and SCENE...enter AIB

so as of June 16 i have begun a low-residency master of fine arts program. as a program requirement, i must document my progress via blogging. so rather than start a new one, i figure i will breathe new life into this one, as it has followed my trajectory of interests in this area for more than 7 years, even though the last few have been a little stale.

anyhoo...one might ask...why in tarnation would i be engaged in such an endeavor. if i were seeking any more education wouldn't a PH.D. be the more appropriate pursuit? perhaps. except its not neccessarily about the degree for me, and even if it were, for art an MFA is a terminal degree just as a Ph.D. is for other disciplines, so it does expand a few options if certain opportunities present themselves. so here i am.

i have always struggled with how to balance my creative self with my inescapable desire for justice and equality and have definitely leaned toward the latter in my professional pursuits. when i quit my job at the end of last year, it was because i felt imbalanced and i wanted to level things out by immersing myself into creative studies and practice in the way that i have immersed myself in public administrative practice. i decided unilaterally, to abandon all of my work experience and skills in that area. i applied for a low-residency MFA program that would allow me the flexibility to be in chicago with my family and networks but also push and propel me into a rigorous creative practice...however that unfolds.

it hasn't worked out *exactly* as planned, as i quite unexpectedly have delved into another job that is incredibly meaningful to me but involves more non-profit management...perhaps its meant to be...its funny how life works like that. but in any case, as i think about the relationship between my professional work experience and my artistic interests/endeavors...at the heart of them, the interests aren't so separate. at the core...i am deeply interested in cities. in their entirety. including but not limited to the intersections of physical space with social space and all the socio-political factors and systems that impact the two. i'm interested in rules and structures and how to either improve them for the greater good of ALL people or break them and re-invent. i'm interested in the individual and the collective. identities and bodies and how they move through the world. i'm interested in voices and presence and progress. over the next two years, i hope to find my own voice artistically and be able to develop a practice that makes sense both personally and professionally. over the next couple months there will likely be some formatting/structural changes to accomodate the various things i need to chronicle. but...stay tuned...hopefully it'll get interesting!