Over the past few months I’ve been asked to partake in an increasing number of activities requiring a heaping helping of self-reflection, a pinch of industry examination, and a healthy dose of bullshit-detection. When the cameras, interviewers, photo shoots and questionnaires seem to descend upon your daily life, you can’t hep but take a step back from the drama to very seriously examine what it is that you love – truly deeply live-or-die love – about your career, no matter burgeoning or well established. Having a microphone taped to your body tends to produce a heightened sense of self-awareness. I found myself returning to a few very basic themes in my adventures, which I’ve enjoyed articulating to various journalists, producers and interviewers: integrity, originality, iconoclasm, and courage. Frankly the discussion is a slightly exhausting but quite useful exercise which I would suggest anyone engage in for the intrinsic value. If you can’t find a nice camera man or writer to sit still long enough to absorb your fabulousness, why not plop down on the couch (preferably well positioned below a Lorna Simpson video installation) and have a nice long chat with your dog/friend/venti non-fat latte about your perception of the professional world in which you plan to operate a truly unique business. How are you going to carve out a niche for yourself in what must be a very competitive arena, whether Contemporary art, interior design, social media, entertainment law, or the fine art of marinating the perfect steak for your Memorial Day weekend cookout. No matter what your forte, it is a non-negotiable to summon the courage to swim against the current, resist the tides of complacency, and remember the (rather ridiculous) saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery when the crowds become spontaneously “inspired” by your business concept. In one recent interview, I found myself explaining to a lovely stranger sitting behind a very nice camera that I love Contemporary art for it’s ability to induce self-reflection, producing a better understanding of yourself, which hopefully leads to a better understanding, or at least recognition of your lack of understanding, of others. To live a live rooted in empathy and compassion is a pretty solid ultimate goal, and if standing under a Gabriel Orozco installation in the vast Tate Modern galleries gets you to that point of epiphany, all the better. The act of articulating yourself – in fact, communicating with the self you hope to become – whether in a taped interview or alone blogging, in a conversation with your mini long-haired dachshund or while daydreaming in front of a Motherwell – is an inherently useful exercise worth the bother. Give it a go, then treat yourself to a celebratory jaunt to the Brooklyn Museum to see Lorna Simpson: Gathered.
"Easy to Remember" by Lorna Simpson, video installation, 16mm black-and-white film transferred to DVD, 2001