Tag Archives: 49th parallel

the in crowd

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All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established. - Aristotle

A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man.- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Vancouver has more than earned its nickname, Hollywood North. There’s a ton of film and TV production at the 49th parallel, locations easily passing for NY or LA and a zillion other places you’d never guess. Because I traveled a lot with my father’s work growing up (and production in Canada was huge in the 90s) I got to know, and fall in love with, Hollywood North.

Last year I took the writing deadlines and book I was editing with me up north for awhile. (When opportunity knocks, I can’t say no to Vancouver.) It was a great chance to see friends and family, find inspiration, and get a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively.

My Canadian friends and family are a mix of locals, as well as transplants from the States and beyond. And I was checking on many of them June 15th, when downtown Van was trending on twitter as #riotcouver.

The pictures were shocking. It just didn’t make sense that a town I love for its calm, its small town pace in a cosmopolitan setting, its kindness and compassion, was looking like downtown LA after the Lakers championships. I expect that behavior in LA. But Vancouver? Really?

Never underestimate the power of a crowd.

While I watched on TV as enraged Canuck fans took to the streets, I thought about a fascinating article on herd mentality that David Rieff wrote in The New Republic last year. Whether on the playground or the streets of any city, it’s pretty terrifying to see what happens when people congregate en masse.

I also thought about something Malcolm Gladwell wrote for The New Yorker last year (which, ironically, I read while in Vancouver), about social media, political change, and a thought-provoking look at how twitter and Facebook are redefining activism (or not).

I read a lot. I talk a lot. And I love nothing more than to read something that I want to talk about. Both the Rieff and Gladwell pieces led to some good conversations. And now, months and months later, I’m thinking of them again.

What Rieff says is terrifying and true - mob mentality seems to be part of human nature. But perhaps we can learn to keep it from happening – on the playground or in political regimes – through some sort of cognitive behavioral therapy. Ignorance isn’t bliss.

Gladwell made some great points in his essay, I love MG, but I think that social media may in fact begin to bring change. In the hours following #riotcouver people were tweeting about clean-ups set for the morning, which I don’t believe would have be so swift otherwise. And I think of how Facebook and other social media will play a role in catching those who committed crimes using photo face recognition, for example. This stuff is crazy. I mean, the face recognition in iPhoto can ID me as a toddler. In iPhoto. I can only imagine what more sophisticated versions can do.

Check out the Rieff and Gladwell essays when you have the chance. And let me know what you think - either here or on twitter. xo a

 

i get by with a little help from my friends

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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.