identity parade patrick andrew adams
The new year is four days away and I'm finding myself reflecting on not only the past year, but the past few decades in relation to how I got here, here being who I am, what I do, and what I desire for the future. What I am thinking about in particular is how being human is a story, that we are all narratives, a collection of linked stories. I am looking closely at the stories I have told myself, how some are accurate, others are wild fabrications, and others no longer reflect who I am, or who I want to be. I am also thinking about how the work I do and have done has influenced many of those stories.
Instead of the usual resolutions, I am deciding which stories I will take with me, and which I will leave behind. I want this year to be the year I change my story, for the better. I want this year to be the year I make the important and in some cases, life-changing decisions. This is also the year to finally accept that change and impermanence, on every level, is the way of the world.
I am beginning to believe the phrase from The God of Small Things, that it is possible to enter the story at any point. It is also possible to change the story, to live a new and different story, to stay right where you are and create a new story, to leave and discover a new life of stories. At any time. At any age.
Remembering this quote has given me an idea on how to structure my desires for the upcoming year: It didn't matter that the story had begun, because kathakali discovered long ago that the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don't deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don't surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover's skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don't. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won't. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn't. And yet, you want to know again. That is their mystery and their magic.
I chose this photograph for its title, Identity Parade. We are all choosing our identities, consciously or unconsciously.
Speaking of the artist, I dare you to read Adam's bio and not smile.
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artist bio: I am Patrick Andrew Adams. I like to press the button that lets the light come in. I love sushi. I love scooters. I love that my backpack has at least 9-15 markers or pens in it at all times. I love selling my art. It makes me feel not so strange. My favorite color this month is ORANGE. I like pudding - especially chocolate. I like when i can put pudding in my backpack too. Not sure why these bio things are important. I will continue so YOU can KNOW ME. Ummmm i have 2 plants in my bedroom - "Donnie" - my ponytail palm (just thought donnie was a good rocking pony tail kind of name), "Taquesha" - she justs like to hang out and tell me what to do - in a good way (we hid the knifes from Quesha - it was bad when she was in the kitchen). I love talking to objects and giving them names if they aren't named already. Most of my days are spent - riding bikes around in circles - working on this box of lights called the computer - watching the clouds - arguing with my plants - touching other peoples scooters - graphing my love for pudding on the kitchen wall - figuring out what happens to all that misappropriated DNA. Oh i like cake too. I like to laugh. I like watching the clouds. I like to repeat myself. I like pretending that i can fly. I like looking at other peoples hearts i mean arts. I went to a school. I read a few books. I learned about photography and other stuff. I got a piece of paper that says YOUR RAD YOU PASS. Sometimes places like to hang my photos on their walls - i like that. I love to roll down hills. I like sleeping bags that are just a little bit too small. Today i have 3 windup robots and 8 aliens and one toy solider in my backpack. I like the toys. I like sharing fruit roll-ups with strangers. I wish i could do more. I like new people. I do the thing called twitter (aptrick) the other thing called facebook (aptrick) [notice a pattern here]. I like to make pictures in series - and have a hard time showing pictures that don't fit (weird huh?). I wish i was a baller. Wow i think i am done now. Okay - yes you read to HERE. I think i like you. If you hate me click the X in the corner - if not go buy some stuff from my store so i can buy more toys - art - pudding - markers - and plant food for Quesha (she likes mushed up pop tarts [strawberry]).
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