A Cautionary Tale About Money and Art Very often States large and small deploy Arts funding systems to help Artists develop their work, and sometimes, with the best of intentions, it doesn't work out as intended. This essay explores an imaginary country's attempts, and the increasingly serious problems associated with allowing artistic freedom full expression … Continue reading The Next Big Thing
artistic life
More Notes on Story
In terms of navigating and understanding the world we live in, few things are more important than the idea of story. Through the mechanism of story we piece together what we perceive as reality in terms of cause and effect. We are therefore part of a bigger story. Story telling thus can give a supremely … Continue reading More Notes on Story
The Dragon
It’s extraordinary how much a city can change in a short period of time. Take Dublin. In 2013 when I last lived here full time, Dublin was a vibrant city in the midst of change, just pulling out of the last vestiges of a huge economic slump. There was a sense of hope, of expectation, … Continue reading The Dragon
Bo Peep and the literary butler
Bo Peep in micromanagement mode The hardest lesson I ever learned about being a writer was when I spent time on Bo Peeps farm. It was a long time ago (20 years at least) in another country (I'd rather not say), and most of the people involved are long dead now (so I'm given to … Continue reading Bo Peep and the literary butler
On Not Having a Clue What to Write
Getting Stuck – Writers Block As life is pretty complex, as there is an infinity of time and space out there, as there are billions of events happening out there in time and space, as it is close to impossible to actually comprehend the sheer vastness of what is beyond the stratosphere of our small … Continue reading On Not Having a Clue What to Write
The mad road from Karpacz to Jelenia Góra
Poland New Year 2015 Holidays were over. It was new Years Day 2015. We walked down the icy snowy road to the bus stop carrying or partly wheeling our baggage on the last day of our Christmas break to take a bus from Karpacz to Jelenia Góra. From there we would be getting a train on … Continue reading The mad road from Karpacz to Jelenia Góra
Pretty Woman Three Miles from the Czech Border
I am watching the movie Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Gere is so stereotypically leading man material. However his tendency not to look directly at his interlocutor, this shy downward glance followed by his knowing smile is a little irritatingly condescending. That being said, his acting skills and his commanding presence overcomes … Continue reading Pretty Woman Three Miles from the Czech Border
Annus Horribilis
ANNUS HORRIBLIS 2014 is a year I will very gladly put behind me. It was without question the worst year of my life. Sarah Lundberg (1968-2014) died under the most tragic and awful circumstances and I and so many others are still reeling from the shock of her death which was so unexpected and so … Continue reading Annus Horribilis
Notes Scribbled in Dejection in JC’s Cake & Cafe Shop Newtownmountkennedy
When you are stuck in a Cafe in Newtownmountkennedy an hour or two before an appointment, one can become intolerably bored. Being a bit of a bore myself, I start talking to complete strangers, who for the most part have come in for a quiet time by themselves and don’t want a strange hairy talkative … Continue reading Notes Scribbled in Dejection in JC’s Cake & Cafe Shop Newtownmountkennedy
The Ego has Landed
There are few sections of any society or culture more susceptible to the siren call of monstrous egotism and delusional self belief than that of the artist. Primarily (but not exclusively) a lone calling, the artist interprets and remakes the world in music, dance, writing, sculpting, film, or other materials present. At the highest levels … Continue reading The Ego has Landed
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