rich man, poor man

I have been ever so slightly obsessed with moolah over the past few weeks, not too shockingly, but it's getting to annoy me. I am in 'no wiggle room' mode, scraping by, and all the while living in a highly affluent community, so of course it's on my mind.

Then, to make matters better or worse (depending on how I decide to take this), I read about this young artist who created some great art pieces out of her creative investigation of her relationship to her own debt. I can't remember now where I saw this (which is making me nuts, but that's another story) and I'd love to link it from here if I could. Maybe I heard it on the radio??? In any case, this artist ends up selling drawings that perfectly replicate one of her very own American Express bills. And she's making good money at this. If anyone reading this can send me a link, I'd be quite grateful. Usually I'm very skilled at ye olde google search, but I can't find this.

So, this got me to thinking, again, that I should have thought of that. Or that I need to shake myself more into that way of thinking so I can take the next opportunity.

As in, what creative expression can I make about my current situation, even if I have some judgement or fear about it? It's the fearless artists who are making an impact, getting some freedom, moving on.

I enjoy seeing art of this kind, where people are being so close-to-the-bone authentic with explorations. One can sniff out a fake 'investigation' easily enough.

One thought I had this morning was triggered by this "implicit" judgements test from Harvard University. Flawed though the test might be, it was thought-provoking when my dark/light judgement test showed I had a strong preference for lighter skinned faces. My first reaction was to deny the result altogether. Then I realized that I probably do have a subconscious script about dark faces. I thought about all the faces I've ever drawn or painted. I'd say at least 90% of those have been light-skinned faces. So that's also a factor in familiarity, recognition, and comfort-level.

What would it tell me, I wondered, if I did a series of paintings (or drawings for now, since my painting stuff is in storage) of dark-skinned people? I remember an art teacher telling me about a student who did a self-portrait every day for a year. This reminds me a bit of that. Now, to 'simply' obtain some more free time!