Walking on the 'Wild' Side

Ever since I moved to Australia my bump-into-people ratio has increased from 1:10 to 9:10. One day I actually had time to think about it as I was walking through a junction and I realized that I wasn't just bumping into people, it was like I was walking head into a traffic of moving bodies that were moving right at me. I stepped back and took a look at the path I was walking on. I was walking on the right side and everyone moving towards me was walking on their left side... because that's how traffic works in Australia whether it's escalators, roads or people.

I'm slowly weaving my way into life as a local almost 2 months into my stay, just yesterday, I performed one of my pieces at the Oxford Arts Festival VIP Launch. It was a very different and unique art scene to what I was accustomed to in New York and DC. Regardless of the scene though, art always transcends barriers. Something marvelous happened as I began my piece in the midst of the noisy upstairs of the Beauchamp Hotel. I laid out the acrylic tubes of paint on my lap and I began spreading the paint on my face, layer after layer and color after color and as the paint thickened and as it began to mix into a brown 4 shades darker than my own skin the room grew completely silent and all eyes and ears were only aware of my presence. It was the first and only time throughout the night that thoughts soared throughout the room instead of voices. 

I love how unexpected art can be, especially when it comes to performing. You can never re-create a performance, there aren't enough controlled variables to truly re-create a performance, at least for me. I have at least 15 variables going on in my own head I can't control so I hardly expect to be able to control the variables outside my own body. When your surroundings begin to react to your actions, that's when the real magic of your art speaks. When you can capture a moment in someone else's world. 

Life can only be lived in so many ways, but I've never been one to live by fear or precaution. I'm the only person that can dictate my decisions, my behavior, my freedom.