am I doing it right? And maybe more importantly, what does “right” even mean?
“It doesn’t matter. Just keep telling the story.”
It matters and it doesn’t matter. Everything is critical and very important, and also nothing matters, which is a relief as well. Which reminds me of yet another movie, which hit upon all of my favorite philosophical and onatological concepts - Everything, Everywhere All At Once (now on Netflix, although I actually paid to BUY that movie).
This movie is a discussion of how to live according to three different philosophies - Existentialism (everything is critically important), Nihilism (nothing matters at all), and Absurdism (it doesn’t matter so you might as well go skinny dipping, or eat chocolate all day, read romance novels, or learn how to make your own Kombucha, JUST BECAUSE.)
When I was young-er, I firmly believed that life had a point, and a purpose, and each person played an important role. Later, I splashed around in nihilism, and while I do think that ultimately it doesn’t really matter what you do, because at the end of the day, we’re all stardust anyhow, and infinity is such a hard thing, that how can me not using straws really matter in the grand scheme of things - nihilism is TOUGH. It’s hard to get out of bed when you’re a nihilist. Been there, done that, and it’s not much fun. I mean, I wore low rise jeans in my 20s, but that’s not a way of LIFE, you can’t live that way forever. Absurdism, however is a lot of fun, because B-A-N-A-N-A-S. And bubbles. And rainbows. And ice cream. And obsessions with weird niche things like perfecting cookie recipes or bird watching. (New life goal unlocked ps, seeing a Roseate Spoonbill in the wild.)
Ultimately I think it does matter, but only to you, as in each of you, in what matters to you, what you enjoy, how you want to spend your time while you’re here. Absurdism is great, although I think I’m more keen on a philosophy that says - At the end, it doesn’t matter, so don’t worry, go fuck around and find out. BUT, while you’re here, make it matter to you. Because that’s what I think it means to do it right.
And then at the end of EEAAO, my favorite part is when the husband says to his wife something like, “I would have been happy just doing life and running a laundromat with you just so we could be together. And that is enough for me.” And I think about that SO MUCH.
What’s your point Bridgette?
I just thought you should watch that scene in Asteroid City. And if nothing else, I wanted someone to tell you - you’re doing it right.
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New Show at Diane West Art in Durango - THIS WEEK
The important news of the week - I have a new body of art now available!!!
This Wednesday, we’ll be driving a whole new collection of encaustics to Diane West Art in Durango, Colorado. There are 17 new paintings to be exact, and I’m excited to share them with you. Matt and I will also be in attendance for the Spring Gallery Walk this Friday, May 10th from 5-8pm. If you have any questions about the paintings, sizes, prices, etc, peruse the gallery’s website, call (970-385-4444) or email the gallery (diane@dianewestart.com).
What can I tell you about the new work? It’s me, trying to figure out if I’m doing it right. Some days I feel like it’s all wrong. That I’m all wrong and what the heck am I doing anyways. And other days, I have to remind myself that the work isn’t what I do in one day. It’s what I do day after day, what I keep showing up for, and keep trying, and trying again. Those days, I feel like I’m doing it right.
Sometimes when you’re mucking about, it can be hard to remember the bigger picture, the forest for the trees even.
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Watercolor Workshops This Summer
Upcoming watercolor workshops for this summer! More details for these classes are on my website under Workshops.
Yosemite National Park - June 24-28th
I'll be volunteer teaching in Yosemite National Park the week of June 24th every morning with the Yosemite Conservancy. I did this back in 2022, and we had such a good time, I'll be back again. The classes are very reasonably priced, plus you're in Yosemite!
Summit Community Gardens - July 25th
I just added an evening watercolor class with the Summit Community Gardens in Park City on July 25th. Such a lovely setting and a great way to spend an evening. You are welcome to bring a picnic dinner and beverages, which should help get the creative juices flowing. We might do another one of these later in the summer.
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And that’s it! Thanks ya’ll. Have a great week.
I am loving the whole rainbow/sunflare situation in those studies! And thank you for telling me that I am doing it right, needed to hear that today....