Hackers

Starting in November, after my departure from the Gallery, I began studying inter-personal growth and physiological hacking with a friend as my guide and mentor.

Emotional Rationality - Understanding where my impulses and emotions come from and gaining perspective (zooming out) while discovering the logical explanations behind my behavior and feelings. This has allowed me to make more logical decisions and appropriately prioritize my life, needs, and over-all daily well-being.

Strategizing - Always stay 60 steps ahead. Predict the worst, hope for the best, and all the other options in between. Pay attention to patterns and history, as humans we tend to repeat our mistakes. We must recognize and assess them so there is growth and linear development instead of a cyclical timeline.

Mind and Body Hacking - As animals we are conditioned to survive. In a first world of abundance and excess, our biological needs have not evolved in the past few hundred years to understand that we are not "starving", therefore we crave glucose (sugar, starches, carbohydrates) that give us immediate energy that we can convert to fat and store for long periods of famine. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is laden with these foods (as well as hidden sugars) that have made us dependent upon glucose for energy and eventually addicted to the rushes we experience from them (similar to that of cocaine and other dopamine inhibitors). In the past month, I have controlled my sugar cravings, excessive hunger as well as my dependency on stimulants such as caffeine.

As I continue, I try to remain self-aware and understanding myself and how my brain is wired. Through hacking, I can assimilate to modern society while being acutely aware of my human instincts and functioning.

Bring it.

Forbidden Fruit

There are two sides to the Garden of Eden story.

G-d told Adam and Eve to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge or else they would die.

The snake said this was false. Pure load of crap. Big Daddy didn't want them to eat the apple because He was scared they would get on His level and he may not have full control over their minds, to manipulate and dominate over them.

Hmm, then why would the Tree be there in the first place? Was He testing their willpower or was He creating a fear and obedience of Him in our minds?

The Garden was otherwise beautiful, utopian and peaceful. I mean, cute fuzzy animals, yummy fruit, trees, waterfalls, and all that good stuff.

Why create something that we have to resist and fear because we don't understand it? Did He actually want us to eat and learn from our mistake? Or should we have obeyed and lived in utopia for all eternity and live in fear of this forbidden fruit, and even more so, of this higher power?

And then, of course, there is the snake. Did the snake eat the apple or did G-d put him there to tempt us and test us as well. G-d punished the snake by splitting his tongue so he could no longer tempt others with his slippery words. He also removed his legs so the snake would have to slither and writhe upon its belly.

But here's the twist...snakes sleep with their eyes wide open. Perhaps he knew all along and couldn't bare to watch the ignorance of all the other animals, living peacefully under the fear and Power of the Almighty. Adam and Eve skipped gaily amongst the critters and the flora of the simple, magical Garden. The snake surely could not stand by this ridiculous complacency.

I'm with the snake...

Tiger Lily Headpiece Exhibit

Yesterday I had the blessing and opportunity to share my headpieces and some select jewelry at Wild Woman "My Body is My Sanctuary".

Tiger Lily is a Wild Woman because she is in tune with nature and uses her surroundings and resources available to adorn herself.


The headpieces I’ve created are based on the whimsical world J.M. Barrie creates in Peter Pan crossbred with the urban fashion and style of young artists in modern-day Brooklyn. Her transformation from Native Princess to Pirate Queen is demonstrated through the headpieces. 

Native American headdresses and pieces are very distinct and each adornment, feather, bead signify an achievement. These pieces serve as a badge or award for bravery or overcoming great adversity. 


Each headpiece tells a story and is available upon request.

The Tiger Lily Project includes a series of handmade headpieces representing the growth and development of her character throughout her experiences.

Each piece deals with a major decision she has to make in order to overcome a situation, hardship or make a direct choice in life leading her onward. Some are quite simple, very obvious and came easy without too much fret while others came with many scars and tears. 

As she progresses in her journey, the pieces get more and more complex as her story and understanding of her self-growth progresses. 

The Tiger Lily Project

     The story of Tiger Lily is adapted from what we know as the world J. M. Barrie created in the famous tale of Peter Pan. In my novel, the characters of Peter Pan exist in modern day New York City, where young artists strive to achieve their goal, to become a professional and working artist in a city where inspiration and stimulation thrive. 

Neverland is a conceptual state of mind, rather than an actual location. Neverland is still a state where those do no grow old. It is a magical place filled with mermaids, pirates and Indians, exotic wildlife, play sword fights and childlike wonder. This land exists within every artist’s mind. Artistic creations are born within this state.

Neverland exists throughout the city in small artistic communities such as communes and collectives. The ultimate goal of these communities is to reach a constant state of Neverland, the artist’s nirvana (free from suffering). Suffering, in this case, is withstanding society’s pressures to grow up, go to war, work for a corporate business, rely on an economy based on paper money. These communities strive to become self-sustaining, surviving and thriving off of as little as possible by selling artistic creations, coordinating community events or parties, planting green roofs etc. Some would describe this lifestyle as “living the dream”. However, achieving Neverland is not to be confused with “fame”. Fame is not a direct measure of success in the process of achieving Neverland. 

     

Tiger Lily’s Conception 

As a writer and performer, I have chosen method writing as a way to immerse myself as best as possible into the world of Tiger Lily. I chose to work with her character (as opposed to Wendy or Peter) because she is a strong female, a loyal friend and most importantly, she stays in Neverland. Wendy eventually succumbs to the pressures of society and leaves Neverland to “grow up” and become a mother and housewife. Tiger Lily is not so impressed by this complacent lifestyle in the “normal” world and instead becomes assimilated to the pirate culture within Neverland. The pirates teach Tiger Lily about survival as a “grown up” within Neverland. 

Buried Treasure 

Tiger Lily’s tribe, as many Native American tribes, believed in “waste not, want not”. Lily uses found materials, otherwise rendered as trash, to create jewelry, clothing and accessories. She adorns herself with feathers, old coins, toys, utensils, plastic yogurt containers, whatever she can find to transform resources around her into art and something of perceived value and beauty.

The headdresses I’ve created are based on the whimsical world J.M. Barrie creates in Peter Pan crossbred with the urban fashion and style of young artists in modern-day Brooklyn. Her transformation from Native Princess to Pirate Queen is demonstrated through the headpieces. 

Type-Casting

"Here, can you read for this role?" , he handed me the script.

"Sure, just let me take a look..."

I scanned the page. Just what I suspected. Another angry woman character, throwing things, throwing insults, screeching and cawing, biting and scratching and just being, well, bat sh*t crazy.

Ramona - 40s, female, an emotional ticking time-bomb, furious at her husband for blah blah something or other.

"No thanks." I pushed the script back into his hands

"You won't read for it?" he asked, stunned.

"I'll have to pass, is that the only role you have left?"

"Thanks, we'll call you". The casting director shooed me out the door.

Sigh. 

***

You know, some days you're just not in the mood to play that role. They expect you to because it fits, because you own it. You know it'd be a big hit, that's why they called you down.

Today, that's just not me. 

They even fed me the lines...all I needed was to just jump in. They set the scene, it's all ready. He wrote that role for me. I know he wanted me to play her, but I'm just too tired. 

Next time you write something for me, honey, cast me as the friend or the advisor. Hell, cast me as the house cat. 

I heard once before that we're only allotted a certain of number of tears per person. 

How can you expect me to cry real tears on cue for that? I got none left, baby.

Try another actress, she'll be happy to play that part. Not me.