41. Surrender
How we survive. The 1 second story grows to 12; hardship and what we make; wearing the shoe that we thought was going to drop. An animated sketch, to sound.
If you choose, try to lose
For the loss of remain come and start
Start the game
Choose to choose
Choose to choose
Choose to go—Velvet Underground, “Black Angel Death Song”
Hey.
“Children at Sea” began as a 1 second story with just 12 drawings. It’s grown to 12 seconds, or a 292 frame loop. Inking on tracing paper exposes the future (partial sequence):
This issue’s provocation for all,
with the loop above for meditative anchor:
We have inklings of what’s ahead for us. We have worries—our health, mortality, finances, work, children, parents, climate change, world economy, war. Some of it’s projection, structured by fear and experience. Some of it’s under our control, most of it’s not.
How do we remain present? What does that even mean? Why do we want to? Why should we want to?
I’ve been going through some big family emergencies and personal transitions. Everything, all at once, loud and incapacitating, one of which I mentioned last time. Someone recently said to me: Life is so tender.
This is what being in a crucible must feel like. Tenderness, burning.
How will I come through? What will I be made of, then?
Members, read on for more personal context:
things I wish to keep to a smaller circle, how what I’m going through has been influencing what I make, and what it’s been teaching me. Also, be the first to see the full sketch for this sequence (before I paint over it), to sound: