This article is a “standing back” sociological and philosophical perspective on our current human condition. It is not a light or easy read because it tends to lift us out our own personal world view and allow us to look at it as an observer. So, I offer the article with a warning - to read this article could be unsettling. Yet, I offer it anyway. I offer it because these are dangerous times when we need to be brave. I believe, we need to question. We need to consider that what we believe to be true-and-right, may possibly be wrong-headed. But if this feels like too big a stretch and you would rather lean into my paintings simply for their own sake, I understand. If this is the case, skip over the link to the article for now and enjoy the latest painting process all by itself.
The other bit that seems to belong in the same basket of exploration and adventure is a video about finding a whole new way of living together. Microtopia: Micro Dwellings, Downsizing and Living off the Grid can be found on Amazon Prime Video. This offering isn’t so much about back to the land as it is rebel responses to the societal expectations both for individuals and for communities.
I am fascinated with the changes in social organizations that have resulted in the past 30 years, partly because of the internet. If houses were created for storing memories and material wealth - what do we really need to provide only shelter and a home? From the margins of invention, curiosity and frustration, combined with a belief in humanity and working from a place of hope, we have begun a restructuring of civilization. What would we like this to be? How do we get there? This video takes us into these wild pioneer ways for living in contemporary society - or possibly ways of living in spite of it. I highly recommend, if you have the chance to take an hour, you watch this exploration of alternatives to what we believe we now know about the best ways to live.