The insight of Peach Pie, arrogant academia, ( and pic of the day)

Okay, so I have decided that hole-ing up at the house with 2 dogs and a parrot on a sunny day is not conducive to productivity....so I have learned that I must venture forth into civilization and be productive in any somewhat clean, halfway noisy jaunt that has decent coffee and free wi-fi. So this is what I do...I traverse over to my favorite local eatery that has marginally good coffee and even better beer, and some of the best peach pie I can find.  I don't want the pie, cuz it makes me feel like shit....it tastes divine, but makes me feel like shit. But places like that come with an obligation....how can you feel good about plopping your ass down in the middle of a decent cafe, hogging a table with your laptop and all your paperwork crap for a minimum of 2 hours and feel good about only ordering a small cup of coffee.  I feel weird about it.  Like I am supposed to order at least half a lunch or something.  So I spent the whole drive over to the cafe in question, pondering this dilemma and deciding to settle on the least expensive thing on the menu....which happens to be one of the most evil things on the menu...a damn slice of peach pie with a dollop of home made whipped cream.  I feel bad. (even worse cuz I did CrossFit this morning)  It tastes great but I feel bad....for various reasons. I have my coffee, stuff my face,work diligently, notice the owner and the snooty waitress I have never seen before eyeing me.  I know other people are always there working away for hours...do they feel bad?  Do they eat more than me?  So after about an hour or so of this charade I start to feel guilty about pirating their wi-fi for 7 bucks worth of high-quality junk food and I order another americano for $2.53.  Bullshit.  I only truly wanted ice water with lemon.  Why do these people make me feel this way? again I say Bullshit.

As I am sitting there working diligently away, shrouded in weird guilt feelings, I notice the heads of two art departments at the university walk in.  They notice me, I notice them.  We have passed, and acknowledged on campus before.  No biggy. But, thank goodness we do not "know" each other.  Soon, they have migrated to sitting right next to me to share a computer screen between them...they needed a plug.  I was harboring the nearest plug.   With a couple of beers between them, they begin an on-slaught of critiques of poor potential grad student art applicants.  Being that they were literally bumping shoulders with me from the next bar stool, I couldn't help but overhear. Most of the work submitted seemed to be ridiculed incredulously, and comments such as "what was she thinking" and "are you fucking kidding me" came spewing forth. Some of the submissions weren't even opened because of the title of the piece.  One poor guy submitted something well over the requested file size, and was therefore cursed at loudly.  Many were questioned how they got through their BFA program.  I was feeling for these people that did not even know I existed!  At the same time, I was feeling blessed that I had been accepted, and I wondered if the photo department determined their student body in a similar way.

It was this little trip to the cafe that reminded me that yes, everything happens for a reason...I was there to learn....I learned much, and this is what it was:

1. Peach Pie and restaurant owners make you feel guilty simply via their presence if you do not purchase said pie.

2.  I am scared to submit anything to pretentious, arrogant individuals that want all art to be just like theirs!...And there are many of those individuals lurking in academia....

3.  Peach Pie and arrogant artists should never sway you into doing anything that you do not feel you should.  If you do not feel like peach pie, and you only want one cup of coffee and several cups of water while you use free wi-fi, go for it!  Because that $2.53 cup of coffee just made the wi-fi un-free.

4.  Most importantly, arrogant individuals in academia are exactly the reason to KEEP SUBMITTING AND KEEP DOING THINGS YOUR WAY!  Art is not meant to be the same.  Have good technique...but for goodness sake do something new! Do something that makes your art you.  Be original, be daring, be yourself.  There are 100 arrogant dudes out there to every one artist/curator/critic/collector/fan that appreciate new found art and what you bring to the table. Keep bringin' it, and don't let them tell you that you aren't good enough. Some times you really might not be good enough - some times your work really will be total shit.  But this is what you do...suck it up, bring your game, get better, keep going....and do your art for the most important reason...because it is intrinsically yours!

Cheers, and alka-seltzer for all you fellow pie lovers...here is your pic of the day...