The Virtual Cauldron

Austin Kleon wrote Steal Like an Artist. I stole from him. I like Mr. Kleon’s newsletter format, so I’m trying it out here in this blog post. His book is in its 17th printing with over 400,000 copies in print. Dwell on that for a moment; people in huge numbers are reading and thinking about creativity and art.

Apparently people also like books and bookstores. This interests me because we all need to sort out exactly where we spend our attention.

“E-books’ declining popularity may signal that publishing, while not immune to technological upheaval, will weather the tidal wave of digital technology better than other forms of media, like music and television.” -Alexandra Alter, New York Times

Read about the popularity of print books: here

What Can Art DO?

“Resistance and Rebellion is a day-long international convening exploring the role of art in revolution. The convening will bring together contemporary artists, activists, critics, and writers to discuss the impact of art on movements for liberation. Looking at the future of resistance through the lens of history from rebellions to Black Lives Matter to uprisings in the streets, the convening will create a space for discovery and collaboration.” -Givens Foundation

More  http://givens.org/calendar/2015/10/17/convening-resistance-rebellion 

Looking Forward To

I’m not going back to school, I’m going forward. I signed up for a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) but not just any MOOC. This is really something – an experiment in socially engaged art and online education. I plan to sit back and digest some high calorie ideas. Here’s a good article describing the free course, a joint effort of Duke University and Creative Time.

http://today.duke.edu/showcase/mmedia/features/taking-note/pedro-lasch/

What a Marvelous Word

Transpersonal

adj. Transcending or reaching beyond the personal or individual.

This Really Happened

My book, Art-Write, will be translated into Korean. A Korean literary agent informed me that a South Korean Publisher wants to license the translation rights. They sent the final contract by courier. Courier! So Downton Abbey. This is a triumph for my small niche, self-published book.

I self-published using the expert services of Luminare Press. Patricia Marshall and her team at Luminare are frikkin wonderful.

Thank You

Thank you, Banksy. Thank you for Dismaland. Why does dystopian humor soothe my soul? See a photo tour here:

http://theselby.com/galleries/the-selby-x-banksys-dismaland-2/

This featured image is from a French Museum containing over 100 miniature film sets, the Musée Miniature et Cinéma.