Notes to Self

Banksy installed his most recent exhibition at the Bristol Museum completely in secret. Only a few top museum people knew about it and the museum told the public the museum was closed for a few days as it was being used for filming a movie. Banksy’s exhibit opened this morning.

What fun!

Banksy said: “This is the first show I’ve ever done where taxpayers’ money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off.”

Staged in the council-owned City Museum and Art Gallery, Banksy v Bristol Museum features animatronics, installations and a sensory display. — bbc

There is still time to shop online for that special someone (or even for yourself :) and get your stuff before Christmas. Although you should act fast! With the weather not cooperating all over the country, why not let UPS or FedEx do your last minute shopping for you?!

I had so much fun putting together this year’s Holiday Shopping Guide! I’ve even added more sale items this morning – like SpaFinder gift certificates, Barnes & Noble books, and lots of items on sale at Sur la Table.

There are also a few artists in The Artist Directory who are having holiday sales of their work, and are even offering a holiday discount. You can find them listed in the latest post.

So, if your still stuck for a present, go check out our gift ideas for the artist, traveler, photographer, and/or foodie in your life.

I found this travel meme written by Mike over on Vagabondish and thought I’d give it a whirl. He asks to list out the five reasons why I travel.

1. Wanderlust. Lust being the operative part of that word. I lust for cultures I do not live in, languages I do not speak, food that I did not grow up eating, and history that I was not part of. You could also call it a drive or a passion, but I think there is a reason why it is called wanderlust.

2. Exapanding my boundaries. There are two types of people in the world. Those that are comfortable with the boundaries of home and those that aren’t. I’m not. I find home, wherever that is, to be a place of rest and restriction, while travel, wherever that is, is a place of rejuvination, discovery, and expansion. Travel expands me in the same way that a good book does. Except that I’m living it rather than reading about it.

3. Meeting people. I’m a very social animal and love to meet people from all cultures, all ages, and all types. I love to have conversations to see what makes people tick.

4. Landscape and Architecture. I love to look at and photograph landscapes and architecture. It’s almost as important as meeting people.

5. Art. I love to find great art, whether it’s in a museum, a cafe, an artist’s studio, or out on the street.

Tag: Anyone who reads this can write their answers in the Comments area or write a post on your own blog with a link back :)

If you happen to be in or near San Francisco, there are only a few more weeks left to catch the Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson exhibition at SFMOMA. It’s up until February 24th and it’s one of the better traveling exhibitions that this particular museum has put on in a long time. Go!

Don’t fret though. If you happen to be on or near the East Coast, New York City specifically, the same exhibition will be hosted at MoMA’s P.S.1 Contemporary in the spring from April 20th to June 30th.

If anyone can be a travelwriter, then, can anyone be an artist? Or, can anyone learn another language?

In a word, yes. Anyone can be taught to draw or paint or to take great photos or to speak French. All of these things take time and effort to learn. All of these things require a really good teacher. But yes. Art can be taught. As well as French.

I’m of the school of thinking that anyone can learn anything. And that includes art, writing, and even languages. The trick is to find the right teacher and the right method. Not everyone learns a subject in exactly the same way as the person sitting next to them. For example, some people have no problem learning a language by sticking themselves into a conversation. I, on the other hand, learn best by discipline and memorization. I like looking at languages as a puzzle that I need to put together.

So really, if you want to be a writer, artist, photographer, or learn another language, but feel you haven’t got the talent, just keep looking for that right mentor or teacher. They are out there.