Saturday, Jun. 02, 2012 - 6:23 a.m.

I haven't washed my hair in over a week, and it's just fine. I guess it's true what they say about hair washing causing excess scalp oil production. I don't _think_ I smell.

Anyhow, what I was going to say was, I'm afraid that despite everything I am becoming creatively inspired here. We haven't even visited a vortex yet! I imagine it will all be squandered with going home, going to Memphis, going to Long Island, New Jersey and back again (NJ will kill creativity every time). By the time I get home and back to my studio, I will be a burnt out shell of an artist.

Nevertheless, I want to record a few thoughts here, not that I will reference them, but because writing down my thoughts makes them more real. Maybe more retrievable.

1. Looking at jewelry in galleries here, I think my work is well-suited but I need to put more attention into the finishing. I always just throw things on a chain. If I could come up with a few more interesting options, it would be for the better.

2. I should not hold back on doing really large, smashing pieces just because they'll be a bit expensive. I already knew this, but I keep holding back anyway. Occasionally you do see people wearing big pieces, and they go all in when they do it. No reason not to attract their attention if I can.

3. Do more of the torn paper torque-like neck pieces. Get a nice collection of them together. Find a way to work more color into them. Maybe in focal clusters. Don't hold back on the gold and silver leaf when I use it, either.

4. Reading a couple articles on ideophones today. I still want to do some ideophonically-inspired pieces. The word-senses they convey are often very appealing to me in that "hey they have a word for that!" way that I still experience even though real linguists aren't supposed to be impressed by that sort of thing. Technically I am not a real linguist, so I can like whatever I want to.

Shape can come into it. So can calligraphic meditation on a word form. That might be good for things other than ideophones. Not sure you can get a word-weirding effect with visual repetition alone, but it's worth a try.

African languages have all the good ideophones, no one out here gives a fuck about African languages, and I'm reluctant to use Native American stuff on account of the more salient cultural appropriation issues. Clearly this is a topic where I'll be doing it solely for my own ends. I'll it be freeing? Or will I never bother with it?

Again, I should try exploring ideas I've had more thoroughly rather than going all over the place. But at this point, I just gotta keep it going one way or another.

�