Still fine

Now that I am looking more consciously, it feels like I see art everywhere. This one at Duboce Park made me laugh:

I am also going to “find” lots of art tonight at a local exhibition I was happy to be asked to take part in at 580 Hayes Street.

The show is called Plus One and includes a group of artists from my neighborhood, Hayes Valley, and then one who is about to have an installation at our neighborhood park. It is up from now through August 17 and has an opening reception tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.

This exhibition was great timing, as I don’t have quite enough work together yet for a solo show, but I do have new pieces I am glad to get out in front of people. So it feels good professionally, but even more than that it was wonderful to meet the organizer, artist and activist Madeline Behrens-Brigham, and, through her and the others involved with putting this event together, remember how generous and inclusive the arts community can be here in San Francisco.

Once when I was in my 20s and in the midst of one of those ridiculously dramatic breakups that you (with any luck) only experience at that age, I was walking to the corner store late at night and an older man who was passing looked at my face and said, “You may be beat down, worn out, and pissed off, but you’re still fine” with great kindness.

His simple statement and the intention with which he said it changed me, as I let go of the idea that my sadness and anger needed to be fixed and allowed that, as uncomfortable as they are, sometimes you just need to let them be and live in them a while.

A while back I rambled on about missing the way the city felt 20 years ago, and decided to start looking for artwork on the street in an attempt to still consciously choose to see the city that way.

I still think San Francisco is experiencing some intense growing pains and that it’s important for us to be engaged in fighting to keep a thriving creative community here, but if I could, I would say to it the same words that man gave to me: “You may be beat down, worn out, and pissed off, but you’re still fine.”

Have a great weekend, everyone!