Since August
In August, we lost a key employee to husbands company and I have taken up the slack which in turn has led to a lot of fine tuning…and has taken a lot of time and focus away from intersecting(LA).
I have accepted this as a necessary part of life and have taken up the position that life is art and art is life, and therefor I have no need to rush.
January has been spent with house refi’s, IRS audits, and new phone systems…plus working out my technology so that I can spend more time at the studio, while still doing my job.
These final two days of January will be spent tightening up the technology so that I may be free to create again.
The studio feels like a stranger, a lover been gone for months, who’s arrival you await with joy and trepidation. Will you still love them? Will they still love you? Will it be awkward or like you never had a moment apart.
A friend posted something to my facebook this morning, “An artist not need worry about success, because just being and artist IS success.” Charles Horton Hooley
For my entire life I have fought for a life of freedom and creation. A life where I take risks and a path less worn, in order to live my truth. Patience is always m greatest lesson and I take heart in knowing, that I create each day, whatever I do, and everything is inspiration if I let it be.
Dear Studio and Oil Paints. I love you, despite our time apart and I shall return to you soon, with great openness and passion and work earnestly for divine inspiration to speak through me and tell the tale of this journey you set before me almost three years ago. Always, Jamie
Shot a video for our song Bank of American Dream which was inspired by my photo/painting of the Bank of America in DTLA. Here is a still from the shoot of our son Liam, who stars in the video. The creative is basically him, a boy on the verge of teendom, searching LA for his future with his pink piggy bank in tow. We had a blast and are very proud of the great job Liam did. Can’t wait to share it with you all when it’s finalized.
xo- The Coakleys
This weekend we are shooting a video for our song Bank of American Dream, which was inspired by my photo of the Bank of America building in DTLA which I shot a year and a half ago. We wrote the song a year ago this month and the creative on the video (which stars our 13 year old son Liam) is a bit of an homage to DP “Enjoy the Silence”, only with Liam wondering iconic LA locations with a big pink piggy bank under his arm. He is a symbol of young America, whose future is in jeopardy, searching for his future in one of America’s greatest cities.
I feel so blessed and inspired by the people who are helping make this video a reality, incredibly generous, talented people who create for the sake of creation, not just for money and I can hardly wait to share this with you. It is so accurately a representation of Brian and I as musicians, artists, citizens, parents, partners, and best friends…today is a good day.
There is no hurry if you make your whole life your masterpiece.
Had a long over due and much needed day at the studio. Finished a painting, my best yet and left feeling grateful and inspired.
As my work slows so that I can help keep the bills paid and roof over our heads, I keep reminding myself that if you make art your life, you have your whole life to make your art. There is no rush. Everything happens when in should in its own way.
There is no hurry. Just breath and enjoy the magic of life.
This is a portion of “Beverly & Poinsettia” with oil paint progress which is the area behind the three gentlemen in suits. It’s starting to come along!
I was all fired up to paint yesterday after making some solid progress on Wednesday evening. Literally as I was on my way out the door, I get a call from the middle school principle. My son was in a fight, he got punched in the face and his glasses are broken, and it appears he was the first to start the physical part of the fight, so he has to be suspended for the day. Please come and get him. Needless to say, I never made it to the studio. But alas, I live to fight another day and go forth armed with my first, and hopefully my last experience with being the Mom of a son who got into a fight at school.
So I am up at 8 am on a Saturday morning to make this happen in the time I have, and I am thankful for this life where I have the flexibility to cancel my job for the day and be there for my amazing son as he navigates through the sometimes difficult transition from boyhood to manhood. Hrm….I think I just had an inspiration for a new painting!
xo and enjoy your lives.
A friend of mine pointed out yesterday that I have been slacking on posting stuff about intersecting(LA) lately and they were right! I have been busy painting and working my “day” job, and being a Mom and supporting/promoting OCCUPY and have neglected to update regularly.
I now have 6.5 paintings done. This one is from last night, me experimenting with some metallic silver paint on the background I am going over in oils. Also, we have been recording our song for the BofA giclee (4th & Flower), called “Bank of American Dreams” in any spare time we might find.
So I still have three giclees to finish on that part of the project and then it will be on to full time (said with a grain of salt) video editing and song recording.
I am 2.5 years in and although I get weary at times, the excitement of others when they come by the studio, or hear a song, helps keep me going through the long, lonely hours.
Thanks to all who have been a support, whether it was all of our KICKSTARTER donors, or someone who comment on a post, or just said they thought the project was cool. It means the world to me and to Brian.
More soon.
xo, jamie
If you think the Occupy movement won’t work…
You are wrong…it is already is working.
The way I see it is like this. If you are alone in a bar, and three big dudes start pressuring you to do things you don’t want to, under the threat of violence, you are WAY more likely to go along with them, despite your moral compass, to save your ass. However, if you knew you had 50 friends just in the other room that would come and stand up for you, protect you against the three thugs, you would tell them to F-Off.
O.K. So now, insert our Congress/Judges etc in the the “You” position, and powerful corporate interests as the “Thugs”, and the protestors in the Occupy Movement, as your friends who have your back.
We have to use our voices to let our leaders know what we demand, what we expect, and that we “have their backs” when it comes to standing up to the bullies.
Simple as that. Look what the Tea Party did for the most conservative members of congress. Same idea.
I think I finished three paintings today…
Signed one. But to be fair…they were the easy ones! Hey…progress not perfection. :)
Economic protesters take to the streets in L.A.: “Occupy LA” demonstrators march from Pershing Square to City Hall to call attention to policies they say benefit the richest 1% of Americans.
Photo: Chaim Gilan of Echo Park participates in a rally at City Hall organized by the group Occupy LA. Credit: Christina House / For The Times
Think I might join in this week.
(Source: Los Angeles Times)
I am not so much fighting for it
As I am showing up for it. Acceptance is not apathy. Rather it is trust or faith. Whichever you choose. A bend in the road does not mean an end to road, it just means you can not see in advance what lies ahead. Sure, you may havr to slow down for the turn, but you dont stop. And such is how life is and how I am choosing to approach things.
I think the heroic part of being an artist
Is starting something you have no idea how to finish.
