Professor Wiggins - Higher Education

You read that right, but we'll get to the dirty deets later. Whoa, the last three months just whizzed by. Long of the short, all is chill in Wiggyland. Yay. I've been trying on some new clothes, taking off some used. I'm still living in Lynchburg, VA with the always inspiring Dee W Loizou. We've perfected our spicy fish-sauce sauce. Yes, I'm still vegetarian but this Thai dish we love requires the Red Boat, so we tread lightly and nom, nom, nom the bejesus outta that dish. I took photos for a wedding. My god, that was hard. Probably won't do that again. Thankfully the bride and groom are the best people on the planet. I took on a bookkeeping job for my dear friends at Riverviews...what! Yes, I hear you screaming. It's just temporary, people. No, I'm not moving back to NYC just yet. But I miss it. Dearly. Took photos for a fundraising event. Umm, super hard. But I did it all in character, with a British accent, in striped tights. For the challenge. Oh, I would do that again. For sure. Makes picture taking wildly mysterious. And fun. I did a few promo videos, bought a battery powered light kit, started using my flash a bit more for stills, and yeah, I taught an Introduction to Digital Photography class and an Advanced Digital Filmmaking class at the local liberal arts joint just up the street. It's called Randolph College. Used to be all women. Then that changed in 2006. I had 19 students and 16 were women. So who knows. I began teaching in February. Unfortunately I missed the first 11 classes of the semester because I came in as a pinch-hitter. Probably won't do that again. So hard. But I would do it all again if given a full semester. I taught four classes a week for a total of nine hours. 4.5 hours on Monday and 4.5 hours on Thursday. But you know what, that shizzle was a full-time job. Seriously. Best paying gig I've had in Lynchburg, but damn, brother barely had time to rest. But I kinda loved it? I know it's trite, but mad respect to all the teachers out there. Bring it in for a group hug! Yesterday was my last day. Graded all the students, sent each a personal note of gratitude, and then I noticed I hadn't written a blog post in three months. Whizzed by. The picture up top was taken at a show ring in Big Island, VA. I imagine myself sitting on those aluminum bleachers just taking it all in. Beautiful scenery, nice and quiet, just me and the cool breeze. What a spectacle. What a show. What a gift.

Might as well be happy.

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Snap Out of It

I woke up today and my face was sagging a bit. My bones ached. I needed to wake up. And fast.

Our meeting was scheduled at 9am. Sharp. Don't be late. Coffee, yup yup yup. A banana. Brush my teeth. Black pants? Sure. Black sweater? K. Black shoes? Wait a second. Next comes the black gloves, the black coat, the black hat. Snap out of it. You look fine. Everyone wears black in New York. But this isn't New York.

Today was my first day of teaching a beginning photography class. I rented a room. I posted an ad. I was taking reservations. One person replied.

I arrived at 8:30. Nervous. I opened my laptop, sipped the warm joe and reviewed my notes. My student burst through the door at 9:15. His name was Grey. He apologized for being late, his forehead was sweating, he had dark circles under his eyes and he immediately told me he forgot his camera.

Ain't a thing, Grey. I offered him my coffee. With his coat hanging off his shoulder he dropped down to his knees and started to cry. He lifted his head and confessed. "I could barely get out of bed today. My head is throbbing. I am tired, so very, very tired. I'm not sure why I signed up for this class. I don't even have a camera. I'm sorry. I hate myself. And then you offered me your coffee. And I'm sensitive. And small gestures mean everything to me. And I do enjoy looking at photos and daydreaming and thinking of brighter days. Connecting with the world, living outside my head. And you standing there, looking at me, so much love in your eyes. And that's the picture I want to take. Can you show me how to take that picture? A picture of you and me. I don't care if I'm a mess. I want to see how people would see you looking at me. I am pathetic. But I can do better. Promise. I want to be that hope in your eyes."

I unzipped my backpack and set up a small tripod on the other side of the room. Grey held the coffee mug tight in his hands and sighed when he drank. "Oh my god," he whispered. And he watched me work in silence. I looked through the lens and framed Grey on the left side of the image. I imagined where I would be standing. I picked the widest aperture and focused. I set the timer to 10 seconds and walked over to Grey. He brought the cup to his lips and looked up at me. I reached out my hand and began to lift him off the ground.

The shutter clicked.

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Values, Objectives and Results

I value love. I value light. I value momentum. I value patience. I value compassion. I value sustainable income. I value creativity. I value listening. I value happiness. I value effort. I value today.

My objective is to meditate. And here is a conversation with myself while settling into today's objective.

Objective: Sit in a comfortable position, hands interlaced resting at my belly, palms up, eyes closed. Spine straight from root to crown. Focus my awareness on the breath. Breathe in, slowly, lingering on the last inhale ever so slightly before starting to breathe out. Melting the tension in my neck and shoulders as I slow the patient exhale.

Me: Oh that feels good. So relaxing. I am lighter than ever. I feel loose. I wonder what that sound is? Is the radio still on? Are those water drops hitting the roof? Is that my hard drive? Is my hard drive going bad?

Objective: Listen to the sound. Smile at the sound. Don't analyze the sound. Let the sound be. Sound is like the wind. It is free. It moves. Do not try to control the sound. Focus your awareness on the breath.

Me: Breathing in. Slowly. I don't care what that sound is. It's probably the snow melting. I don't care. Hold the breath ever so lightly, now slowly breathe out. Relax the shoulders. Relax the tension in my sit muscles. Oh that feels good. Oh yes. I really need to get my act together. I should create a spreadsheet that 1) outlines my goals and 2) keeps track of my progress. Maybe weekly? Or monthly. I'm not sure. But ...

Objective: Really great thoughts. But let them go. Focus on the breath. Relax the tension in your eyes. Take a long, slow breath in. Hold it. Perfect. Now slowly breathe out while releasing all your tension. Your thoughts are tension. Let them go. Just sit comfortably and smile. Chakras aligned, shoulders loose, focusing your awareness on the breath.

Me: Wow. This seems to be working. It always seems to work. Now is not the time to do anything else but breathe in and out. Gloriously. Content with simply breathing. Oh.my.god. This feels amazing. I'll make sure to take my vitamins today. Pile the good on good. What a great day! I'll write a new blog post, gosh, I might even bang out my taxes. Bloody hell. I am on fire.

Objective: Focus your awareness on the breath. Just your breath. Simple in. Simple out. That's all you need to do.

Me: Copy that. Breathing in. Slowly. Breathing out. My tension melts away. No thoughts. No sounds. Just the wind.

The meditation lasted 15 minutes. By the end I was sitting comfortably, focusing my awareness on the breath. Along the way I had a few more random thoughts which I embraced, then I smiled and happily let them go. I heard footsteps on the sidewalk, a freight train, smells of curry. I was in the world but not judging it. I let everything go for 15 minutes, except for the breath.  

I feel lighter. I'm going to build that spreadsheet. Glad I waited. I love my friends. I'm going to apply for that photojournalism job. I'm going to take pictures and write stories. I'm grateful for meditation teachers. I'm not really sure what the day will bring but I am happy to be a part of it. And when my baby gets off work we are going to read William Carlos Williams, roast cauliflower and boogie.

Love, meditation & happiness. Got it.

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The Year in Review

I am grateful for sight.

When I first learned how to meditate I was instructed to keep my eyes open. But this was because I was trained by a kung fu master. In case of an attack. Master wanted me to be ready at all times, even in repose. So I kept my eyes open. But just barely. These little slits of light caffeinated my awareness and protected me from danger allowing the other part of me to rest. The part behind the eyes. My hope, my soul, my love. This part needed care. I was not trained to fight. I was trained to be compassionate. I was taught to protect compassion. As Master would say, "Concentrate your mind. Relax all of your body." Each awakened step is a mixture of perception and detachment.

I walk through the world knowingly.

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Fast Food Meditation

I love Facebook! Please let me explain.

As someone who has practiced meditation for decades, I am constantly seeking new ways to improve the efficiency of my training. And thanks to Facebook I have discovered fast food meditation!

In this wonderful season of giving it would be an honor to share this technique with you.

Step 1: Log in to your Facebook. Most of you can skip this step because you are probably already logged on. I realize nobody logs out of Facebook but I have to add this step just in case.

Step 2: Go to your news feed. To eliminate any confusion, your news feed is also your home page. Because Facebook is home.

Step 3: Before reading the first post on your newsfeed, please close your eyes and think of something that makes you happy. Isn't it wonderful, this feeling inside.

Step 4: Open your eyes.

Step 5: Read the first post on your news feed. If you have read the first post and you are still happy, read the next post. Continue this process until your happiness fades. When you are no longer happy close your eyes again.

Step 6: Think of something that makes you happy.

There you have it. Fast food meditation. You can practice this technique whenever you like, wherever you like. It is always available.

Please join me next week when I discuss why 6 is an auspicious number.

Happy holidays!

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New Canvas

On September 21st the Bower Center for the Arts in Bedford, VA invited me to have a solo video exhibition in their Sara Braaten Gallery. The space was built in 1843 as the St. John's Episcopal Church. The ceilings are pressed tin and 16 feet high. The gallery is 1,400 sq ft and can accommodate 100 people. There are 6 antique pews in the balcony. Four days later I accepted the invitation.

My first interaction with the Bower was back in May. Two of my photos were chosen for their National Juried Art Exhibition. The photos were displayed in the Terrace Gallery which is located on the first floor just below the Sara Braaten. My second collaboration with the Bower was a video installation and it also displayed in the Terrace. Perpetual Tea, or, Preparing Our Minds for Anything was the first video art to be exhibited at the Bower and was awarded Best in Show.

It is fair to say the Bower Center has been very kind to me. My two experiences with the Bower have been life changing in regards to the evolution of my art. I am a visual artist without limits. This is how I feel. So what was I going to do with my new canvas and how could it be something I could really sink my teeth into? The show is not until August, 2019 but having spent decades working in the film industry I felt like I was already behind the 8-ball. Tick-tock, tick-tock. I needed to have a plan. This was going to take some time.

The first thing I decided was to turn my solo show into an invitational group show. Yes, I committed to this idea and started inviting local friends to join me. But I really needed a concept first. What was I inviting them to participate in? I came up with a title, The Home Within A House. I would build a house on the gallery floor and my video would play on a loop inside the shack. Ok fine, moving forward. But did I mention that the Bower Center rents the gallery to the Bedford Lutheran Church every Sunday? It's a fact. I met the Lutheran congregation a couple weeks ago. I took communion, I sang a half-dozen hymns, I cried a bit when they said a prayer for the dead and then I pitched them my idea while nibbling on banana bread and crudités. I invited them to join the show. They are interested. I told them the house would be permanent for one month. Can't move it. We have not sealed the deal yet. I'll take communion again on October 21st and I'll ask for their official blessing. Wish me luck.

I really like the idea of shooting more video. Perpetual Tea, or, Preparing Our Minds for Anything was 15 one-minute meditation videos. Each video was a static, single take. So obviously my next video needs to be different. It's going to be a documentary. It's settled. The subject will be my collaborators, fellow artists in their home talking to me about art and feelings. And their art will live with mine in the gallery. We'll be together.

Ok, so that's enough for now. I'll spend the rest of this week visualizing positive vibes with the Lutherans. I'll put some tape on the gallery floor to give them an idea where the house will be built. I will imagine shaking the hands of my new collaborators, comrades-in-arms, musicians, painters, interior designers, illustrators, photographers, sculptors & poets. And I will wonder if any of my friends are handy with a hammer and a 2x4.

We got to build this house.

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