Art of KCF: Ritual Routine
Ritual Routine
Seven months ago I doubt any of us would have thought our lives would be so significantly changed on such a collective level as is our new reality. When I started this project six months ago, I intended to start pulling resources together as a way to feel grounded. I wrote personal essays as one part journaling, one part processing, and one part archiving. I was seeking structure in my new post-art school structure-less void. I sought new communities and different ways of connecting in this new pandemic reality that has altered the usual routines and patterns of human interactions. And, as I was thinking about how to do this (though certainly it’s still an evolving process) I thought about the framing of this newsletter as it would expand over the one year commitment I made to myself. In that way, I conceptualized it a bit like a television show which used the same word in each episode title. Think Issa Rae’s titles for Insecure. Today’s letter marks the finale of the word I have pondered over the last six months, the Ritual Ritual if you will.
It will likely come as little surprise if you’re a close reader of my words, and if you know me IRL, that I am deeply invested in routine. I practice yoga daily. I enjoy getting up at the same time every day. I like tracking and mapping and planning. I’m the kind of person who in the before times, would absolutely without apology order the same meal at a restaurant. I love the way that doing something over and over again, with purpose, intention, and dedication yields unexpected insights. Ritual as a sequence of activities brings together unlikely forces for one’s life, the spiritual element, the creation of personal traditions, the connection to broader cultural practices, and the involvement of a certain level of performance. Even if that performance is just for you in the comfort and hopeful safety of your home, the ritual of your making connects you to a different part of yourself when you decide you will continuously show up to something.
What we feed grows, and I am particularly interested in exploring how the concept and practice of ritual enhances our lives. What if you thought about all of the things you’ve shifted in our pandemic reality as ritual? Does that change how you approach the task? Does it change how you pay attention to your feelings while doing? What if there is beauty in the mundane, magic in the everyday? Possibility in attending to the quotidian instead of only the exceptional? If for nothing else, the pandemic forcing us to retreat to more home space could make room for this gratitude shift. I’m by no means done with the ritual theme, it will continue to shape my life, for example, here is a list of all the ritual prompts I could have kicked off six months more of newsletter themes on the frame -
Ritual haircut
Ritual pull
Ritual moon gazing
Ritual stitch
Ritual meal
Ritual bath
Ritual harvest
Ritual reading
Ritual…
I have been giving much thought to the value of ritual as a form of meaningful repetition. Repetition shows up as a principle of design through playing with unity, variety, or rhythm. It can manifest through the use of color, form, or process. Visual artists often repeat drawings, sketches, paintings, and/or ceramic forms to increase our skills in making. These practice exercises provide a language and a map for the larger work that leaves our studios. I’ve been making the same size paintings for a series I’m working on and there is something satisfying about the repetition of these large canvases once complete. I wonder for those who identify as visual artists or not, in what ways might you apply these same ritual principles to the work that you do, whether that be in community, or your self-discovery journey? In the before times, I would have said we don’t have time for this. In the before times of my life I would have said my attention is finite and I would be better off adjusting my time according to what is most important. I guess now, in the pandemic times, in this election season, in this most polarizing of times where sometimes the overwhelm creeps in, I am finding comfort in my afternoon tea ritual. I find joy in the weekly walk in the woods with Vaimo. I find magic in my Sunday dharma talk listening session. I find relief in my daily afternoon Cheez-it snack. I find wisdom watching the sunrise every morning.
I hope by putting these rituals out there, I am inspiring more intention for your days. As we are in Scorpio season, and your favorite Scorpio is providing you with these wisdoms, exploring something to its deepest depths can bring great pleasure. Try it and see for yourself. As for me, I will be continuing my rituals, and shifting gears for the second season of newsletter offerings. Something is brewing for that frame, I’ve got my rituals to help it emerge, in the meantime I hope this letters finds you well and in good health. We’re going to need you for the next four years to come. May your rituals renew and recharge you.
What I’m Reading
A Grounding Ritual
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison I have been listening to a lot of books while I paint or work on other tasks in my studio. I recently borrowed this collection of essays, speeches and meditations from the late Toni Morrison from my local library and have been listening to it via my Libby app. The speeches and essays I’ve heard so far are deep thoughts on the relationship between racism and fascism as well as thoughts on war and our sense of home and belonging. As some of these essays and speeches are written/delivered decades ago it has been a great grounding frame for the ways that Black feminist theorists, writers, and public intellectuals have long warned of the development of our current moment in time. Her critiques of globalization of the 90s help give language to better understanding our 21st century realities. Her deep love and advocacy of the arts and humanities as a way out for us all inspires. While the subject matters are difficult to hear because they relate to racism and fascism we are experiencing now while she named them decades ago, they also serve as a gentle reminder that some of us have always been in the thick of it, and many of us continue carrying on the work.
What I’m Watching
As I’ve been really grinding in preparation for a show and working on a couple of different grant projects along with my usual consulting work schedule I have not found a lot of time to take on new television content. The Belcher family sometimes keeps me company as I paint which means I largely listen to the episodes which has brought new insights about the voice acting on that show. A couple of evenings this month I’ve purposefully rested by taking in a film. The 40-Year-Old Version by Radha Blank (streaming on Netflix) was a marvel. Shot mostly in black and white the film explores grief, creativity, aging, race and gender in clever and genre-bending ways. Sometimes comedic, sometimes melancholic, the film stuck with me as a Xicanx of a certain age. Coming close to 40 will do that to you I suppose, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the pressures we put on ourselves and the ways that our communities make particular expectations about people and their creative work. Last night in honor of Halloween I watched Bad Hair (streaming on Hulu), I’ll share my thoughts about that one on Twitter to save my word count here. It’s a fun and not super scary (though scenes of violence and creep factors abound). I loved the concept…just trying to figure out if I also loved the story as much as the production.
Artist Offerings
- Must read essay of the week is MacArthur Fellow Tressie McMillan Cottom’s AOC’s Attractiveness Drives Us All Mad as a thoughtful example on why it’s so difficult for us to name beauty in its relationship to power (and extension of her brilliant essays in her award winning collection of essays Thick.
- I’ve been on a self study of Chicanx Art History for a couple of series I am doing which has resulted in beautiful deep dives into the amazing art coming out of community. To that end, scroll down and watch this video of Cheech Marin talking about some of the Chicana/o art he’s collected and his new venture into creating the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture, and Industry in Riverside, California.
- Tired of “firsts” in 2020 but Simone Leigh, a sculptor, installation and performance artist will be the first Black woman representing the US at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Her work challenges scale and form through Black women’s histories and uses autoethnographic practices to inform her visual creations.
- This profile on Aubrey Levinthal’s intimate portraits of melancholy especially in our covid-context have challenged me to think about painting processes and materials differently. Be sure to check out her paintings on view through today at the Monya Rowe Gallery if you’re so inclined.
- I love a good comeback story and the fact that Rosa Bonheur is gaining broader notoriety that matched (or exceeded) what she had in her lifetime brings me joy.
Creative Ritual
I’ve been painting, stitching, buying supplies for my last couple of paintings like a new mitre saw and stand which has been an adventure, and trying to find ways to protect my body when I’m logging a lot of hours on my canvases. Making art is physically challenging and I don’t think we talk about that enough! I’m also looking for Latinx folks to interview in Otter Tail County for my Kitchen Saints project. I’m gearing up for a talk on this project next month and it’s really crunch time. I’ve also been struggling to get my Art Instagram page off and running… I’m growing it one follower at a time pretending that I’m writing to thousands. I’ve been networking with artists in the region and participating in my LRAC Cohort activities and as such, had a great one on one session with a writer for help with my artist statement and bio. I also recorded a podcast episode with my friend Veronica for her pod The Feminist Agenda. Can’t wait to share a link to the episode when it drops!
Questions to Ponder
What new rituals has the pandemic brought into your life?
What are you nourishing in these times?
What might you approach as a ritual instead of a simply a task? How might that change your perspective on your day?
How are you gearing up for the fight ahead?
Thanks for journeying with me. I hope, as always, that you take what you need and leave the rest for someone else, or for another time.
-KCF