This or That_019
Item
- Title
- This or That_019
- Alternative Title
- This or That
- Creator
- Karen Blessen
- Date
- 2022-2023
- Description
- The image shows two pages of a handwritten journal. The left page contains a dated entry from September 18, 2022, discussing the author's 30th birthday and reflections on aging and productivity. The right page includes notes about giving back to the community and charitable giving, with mentions of North Texas Giving Day 2022 and tax benefits. The handwriting is cursive and somewhat dense, with some overlapping text. There are no visible doodles or artwork on the pages.
- Identifier
- B-2022_050622 to 2023 102523_THIS OR THAT
- Dates Completed
- May 6, 2022 - October 25, 2023
- Keywords
- Visual journal; Photographs; 2022; Deep rest; American LOVE Project; 29 Pieces; Sundown plans; Reinvigoration; This Moment in Time; Timeline; Loose ends; Original vision; Artists Making a Kinder World; Curriculum; Brandon Woodard; Prison; THIS OR THAT; IF THIS THEN THAT; Dhammapada; Eknath Easwaran; Meditation; Kelly’s mother; Grief; Anxiety; Summer heat; Garden loss; Nervous breakdown; Fort Worth; Hotel retreat; Art museums; Botanical garden; Construction noise; Emotional overwhelm; Daily choices; Goya; Beatrix Potter; Hokusai; Rico Lebrun; Future direction; Circumstantial clarity
- Transcription
-
Left Page:
Sept. 18, 2022
2022—my first full year of being
30. The year
1972—my first full year of being
28. The year
Lorraine said to me—
"You have more inertia
than anyone I know."
This year feels familiar to that
year.
Stasis. A period of inactivity
or equilibrium. 1972.
Deep. The peacefulness of just sitting.
The absence of urgency to
Do this. Is that
The emptiness of mind rather
Then sharp
the neighborhood.
What do I want? What do I want for US? Is there an us? A Kelly and us?
So I said and here I think—
I want what I have. A home, a garden, a studio,
time to do this and that. Time to be slow. Time to just sit in
silence. I don't want a lot of pressure anymore. Financial or otherwise.
Right Page:
For most of my adult life I've
had the intuition that the
year teaching up to 75 would
be the most productive activity.
Well so far not so.
TODAY
I need to think of/write some
messages for North Texas
Giving Day 2022. Aka
The Hunger Games for
the non-profits.
What a bizarre concept.
Here's where the challenge
is to put aside my and
cynicism about the wealth
charitable giving → tax benefit →
reduction of guilt → higher bottom
line - Rights
- To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
- Is Part Of
- This or That
- Relation
- Image Gallery