People With No Names - The Undocumented #27

What could be more quotidian than doing dishes...a ritual cleansing of vessels.  I worked on this for several days before I really noticed that everyone is doing dishes in big plastic bowls,  not plumbed sinks.   Plumbing is not necessary for cleansing; it is the water that is vital.

Monk Librarian #3

I am continuing to wonder about the place of ritual in my work.   I always want to have it be so pre-ordained that I just show up each day and go through my paces...with no doubt, thought or the corollary mental exhaustion. Is it possible to lay out work for a year and just ritualistically perform it...or do I need to continually respond to the work and idea at hand and constantly recalibrate. I fear the latter is true for me. Alas.

Monk Librarian #2

I am wondering about the act of ritual. How important is it to show up every day and 'do' the work before me. My method of working is fairly ritualized. I go to my studio each afternoon and turn on NPR and tie on an apron with a plastic bag against my clothing (to make sure no solvents get to my skin) then I tuck a towel into my apron tie, lay out my paints and begin. But how do I choose my subject each day...even within the genre I am currently addressing. Sometimes I think I should just lay out a one or three year cycle of work and sty with it until that time period is over. Other times I believe, that within my daily work ritual, I am following a divinely laid out rabbit trail and I need to just keep following.