Charles Eisenstein on Sacred Economics

Posted on by Thor

Charles Eisenstein, the author of Sacred Economics, gave a talk at the Timucua White House. Harlan Wallner got on stage to introduce Charles. He stood there for a long while beaming. He said he had planned a long time on how he might introduce Charles but instead he just wanted to smile. He said, we were in for an enlightenment.

Charles stood at the very edge of the stage his toes reaching towards the audience. He began by saying, “This is the first talk I have given at the White House.” Which broke the ice with laughter. Behind him two spot lights created a heart shaped pool of light on the painting in the corner. I began by sketching that pool of light.

He outlined how our society today is surrounded by product, not true nourishment. Most people feel that community is missing from our lives. Money tends to block us from the natural expression of our gifts. Community is something that is woven from gift relationships. In ancient societies, wealth was a matter of how much you shared. If a hunter brought down a large catch, he couldn’t eat it all himself before it spoiled. He would share the catch with the community. Today, financial independence means you don’t need others. The dissolution of community to a shallow consumer society relates as well to the high number of divorces today. Community comes from creatively producing together.

Existence is a matter of giving. Our default state is gratitude. The world is a web of gifts. Growing up we accepted the gifts of our parents. When we are older we seek to give those gifts in return. Joint consumption doesn’t create intimacy. Only joint creativity and gifts create intimacy. Anything we do has significance. Perhaps our society doesn’t place a high monetary value on someone sitting with a person in hospice. But a shared moment of forgiveness at the end of life has an immense value. How will that change the world?

Look for gifts in the unspoken. Bow in service to what you need to create. You have to be in service of something. Everyone wants to live a life of meaning. Something wants to be born, to be created. It’s light will bring up pain. You might think, “It’s impossible” or “I’ll be left behind.” Pay attention to that pain, give it space, then move past it. The logic of the heart wants to be of service. Love is the felt experience of connection to another human being. An economist feels, more for you is less for me. But a person in love knows that more for you is more for me as well. If you love someone, then their happiness is your happiness. Your sense of self expands to include others. That is a different kind of revolution. We want to create a more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible. A sacred world. A world that works for everybody. A world of peace. “You can’t evict an idea whose time has come.”

After the talk, I spoke with Dina Peterson who had recently lost her job and is considering moving to Indiana. Regardless, she wanted to buy one of my calendars. I was touched. I realized I only had a single dollar bill in my wallet. Rather than take the money, I suggested she “gift” the money to Charles. I felt good knowing I had made a contribution. When she came back, she said she felt rich being able to give the extra cash to the speaker. This was our shared experience in Sacred Economics for the evening.

Yoga Matrix

Posted on by Thor

Terry planned to go to a yoga class with Sarah Austin. Sarah was running late so Terry didn’t take the class. It was an oven in the place and she decided that she would rather go home and relax. Terry and I used to go to yoga together several years ago. At dinner, Terry asked if I would like to go to yoga again with her. I agreed.

Yoga Matrix (7601 Della Dr. Suite # 5 at Dr. Phillips Marketplace) is right in our neighborhood. We went to a Saturday morning Hatha Yoga class being taught by Edely. We entered the studio through a back door. People were crowded into the small office. More people arrived and crowded in. A Yoga class was winding down and they were in a quiet meditative state so we all remained silent. When the prior class let out, we shuffled in. There was square shelving for our shoes and socks just like in kindergarten. The room is kept at a comfortable 76 degrees.

Terry and I ended up placing our bright pink mats right in front of Edely who faced the full room of participants. Edely has an adorable accent that made me feel I was practicing some exotic ritual. “Yoga is about undoing, shacked out your legs until they are relaxed.” When we went from downward facing dog to a position where we sat back on our heels and leaned forward with our forehead on the mat and our hands spread above our head, my head started to swim. I was dizzy. I shook off the sensation as we went into warrior poses. Warrior poses involved keeping our arms extended as we reached towards opposite walls. In grade school, I remember this being a form of punishment as the teacher asked us to keep our hands extended until it hurt. My aching neck muscles tensed.

My favorite part of yoga is when we lie down and relax at the end. Edely asked us to imagine a point of bright white light inside our skull. All my muscles were “relaxed”. Calming music filled the room. Someones breathing deepened sounding like they were asleep. For the rest of the day, my shoulders and neck ached. I still don’t know if this is a good or bad sign.

The Human Library

Posted on by Thor

The Human Library at Urban Rethink was brought to Orlando by Tisse Mallon. She asked 30 or so individuals to act as “Human Books.” I was asked as well, so I packed a few sketchbooks in my bag and headed down to Urban ReThink. The Human Library is part of Arts Fest and therefore free to the public. When I arrived, Tisse gave me a Library Card which I had to fill out with my name, the title of my “book” and a brief description. The sketchbooks I brought along were filled with “incidents”, which are cases where I was asked to leave an event because sketching was considered inappropriate. The library card was then placed on a board for people to “check out”.

I wandered upstairs to start my sketch. A video was being shot of someone relating their story and I slipped quietly by. Seats in Urban ReThink were arranged in pairs with a number labeling each discussion space. I was told to prepare a 20 minute “book” so I knew about how long I had to sketch each person. Some “human books” talked for much longer than 20 minutes. A reader expecting a short story might find they were offered an epic.

Myk Freitag was the first person to check me out. We sat upstairs and I related my stories about Anarchists at Lake Eola, getting kicked out of the Holy Land and Needless Markup. I should have timed myself because I felt like I rushed certain story points. I’m not a person to stretch out a story. Regardless, he seemed pleased enough. With my stories told, I returned to my sketch. One fellow had a whole photo album and was wearing a sports uniform. His story lasted a long time. Tr3 Harris was relating a story that involved a knife. He handed the knife to his reader and she admired its length. I really wanted to learn more about his story.

Dance choreographer Linda Eve Elchak arrived and she cleared an area on the carpet. A beautiful dancer began to interact with Eve. Their bodies stayed connected as they moved gracefully. The dancer leaned back and Linda shouted, “I got you!” The movements were improvised and required trust. My sketch was done and I decided this was the human book I would have to check out. Linda’s library card read… Communication Without Words, using improvisational dance to communicate. Linda and I sat Indian style facing each other. She told me to place my palms against hers. She knows I’m an artist and she suggested I close my eyes to heighten my other senses. She had a blind fold but we didn’t use it.

She moved her hands and I followed. Her hands moved in fluid quick arcs and she always offered enough pressure so I could follow her lead. She told me to lead and my hands moved but with a stuttered deliberateness. She asked me to loosen up and feel the flow. My hands started moving rhythmically, fast then slow, a jazz improvisation of motion. She shouted, “Now your speaking to me!” The next conversation happened as we sat back to back. She asked me to follow as she rocked on her hips. Then I lead the “conversation” rocking gently at first and then the motions build in a spiraling motion upward. From the seated position we rose sometimes just arms touching as the action and widening arcs guided us up. It was thrilling!

I checked out Ryan Price who spoke to me about Open Innovation. Netflix offered a one million dollar prize to anyone who could improve the types of movie suggestions offered by 10%. Coders from around the world collaborated to solve the problem. In the end Netflix got more than it bargained for. The results were raised by more than 10%. Ryan is helping organize a Drupal Camp where participants hack for a cause. Hack is another way of saying modifying code. Not all hacking is evil.

After this book, I relaxed in the conference room for a bit. I had been checked out 5 times that day. There were snacks for the books, so I grabbed a few cookies. At 6pm I went to meet Terry at the Abbey to watch the Superbowl. Walking over, I bumped into Brian Feldman who is leaving town soon. He spoke about a paper and ink book he wants to see created called “Digital Feldman Analog Thorspecken.” He was on his way over to the Human Library. I told him the books were just lounging around and he should check a few out. The Human Library is happening again on February 19th from 11am to 7pm. Stop in, check it out and learn from our community’s limitless potential.

Orlando Philharmonic Sneak Peek

Posted on by Thor

This is the 20th anniversary of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. A sneak peek event was held at the brand new Full Sail Live facility on 436 and University Boulevard. The event was for Friends of the Philharmonic and the Press. I made the mistake of putting my Full Sail lanyard around my neck thinking it would make me blend in. It must have made me look like a lost student instead. One of the women at a reception table asked if she could help me. When she realized I wasn’t lost, she offered me a press pass.

All the front row seats had purses, programs and persons seated in them. A string quartet was playing and I decided I should start sketching right away. I wandered back stage a bit and sat down in my artists stool to sketch. When the music stopped, David Shillhammer, the executive director of the Orchestra, addressed the crowd. The 20th Anniversary season will kick off on September 29th with Mahler’s Symphony # 3, the Pastorale Symphony. On October 13th “Wicked Divas” will hit the stage with Andrew Lane conducting and Broadway stars Alli Mauzey and Nichole Parker singing songs from Wicked, Gypsy, Chicago, Ragtime and Phantom. November 17th Bronfman & Beethoven will come to the Bob Carr. Yefim Bronfman will perform on the piano. Local composer Stella Sung will unveil a new piece commissioned by Lynn & Chuck Steinmetz, the recipients of the 2o12 John Blackburn Distinguished Service Award.

David Shillhammer made an announcement that Sharon & Marc Hagle donates $750,000 that morning to the Philharmonic. This was the first gift towards establishing a family foundation endowment fund to continue endorsing the orchestra going into the future. The Bryce West foundation also supports the performing arts in Central Florida. Harriett Lake is Sponsoring “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.” This show about corporate ladder climbing will be on May 11th at 2pm and 8pm Saturday.

Opera is being kept alive as the Philharmonic joins forces with the Florida Opera Theater Company to stage, Rigoletto on March 2nd & 4th, The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart on November 9th & 11th, and Madam Butterfly by Puccini on April 5th & 7th. Frank McClain is directing these productions which are semi staged featuring the music by having the orchestra onstage as the actors sing. Cirque De La Symphonie on March 30th at 2Pm & 8pm Saturday sounded thrilling. Featuring the music of Bizet, Saint Saens, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and others along with acrobats, contortionists, jugglers and strongmen. Aerialists will sour overhead as the orchestra offers suspense.

For the first time the Orchestra will be collaborating with the Shakespeare Theater to bring “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to like. There is also “The Summer Series”, “The Focus Series” and “My Funny Valentine” featuring Michael Andrew & Swingerhead on February 9th. There is plenty happening as the 20 year old Symphony forges forward into its mature years.

15 Views of Orlando

Posted on by Thor

I was asked to exhibit several of my sketchbooks at Urban ReThink. The opening was on the Third Thursday in January and the work will be up through February 16th. Artists include Barry Kirsch, best known for his Murder City Photography, Ashley Inguanta, whose local photography had a surreal edge to it, Lesley Godeck Silvia, who had a bright neon ice cream swirl photo that looked great next to my sketchbooks. All the work depicted scenes from the City Beautiful. The two sketches of mine on exhibit are, Musical Mondays, and There Will be Words. Dina Mack, the curator, explained that she wanted work with a local flavor to accompany a Burrow Press’ 15 Views of Orlando Book Release Party. The book features 15 short stories written by local authors. All of the scenes in the book happen in different neighborhoods of Orlando.

Dina invited me to bring along a box of calendars to the art show opening. Urban ReThink is a bit removed from the downtown galleries that act as the hub of the monthly Third Thursday Downtown gallery hop. Dina and I sat outside Urban ReThink and she had a natural knack for inviting passers by inside to look around. Ashley was there to meet anyone interested in her work. Her pieces were hung clothes line style and they were very affordable. One young man expressed his interest in buying a piece. He insisted that she would have to frame the work however. Quite honestly the frame would cost more than she was charging for the art. I rolled my eyes. He was probably haggling because he was more interested in the artist than the art. In my sketch, Patrick Greene, Dina Mack and Ashley Inguanta were relaxing in the “living room” setting at Urban ReThink. I sketched fast with few interruptions since few arts patrons wandered in.

The gallery was a ghost town. A few people glanced at calendars but they couldn’t afford the $12 to buy one. The highlight of the evening for me was meeting Heidi Behr and Mark Egeland. Mark owns a bicycle manufacturing facility in Winter Garden. He showed me a few photos of the process and it would be an exceptional sketch opportunity. There are seven stations from metal entering the factory until the final product rolls out the doors. These are seven sketches I now want to capture. Who knew that bicycles are being made right here in Central Florida? Heidi is involved in Scooters for Hooters, a breast cancer fundraising event. We talked about how I might get more involved in this cause this year.

David M. Roth

Posted on by Thor

Folk singer David M. Roth performed at the White House. Artist Ed Sanderson stood in the corner and did a quick impasto landscape painting as David played. Ed was one of the first visual artists to paint live at the White House and he had returned several times. Davids mellow tunes all had uplifting hope filled lyrics. What made the performance special for me was the way he wove his family history into monologues between his music. His father came to this country to make a better life for his family and he had hopes that his son would one day be a success as a doctor or lawyer. David did find success doing something he loved and sharing that love of music with others.

David was asked to perform at a NASA conference and he suggested in an off hand way that he could write a song especially for the occasion. Months passed and he forgot about the promise, but the organizer called him right before the conference to let him know how excited she was to hear his song. He panicked but just happened across an article about Sputnik, the first Soviet satellite. That mysterious orb sent fear into every American heart and the space race began. His inspired song pointed out that if future explorations were fueled by love rather than fear, then we could accomplish anything.

A race to the furthest star
A race to the galaxies above
If a little bit of fear can go so far
Imagine what a world could do with love

The song he wrote was later taken into space by a shuttle astronaut. When he told his father the amazing news, that his music was orbiting the earth, his father asked, “So how much does that put in your pocket?”

Later when his father was sick and in Hospice care, David would sit bedside and play his music for him. His father wasn’t very responsive, slipping in and out of consciousness. As David was leaving hospice with his sister, he suddenly had a feeling he had to return and speak with his father. He asked, “Are you aware that I have been playing music for you?” His fathers eyes flickered open and he said, “Yes, it is beautiful.” Rob was a bit choked up as he said, “That was the only time he acknowledged that he liked my music.” A few days later, his father died. When Rob thinks of his dad, he always has that moment to treasure.

The Titanic of Trees

Posted on by Thor

Cole Nesmith and a small group of dedicated artists have been working on an interactive sculpture called “Tree of Light.” The tree’s inner structure is made of light weight aluminum welded together. Cole and Josh Owen had screwed hundreds of wooden boards, from discarded pallets onto the aluminum frame. The resulting tree must stand at least 20 feet high and must weigh several tons. It was a marvel of engineering. When I first sketched it, I referred to it as the Titanic of Trees referring to the shear size of the sculpture. Cole laughed. The tree’s unveiling was scheduled for February 2nd in Seaside Plaza on the corner of Church Street and Orange Avenue downtown.

On the evening before the unveiling, Cole and Josh worked all night long to get the tree built. A short interview done at 3:3oam that night showed the Tree of Light nearing completion. On the morning of the unveiling however, I got a Facebook message from Cole on my wall, “Unfortunately, due to damage to the structure this morning, the opening has been postponed.” I wondered what happened. Had a car hit it? Did the whole trunk just topple? I decided to drive past Cole’s place to see if they were doing work on the tree in his yard and then I drove downtown to Seaside Plaza to see if the structure was being fixed there. The only hint that the tree may have once been there were some orange cones and a small strip of electrical wire. The Tree of Light had vanished.

The next evening I went to an Orlando Philharmonic concert and Cole was there as well. He informed me that the owners of the plaza had called him the day before the tree was to be set up to express concerns they had about letting him place the art in the plaza. Though they had doubts, fearing litigation, the tree was erected anyway. The tree was near completion and the electrical wiring was being installed. Chris Clatterbuck was on a ladder working on the wiring. He shifted his weight and leaned on a branch. The welds gave way and the the heavy branch of aluminum and wood crashed loudly to the ground. No one was hurt. The owners of the Plaza now had their worst fears justified, so it is unlikely the tree will be set up there. They probably imagined someone gently pulling a chord to turn on a light bulb and then being crushed by a falling branch. Now that is interactive art!

Cole lamented the fact that he had contracted out the welding work for an exorbitant fee, and it was the welds that gave way. He said, “It was a punch in the gut when we lost the branch that morning. My greatest concern is that we’d lose the momentum we had gained. But, in reality, the pictures and video we got are actually generating more excitement than before. I have an architect working on a 3D rendering of the Tree right now. After that, we’ll be handing it off to a structural engineer to approve the changes and make sure we don’t run into this again. Then back to the metal shop to make the changes. My hope is that we’ll have it up before the end of the month.”

Phoenix from the Ashes

Posted on by Thor

Sixty five years ago, Bill Palmer’s grandparents first established the Palmer Feed Store at 912 West Church Street in Parramore. The business was passed down from generation to generation as the city of Orlando grew and developed. I remember driving past several times when I was sketching the Police Equestrian Unit heading downtown for a parade. I heard chickens clucking in front of the store. The place had a nostalgic feel.

On March 28th of 2011, the Palmers got a phone call in the middle of the night. The store was on fire. There was a firehouse only a block away and firemen smelled something burning and began patrolling the neighborhood. They called in the blaze. Bill rushed to the store. He could see the flames from many blocks away. An electrical socket had caused the blaze which burned out of control. It was a two alarm fire with chemicals and fertilizers feeding the intense flames. Everything was lost. The computer which had all the costumers and years of information was burnt as well. They had backup disks but they were also on site and burnt. Anything below the one foot high mark only had smoke damage.

Michelle Palmer related how over one hundred friends, neighbors, costumers and bible study group members showed up after the blaze. There were tears of hopelessness but friends held them and volunteered to begin moving things out of the burnt shell. Although overwhelmed by the monumental task of starting all over again, they found that assistance and unexpected aid kept them moving forward. When she got home after that first day, she found that friends had left flowers on her kitchen table. She still gets choked up just talking about it.

The fire occurred right after their peak inventory time. They had to pay off inventory that had been burned while trying to start fresh. Once the burnt product was moved out to the yard, the Palmers drove a mobile home into the parking lot and they sold items like dog food, bike tires and insecticides to local residents who relied on them. The first new product to arrive at the store were fresh green vegetable plants.

Friends and neighbors shared their gifts and talents to help the Palmers rebuild. Doors opened that they didn’t know existed. They were told to apply for a grant from the City of Orlando and they got the grant. Thankfully the walls of the building were structurally sound. The front porch was rebuilt to look just like it did in 1947. Michelle was a full time mom before the fire, but now she is helping built and shape the business as they move into the future. The family had to re examine their hopes, dreams and passions. Merchandise that didn’t move is no longer being stocked. They are carrying more organic insecticides and more modern, sustainable farming practices like hydroponics. She said the store plans to “honor the past while embracing the future.”

Folk art is now gracing the walls of the store. Behind the checkout counter there is chicken wire framed in reclaimed wood with photos from the store’s long history held in place with wooden clothes pins. Each clothes pin has the year that the photo was taken written on it. A 500 pound concrete chicken will soon be perched in the yard next to the store. Michelle is now searching for rusty hand saws to decorate the store clock, and old vintage Orlando post cards.

Michelle and her family feel blessed. Friends and neighbors offered endless gifts and emotional support to keep her family’s spirit lifted after the fire. The love shown was overwhelming. The outpouring of community support is something that has changed her family forever. Now she wants to give back and share the same gift with others. The store is celebrating its Grand Opening on March 3rd. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Buddy Dyer and a City Commissioner. A local neighborhood choir will kick off the event and there will be music all day. There will be a food truck and free product giveaways. This business is back and better than ever.

Ruby Darling

Posted on by Thor

The dressing room at Theater Downtown is small and cluttered. The walls are covered with actors signatures from shows throughout the years. The mirrors are mounted on a wall with exposed two by fours. Odd items like plastic doll’s legs and birds were also stapled to the walls. All the visual chaos left me wondering where to look.

Ruby Darling, the mistress of ceremonies for the Vaudeville show sat down to get her makeup done. She had a duel leveled lime green make up box filled with theatrical makeup. Her hair was already beautifully shaped to give her a vintage 40’s era look. The hair style contrasted against her Led Zeppelin T-shirt. High heels were clustered here and there on the counter. A box of “light gloves” would probably be used in one of the acts for the Video Game themed show that would follow right after the Vaudeville show let out. They are now gearing up for a Burlesque Mega Show on Friday February 17th, 10pm, at Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner theater during Megacon!

Susan Woodberry was putting on pasty green makeup and spattering blood on her clothing for her part as “Little Sister” in the Portal themed video game show. I wanted to sketch but I was also nervous about going on stage to do my sketch. I paced around and peered through the thin translucent red curtains to see the acts proceeding the circus act. The audience was having a blast. From back stage we clapped and laughed the loudest.

Video Game Burlesque Rehearsal

Posted on by Thor

Rehearsals were running late at Theater Downtown. After the Vaudeville acts had been rehearsed, the second show, a Video Games Burlesque was run through. Chan Sterling worked as the MC in a white lab coat, a deep grey ascot and big black rubber boots. Ruby Darling appeared at the end of the runway in a sultry black and white dress that came down tight at the knees forcing her to walk like Morticia from the Addams Family. 0n the day of the show, she would be entangled in wires and deliver a menacing monologue. I’m not sure what video game the scene is from, but the burlesque dance that followed was easy enough to understand.

Jolie Hart and her boyfriend cuddled in the front row. Jolie performed an amazing high energy retro dance routine that had her gasping for air when she burst back stage. The blood covered chair at the end of the runway was for Cory Violence and Shy La-Buff’s Bio-Shock burlesque number. Shy wore a strange bunny’s mask and wore a tattered green dress that Violence would later rip off her in shreds.

My favorite number of the rehearsal was when Ruby Darling sang “Soon or a Later” to Nekkid RoboJoe. As she sang she got some Duct tape and taped him to the chair he was sitting in. When the number was over, she dragged him off stage. This routine would certainly have the audience roaring.