Thoughts and Reality

Upon coming to Costa Rica and seeing that the mystic exoticism I expected to find either A.) doesn't exist at all or B.) exists in places I have not yet visited, I have been forced to rethink my life here and the expectations I hold. Being that I am an artist, as is everyone that exists, I have the power to physically manifest the reality I want in my mind into a tangible existent object or practice. Maybe this mystic experience and power I have come to search for has existed within me the entire time. I believe that any reality one wishes to live in is entirely possible; it simply must start from within and spiral outwards from oneself. We are the ones in charge of our surroundings and ourselves; we must merge the two in order to live in the reality we wish. This goes along with Tantric Principles of fusing the self with the cosmic to create inner and outer realization. 

Explanation of Tantra

Keeping this concept in mind, many images I have created while being here exist as a physical representation my self and surroundings interacting, existing in two realities in order to find for what I am searching.

The world around us may not be what we want it to in the present, but that doesn't mean we can not change it. The resources required are all around us, inside and out.

Warrior Pose XXI, 2011

The Lesbian Warrior Princess I Know You Could Be, 2011

Sketch for Hat, 2011

Magazine Drawing Study, 2011

Cut Paper Stencil, 2011

Random Weave, 2011

Self Portrait with Fruit, 2011

Drawing on Hand that Probably Makes Me Look Like A Devil Worshipper, 2011

The Internal Conflict of Growing a Beard, 2011

 Screenprint on Old Shirt, 2011

Map to A Furby's Inner-workings, 2011

Visions, 2011

Highlighter Study, 2011

Amy Winehouse Fan Art, 2011

Rebekah Brooks as Amy Winehouse, 2011

Cut Paper Study, 2011

Cut Paper Study, 2011

Cut Paper Study, 2011

Notebook Drawing from A Lonely Day, 2011

Front of my Notebook, 2011

Back of my Notebook, 2011

El verdad

Soy un soltero y un extranjero. No creo que eso cambiará.

Lately

So, lately. 

As in this week, or the moments building up to, the culmination of everything until right now; things have been getting better and busier. From yoga and swimming classes, to making more friends, to making more art and music, things are coming together.

In my Indigenous Ecology class, I am researching Swami Sri Yukteswar, who wrote The Sacred Science, relating yoga, Hindu teachings, and Christianity through scripture, astronomy, and astrology. He also disputed the length of the Great Year in the cycle of human spirituality and suggested that our Sun had a twin star that it rotated around. Such an interesting class!

I built my own screen from boards, fabric and a staple gun in my Screen Printing workshop.

I'm learning to use Adobe Premiere to edit the documentary I''m working on while I'm here in my Artistic Audiovisual Production class.

I learned that a Costa Rican, or Tica wedding is almost identical to those from the U.S. in my Spanish class In the past, they were more similar to Spain due to history, but overtime due to tourism and trade from the U.S., our weddings are very similar.  Apparently a tradition that still goes on is that of the groom and men serenading the bride and women during a party the night before the wedding. The men will be forced to leave the house, the women turn off all of the lights, then the men come and knock on the door and serenade the wife. I think that is only something a guy would do for his wife in the U.S. if he cheated and was desperate to get her back. haha.

In reading for my Latin American Art History class, I have learned about Neoclassical and Baroque architecture in every single Latin American country during the XIX century. I've read all about doric columns, gothic arches, eclectic mixing with Baroque, Neogothic, and Classic architecture. I've read about the heavy influence from France and Italy in the architecture at the time. I am currently reading about the Modern Art movement in Mexico in the XX century. It's all very interesting, but I am so behind in the reading. It is so difficult.

  

In my Textiles class, I have learned how to do Batik, and am learning how to make a pattern from a pencil and paper. Below, I am sporting one of the patterns i put together out of paper. 

I don't think I will be using this one.

Additionally, I have been frequenting a 

ropa americana store here called Tienda Sinai. 

If you read my earlier post about ropa americana, 

I talked about the pools of clothing. This is one. 

                                       

You really have to work for a lower price when 

digging through this small ocean of mixed apparel.

An example of the random clothing

 one might find while searching:

Finding comic relief while searching profusely 

for something of value is a great metaphor for life. 

When situations happen that you don't expect or want, 

you can just laugh at them, take a picture, 

and keep searching. 

I've bought some cheap clothing with cool print on it 

to recycle into something new in my textiles class. 

I am getting so excited about it. 

Here is the Batik from earlier:

Also, I've been learning how to tie new types of knots 

online and making new necklaces from old tee shirts. 

This is my friend Tatiana. She is sitting with a "Granizado," a mixture of ice cream, condensed milk, powdered milk, diced fruit and slushie. It is delicious. 

It's been really great to make a good, solid friend while I've been here. I had trouble making friends upon arrival, but this seems like a very real, deep friendship that is rare to find. I am so lucky!

Life will always keep coming, bringing new opportunities and challenges. 

We are standing in a sea of experiences that we can either get carried away by or sail on top of.