The challenge of staying bold without being ignorant
It was 1991. I was three years old. My dad was in Seattle and my mom would be alone with me that winter. The road was covered with ice on…
True leaders are teachers
We need to be teachers. Whenever we learn something new, we should immediately ask, "How can we share this?" Our greatest asset as human beings is our ability to actively,…
Fall in Central Wisconsin.
What the seasons teach us about change
Fall. This is the season when the trees undress and the people cover up. Once again, the seasons teach us how shared conditions lead living things to change in different…
A Response to the Rape on the Madison Bike Path
This is in response to the rape that happened on the Madison bike path, which is now one of four attempted attacks since July. To my friends in Madison--and those…
Antonio Berni
A challenge to my community: speak up for what you care about
It's not a loud voice, but it's an extremely prevalent one in our culture. I have friends who choose not to talk about things like politics on Facebook or at work, because the…
Trigger Finger, Ink Drawing by Jenie Gao
How do we define true human progress?
August 29th was the one-year anniversary of me leaving my corporate job. I left to pursue my artwork. On a deeper level, I left to make myself better and more…
To my friend who lost her daughter and what you taught me about love
Sunday, July 12th, was a picturesque, idyllic day. It started with a promising fourth (?) date. We made breakfast in the morning, then walked around Madison's Art Fair on the Square. Then…
Painting study.
To the man who attacked me, here’s how my week went
Painting studies, pain aux raisins, and reading under the trees and a summer breeze. On Monday, a man with a knife attacked me in my neighborhood. On Tuesday, I talked…
False starts
Yesterday evening, towards the end of my run, a homeless woman stopped me to help jumpstart her car. My jumper cables were bad, so I went and got new ones.…
Photos courtesy of Pedro Castro.
Learning to See: Reception
Art is nothing without dialogue. At the end of the day, I am little more than the applicator of colors on paper. So it is both humbling and special to see that…