Joy is an Act of Resistance
The timeline we live in is abysmal and depressing. Data centers, the devaluing of human art, mass layoffs, entire industries knee-capped by AI, severe climate change, fascists in our government, the intensifying of racism and homophobia and misogyny... it's just not turning out anything like we hoped.
I'm clinging to the static joy of my childhood- before I knew how bad things could get. I have ADD and any time I was faced with a situation that made me unhappy, like loneliness, bullying or being ostracized, I slipped into my own daydreams and disassociated my way through the day. It got me through tough times and no matter how much I got tormented by a situation, I could ignore it.
Growing up in the early 80's I had the good fortune to play with some of the most amazing and imaginative toy lines with absolutely beautiful artwork. My toys and the cartoons I watched became my friends and my escape whenever I could manage it. All this reflects in my art work, whether it's dolls or sculptures or paintings or prose. What the toys actually looked like, or how badly the cartoons were actually written doesn't matter. What I saw in my imagination became the reality and my artwork is the best way I can share that.
I hope this work can bring you joy, inspire you or your child, and bring comfort. I can't change the world, I can't save my career in video games, I can't bring back people we've lost, I might not even be able to save my house. All the physical slips away eventually. Things are just things. But if my art, which is just a thing as well, can spark an inner world of safety and strength, then they're the most important thing I can offer right now.
