Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth. - Madeleine L’Engle
The first step - especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money - the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art. - Chuck Palahniuk
I read a lot of biographies. Particularly those written by, or about, writers, artists, and filmmakers. (By the way, my good friend Peter’s book on the work of director James Bridges was just released, and it’s fantastic. Bravo, Peter!)
I’ve always been drawn to books about circles of artists and writers, the times in which they lived, and the way they influenced one another. In the visual arts, performing arts, literature, fashion, and design, as artists, we’re all under the influence of something. And whatever is happening historically will be evident in our work. As Charlie Parker said, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.”
In the late 90s, I read Everybody Was So Young, about Gerald and Sara Murphy, ex-pats of the Lost Generation. You may not know the Murphys by name (they were the inspiration for Dick and Nicole Diver, amongst others), but you’d probably recognize a few of the friends they encouraged and supported: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cocteau, Picasso.
Like Peggy Guggenheim, and other patrons of the arts, the Murphys had wealth and privilege, yes. But, more than that, they possessed a desire to encourage others to create. And did so with a critical eye.
Almost a hundred years later, technology has brought us to a place where many artists can do so much without first seeking someone to fund their pursuits (but, hey, nice work if you can get it.)
All artists, no matter the medium, need community and criticism and inspiration. I know I do.
So, when creative people set out to encourage others, to provide a platform for them to showcase their talent, it’s an exciting thing. And in creating cargoh, that’s just what my friends Paul and Cariann have done.
Seeking out artists and craftspeople around the globe, they’re creating a curated space for artists to call home. And today, after a great deal of hard work and passion, I am thrilled to see that cargoh is ready to take on the world.
Love what you do and it will love you back - that’s the cargoh way of life.
But it’s not exclusively about what’s on their site, it’s also about finding inspiration in the larger world of art and music and design. Which is why I think what they’re is doing is so fabulous.
Once upon a time, artists and writers and performers would gather at the Murphy home, Villa America. And while I surely wouldn’t mind an escape to Cap d’Antibes, I believe with cargoh, Paul and Cariann are creating a 21st century destination for artists to gather all their own. Stop by and take a look, won’t you?
Check out the cargoh blog, this side up, here. xo a.
