Photograph by Bradford Raines
Recommendations
Stretch often, and run or walk everyday
Huel Black (chocolate flavor)
Stream of consciousness writing, especially first thing in the morning. At first I don’t know what to write, then I do a lot of whining, and by the end of it I have found my own wisdom, which was there all along, hiding behind all that other stuff. Getting out of your own way sometimes means getting all of the “in the way” parts actually “out of you.”
Think about something you would like to teach someone and make a little book or pamphlet about it. This doesn’t have to be distributed- just go through the exercise of teaching (or pretending to teach) someone something. It’s important to get this down in physical form; you will take more care with what you say if it’s not only in your head. Could this exercise illuminate a part of your path? There’s no better way to understand something for yourself than by teaching it to someone else.
George Saunders (generally)
Remember that life is not a line, but a series of moments
Art Materials I Use
Oil Paint: Blue Ridge Oil Colors
Pencils (wood-cased): Mitsu-bishi Hi-uni; Musgrave 320 Harvest Professional; regular HB #2 Ticonderogas; whatever I pocket from the bowling alley
Graphite (2mm): Mitsu-bishi uni 2.0mm
Kneaded Eraser
Spray Fixative: Winsor & Newton Professional Fixative
Paper (drawing): Arches hot press watercolor paper, 140lb or thicker, in blocks or sheets. Pay attention to the “front” side versus the “back” side- they have slightly different textures.
Paper (handmade): Twinrocker
Gesso (for drawing prep): Winsor & Newton Galleria Gesso Primer
Gesso (for painting): Jerry’s Just Gesso Professional