I haven’t mentioned this bit of news yet – I didn’t want to jinx it…then I realized that I don’t believe in that sort of stuff, so here goes:

I was nominated for a FOCA Fellowship a couple months ago. I won’t know if I will have won until November, but just being nominated is a pretty huge honor. Each year, three artists are awarded the fellowship from a pool of 50, but I believe this year the pool is only 30. I’m not sure if that makes my chances better or if they are handing out one less award, or what. Regardless, I am still honored. If I so happened to get it, I will be surprised and floored, humbled, and very fortunate indeed.

I’ve also reached the half way mark on my third draft of my memoir, Shrapnel in the San Fernando Valley. I’m actually more than half way now. And I’ve found more stuff to cut out. That’s all good news! The more I can cut, the merrier. So far, between the first draft to this draft, I have been able to cut about 95,000 words and every one of them were not easy. I believe I can cut about 20,000 more. I will definitely be finished with this book before the end of this year. However, as far as when it will be published, that I do not know. Where, how and when have all yet to be determined. My plan is to publish it with a major publisher, but if I can’t do that, I will do it on my own.

The writing has been coming along a lot smoother lately. I got myself in a bad predicament for a little while there. I mean, it was baaad. I was hung up and pretty down on myself. I suppose that happens to the best of us though. Then a friend of mine sent me some pages to a book by Steven Pressfield called The War of Art. It related to what I was going through and it made me feel a lot better. I figured I might share them with you:

 

I have always had a bad habit of calling myself a “hack.” Now, not so much. After reading this, my writing has been going a long like a fine machine. I’m not really second guessing myself. This was helpful anyway. Maybe it will be for others (I’m hoping). And maybe I’ll keep it fresh in my mind for a little while.

No painting is going on lately. It’s been all book. I haven’t even been keeping up with my sketchbooks either, I’m sad to say. I have to get back into my routine. I usually do exercises in my eye-book and wind up with weird-ass sketches like this:

or this:

Although, those look too much the same to me now that I post them. I don’t usually show the stuff from that book. Those drawings can be very personal. These are “safe” ones I guess, or ones I don’t mind showing you anyway.

I really need another cup of coffee. I’ll be right back.

Okay, I’m back. Thanks for waiting.

So, last weekend I went to see Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds at the Hollywood Bowl and it was really great. The only thing is that I am paying for it in strides now. Mjp and I decided we will never be going to the Hollywood Bowl again because of how difficult it is to walk from the car to the seats in that place! I am struggling in the aftermath of Sunday’s show, as my legs are completely fucked now. But at least Brian Wilson and the band were very good. He’s such a legend. And I loved how they just booked through every tune, hardly taking a pause between the songs. Brain wouldn’t even accept a standing ovation after he performed God Only Knows. He was like, “Yeah, yeah, sit down…Next!”  It was well worth the standing ovation though. I got a little emotional through that one.

Okay, it’s back to the book for me. Someone’s gotta crack that whip. If not me, who?