The Art is Never Wrong...

Lately it seems to me that, for all that we are pointed in the direction of certain famous perspectives and particular scholarly works of genius, and as much as those deserve the attention and appreciation they receive, the most interesting works to read and to view are always those from a certain niche or perspective that is all someone's own, no matter who the artist or character might be. These perspectives do not have to be particularly insightful or revolutionary to be intriguing, but are valuable for their uniqueness alone. I believe art is intriguing not always for its brilliance but for the simple fact that a view inside another human being's mind is a precious thing to behold.

I think that art, or music, or film or literature is appreciated by those who see something of themselves in the perspective being illustrated more often than it leaves viewers awe-struck by the beauty or precision of the work itself. I often love a movie because it is well done, but the ones I watch over and over again are those that reached me in some way-- the films that I relate to have characters I'd like to imitate or scenes that look either familiar or desirable to me.

Anyone can see that the work of Monet is brilliant and I enjoy staring at it in amazement on a tour around the National Gallery downtown, but the art I have hanging on my walls at home is the odd black and white photo of a sailboat or two, photographs of sand dunes or beach hammocks I'd like to sit on, or film photography of some of my favorite old actors and actresses whose faces I like best to look at. I like paintings with the right warm tone and my favorite colors, of scenes I'd like to walk through or faces and places that remind me of something friendly and familiar.

I, like anyone, can appreciate something exceptionally beautiful, artfully written, well constructed, enthralling, eye-opening, daring or new. But what interests me is that we live in a world full of artists and of those who appreciate the arts (whether they recognize this or not), and there's no telling whose eyes will be caught or mind captivated by whose illustrated window into their soul. I am reading a book written by the most average of women, in which she talks about her experience with falling in and out of love, seeking the truth, experiencing pleasure, and attempting to live her life with grace and a reasonable degree of attention. The book is not a work of genius, it is just an arbitrary piece of art by one woman that I selected from millions-- her window, if you will.

I wandered through an art gallery on my day off this week, and appreciated the photography of one man and his friends, and his unique way of detailing and narrating each photo in his own handwriting along the bottom of his photos. I enjoyed the classic paintings on the main floor, as I always enjoy beauty, but I was intrigued by his photos because they showed a little piece of him and I was thrilled to peek into that window.

This evening I was too exhausted from work to meet my social engagements, so I stayed in with my spinach salad and stir fry (and a glass of wine and a brownie) to watch a movie I'd heard something about. An Education was just another well-directed coming of age tale, a well-acted and well-written window into the world of another artist, another character. Some might appreciate the film for its artistry, which I did, but I think I was enthralled because I saw a bit of myself in the illustration, or at least found myself understanding the perspective as my mind was able to follow the turns in the plot naturally and lovingly.

I always wonder... when critics say they found a film to be "relatable," do they really mean that they related? How could you fathom what someone else will relate to if you don't relate to it at all? When they say it is charming, do they mean, in fact, that they themselves were charmed? I think looking at a piece of art and trying to determine its effect on the entire world is a lost cause, and quite diminishes the work.

Someone might view a film, painting, or book as possibly well-crafted but for all intensive purposes boring. I don't think this means that the writer is a bore or that the film-maker is a failure, but simply that the art was viewed by the wrong person. My mother reads stacks of books I find terrifically boring, but she is intrigued by what sees through the window those writers are providing. I have fallen asleep in the middle of some particularly epic movies that I won't list here, and been wide eyed and grinning with interest and affection for the silliest of films at 3 am when I've got to be at work the next day.

I think sometimes we all wonder how on earth everyone who writes a blog or takes a photo can possibly believe the rest of the world will be interested in their perspective, and why so many artists bother to publish their works if they're not masterpieces or money-making ventures. All artists know the enjoyment there is in creation, but there is another side to art that many miss, and that is sharing it with the world.

When I was younger I used to draw and sculpt and paint and write, and never once while I was in the process of illustrating my perspective did I imagine someone else's response to my work. When it was finished, however, I'd shyly present it to whomever was nearby, suddenly unsure of my own perspective, suddenly thirsty for approval where I hadn't been before. Something happened to me as an artist when the world outside viewed pieces of my soul through the windows I created, and I realized that my perspective is not interesting to all or even most of the viewers. I determined then that I didn't want to create art for the purpose of showing it to others, and so I thought it best to always create it just for myself and leave others out of it, expecting no understanding or appreciation so that I'd be surprised if any were demonstrated.

But what I, the young artist, did not know is that there is only one of each of us artists, but there are billions of art appreciators out there in the world. The odds are greatly in favor of your work touching just one person's soul, and that is reason enough to present your window to the world.

If I am moved by one woman's words describing friends she met in her travels or battles she fought in her own mind, by one man's photo of his lover on the rooftop of their apartment, by one actress's facial expression, or by one painter's colors, I cannot imagine the number of things that move other people. I know that for myself, I will continue to plunge boldly into the world of art, absorbing that which interests me and leaving the rest for others, knowing they might find it incredible when I see only boring faces or a hear a tired story. And I will continue to write and sculpt and take photographs without regard for my audience, knowing that I am valuable only because I am the only artist with exactly this view.

Garden Growing

Now that I am on summer vacation, my excuses for not blogging more often have changed. I finally managed to sleep in, finish that book I've been meaning to finish, start the novel all my girlfriends have been recommending, and figure out how to play a few chords on my guitar. I have also started what I like to call my Patio Garden, or my first venture into sustainable living.

I am now a week into this life of bliss, and I have been eating vegan but simply. My favorite breakfast sandwich is two toasted slices of spelt bread (that I keep in the freezer) slathered with Earth Balance, with one breakfast flavor Sunshine Burger patty (also conveniently in the freezer) with a slice of Rice "cheese" heated and melted on top, neatly between the slices.

My favorite dinner and lunch has become two fajita burritos: black beans and Daiya "cheese" heated up in whole wheat tortillas, filled with pan sauteed red, green, and yellow bell peppers, sliced yellow onion, sliced Cremini mushrooms. Sometimes I saute in olive oil, sometimes in coconut oil, and often I add diced fresh tomato or avocado before I roll the burritos up. I'll tell you what, the simplicity and deliciousness is without comparison. This new trend has actually prompted me to serve vegan burritos at my dinner party this saturday night, with the possible additions of guacamole, salsa, vegan sour cream, and taco-seasoned imitation ground beef.

I went back to my yoga class monday morning as well, and it was such a relief to find that my body remembered the many months of conditioning fondly. I gave in happily to the strange twin rushes of power and peace that flow through me and out of that rigorous combination of poses. Days later, my calfs and quads are still screaming in protest, but only faintly, and the sensation is oddly familiar and comfortable.

My garden is the new pride of my life. Prior to planting the vegetables that are now happily soaking up sun on my back deck, I killed a few orchids and managed to maintain several cacti, only to eventually misplace them. But the more I read about the trouble with corporate agriculture, or with any type of agriculture that is not sustainable, the more I became enthralled with the idea of patio gardening. What little lawn I do have is quite shaded, and without a fence, everything that grows there falls victim to the hungry mouths of the wild deer and bunnies.

I'd had the idea for a while, so as soon as we both got a free day, my boyfriend and I headed out to the local Country Boy to pick out some vegetable plants and buy a few pots to keep them in. We had a fantastic time and brought home probably more plants than the two of us, my mother, and our neighbors could probably eat the fruits of, provided they all bloom! We selected two large Patio tomatoes (which a neighbor had informed me were certain to produce fruit if nothing else did), one large Window Box tomato, and a baby Beefsteak tomato and a baby Cherokee Purple tomato, just to see how they'd do. We also got one large green bell pepper and a large yellow bell pepper, three baby red bell peppers, and a baby purple bell pepper as well. We also got three basil plants and a rosemary plant, as they were all out of thyme and sage.

One afternoon of crouching on the back porch, up to our elbows in soil, repotting what we now refer to as our "babies" was so much fun that it was well worth the money and energy spent on the plants, but I will be ecstatic when I can walk out onto my back porch and pick a few vegetables for dinner!

I am happy to report that all three large tomato plants have grown quite a bit and are already producing tiny green tomatoes.

The two largest pepper plants produced new leaves and a couple of forlorn looking flowers, but I was worried about their color, so I checked up on their root spans online. It turns out bell peppers need pots with at least 16-inch diameters in order to thrive on patios! I went out and bought the giant recommended pots and 4 more bags of potting soil yesterday, and did an emergency transplant last night (which was a brave endeavor to undertake without my boyfriend's head full of proper gardening knowledge, and extra muscle to carry all the supplies).

This morning the peppers seem to have survived the night and their flowers look perkier, so mission accomplished. All the baby peppers have grown significantly and will probably have to be repotted as well in the near future, meaning my entire deck might eventually be covered with those huge 16-inch ceramic pots! As an avid fan of bell peppers of every color, this prospect is thrilling.

The life of a gardener, as it turns out, requires some early rising (since plants must be watered when it is cloudy or dark, or they will fry in the sun), but I discovered I am a great success at rising early to water the veggies and then curling up and going right back to sleep. Caring for the plants gives me an interesting new sense of peace and stability, and I think I am beginning to understand why so many take up gardening as a hobby. The process is quite as enjoyable as the result, whether it be fresh food for your table or a picturesque lawn or patio edge.

Most of all, I love the idea that I am able to contribute to my own sustainable life. I eat a fair amount of vegetables these days, and knowing that I can grow and eat them without giving a dime to the great monopoly corporations have over the people and that agriculture has over all the species of the earth, without contributing to the destruction of species diversity, without using gas-guzzling, air-polluting farm machinery or funding wasteful overproduction, just makes me smile from ear to ear. I can continue to use all the reusable grocery bags I want, but there is nothing like shopping for produce by stepping out of your back door.

Peace Studies and Pot Pie

The month of April seems to have flown by, as it usually does, in a swirling cloud of exams, final papers, and oral arguments. There have been so many things I wanted to share with the blog community this month, but never got a spare minute! There have been many successes in my vegan kitchen, as well as in the academic world of peace and conflict studies. I've had the opportunity to attend several events in DC this month surrounding issues in my beloved academic field, and found spare moments to cook several vegan staples I previously hadn't the nerve to attempt!

In my Peace Paradigms graduate class, as well as in Theories of Conflict, Violence and War this semester, I've had the opportunity to read Paul Collier's work on economic theories of conflict, as well as Professor Johan Galtung's important work on structural violence and conflict resolution, particularly in the middle east. Naturally when I found out they'd both be speaking at author events this month, I made plans to attend! I also discovered the U.S. Institute of Peace's free panel events on various international topics, and attended one and registered to attend another. It is an amazing feeling to be a part of an academic community in this city where such revolutionary thinkers and practitioners are readily available to the citizen academic.

On the morning of April 20, my generous boyfriend drove me into the city to attend the United States Institute of Peace's public event about Iraq's new divided elections and what they mean for this country's future and the future politics of the region. It was my first visit to the USIP, and I’m interested in working for the Institute in the future, so it was nice to become familiar with the building and the location (just a few blocks from Farragut North metro, where I headed off to school afterwards) and the way the public events there operate. I had a great experience and I’ve already registered for another of their free events next month on mediation called “The Peace Maker’s Toolkit.”

The USIP is an independent national organization, funded by Congress, with the goal of resolving international conflict. Their programs are worldwide, and involve the training and education of others internationally on strategies for conflict resolution. People at the USIP essentially study peaceful solutions, strategies, and possibilities for the resolution or mediation of specific situations of conflict in the world, and then they generate policy options to share with those in conflict and go out to form workshops and lasting organizations in those locations, teaching what they have learned. They mostly seem to create task forces and partner with other organizations, empowering others with education and training on the peaceful resolution of conflict.

The venue for USIP public lectures and panels is a small room on the second floor of their 17th street office, where the media packs into the back of the room, and the public fill rows of chairs in the center and the panelists and moderator sit at the front behind their table on a small stage. I was initially surprised at the size of the tiny room, the number of people from the public who were interested enough in the topic to pack into the room (a few were standing on the side without chairs), and how much press was there filming! Most people were in suits (probably heading to work afterwards, or there on behalf of their work), but there were several casually dressed citizens like me. I was very impressed that everyone in attendance including private citizens was allowed to pose questions and that they were all taken very seriously and answered thoroughly. One student from Georgetown’s graduate program posed some very critical questions, disagreeing with a few panelists and was received quite well, which definitely made the discussion more interesting than if everyone supported the same view.

I won't bore you with the details, but for those interested in the politics and on our surprisingly neutral stance on the outcomes in Iraq (and Iran's unsurprisingly far from neutral stance), it was quite an interesting and knowledgeable panel. One of the speakers was Rend al-Rahim, who was a former candidate for the Iraq Council of Representatives with the Iraqiya list, another was Marisa Sullivan from the Institute for the Study of War, third was Joost Hiltermann with the International Crisis Group, and last spoke Jeremy Pam who was formerly with the U.S. Treasury attaché in Iraq.

Tuesday evening, April 27th, a friend and I attended an author series event at the World Affairs Council at 1800 K St. downtown where Paul Collier discussed his new book, The Plundered Planet. He assesses the global mismanagement of nature, a special topic of interest to me and to my friend who also attended, and proposed a series of international standards and policy changes in an effort to merge the economic and environmentalist views on the use of the environment. Collier is best known for his book, The Bottom Billion, which assesses why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it.

As he is an economist first and foremost, my companion and I found him intriguing and engaging, but lacking the full appreciation for the environment we'd hope to see in future policy makers. I thought what he had to say was closer to bridging the gap between preservation and utilitarianism than anyone else I've heard, and so I purchased a signed copy of his book in support of the future success of this exciting merger between idealism and realism, in hopes that the two fields of study will one day meet in the middle to find a solution to the degradation of the environment that is not at the cost of the earth's poorest inhabitants.

By far the most exciting author and intellectual I had the good fortune to witness this month, Johan Galtung himself, father of structural violence theory and world renowned mediator of international conflicts, spoke on the American University campus this past wednesday afternoon. I took a break from studying for my Theory of Conflict exam with some of my classmates to sit enraptured by the most intelligent and well-spoken man I've ever had the privilege of listening to, and didn't feel guilty in the least, partly because his work was actually on my exam, and partly because his discussion of conflict resolution was worth more than any class I've taken so far. He described how to get to peace in the middle east over the course of an hour, stressing the importance of finding a compromise between two parties, even at the expense of democracy as the West knows it, in the effort to end violence. He made intriguing points about the changing nature of conflict, the role of the U.S. in the international arena in the area of conflict resolution, and about the demands of the Taliban and how they can be met. I've since purchased two of his books online to add to my list of summer reading material, and needless to say I was completely blown away.

Galtung in particular, but really all of the events I attended this month helped to solidify my commitment to the study of peace and conflict resolution. More and more I can see how what I am studying is what I was meant to study, as indicated by my continually rising level of interest, and my level of respect for the intellectuals and practitioners in the field. I'm grateful to have a background in law and thus to know the ins and outs of some of the most tedious aspects of constitutional law, international law, Islamic law, and environmental law, as they are the causes of some major international conflicts today, but my true calling has turned out to be my masters degree in the specific study of conflict resolution.

So in all the rushing to and from events, studying frantically for exams, and cranking out paper after paper analyzing all I've read and studied this semester, I discovered a few vegan go-to meals. This week, for example, I made my first seitan pot pie! I used store-bought and ready-made seitan (which is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten, essentially), whipped up a cornmeal and whole wheat flour crust which I spread on the bottom of my casserole dish and then over the top at the end before baking, and sauteed a delicious combination of onions, soy sauce and chickpea flour, carrots, potatoes, celery, sweet peas, vegetable broth and spices (thyme, mustard powder, sage, salt and pepper), plus the sauteed seitan for the filling. It was incredibly delicious, and I'm bringing the last tupperware full of it to work for lunch tomorrow (yes, I also got a part time job this month to add to the madness, more on that later...). In other news, I did have my first mishap with a kitchen knife while slicing my potatoes for this pie, but my finger is healing up just fine, crisis safely averted!

The week prior to my (now favorite) pot pie, I cooked tempeh for the first time, using a simple marinade from Veganomicon (in which I found the pot pie recipe as well), my favorite vegan cookbook! All that is required of tempeh is that you slice it, steam it in boiling water for 10 minutes, then marinate it (I did mine in vegetable broth, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, olive oil, maple syrup and crushed garlic) for an hour, and then pan fry it in olive oil (or coconut oil, which I will write more on the benefits of later)! I ate mine with baked sweet potatoes and pan fried collard greens and it was unbelievable-- 4 meals from one block of the stuff! Who knew such a strange-looking soy product could be so delicious?

To follow along the theme of cooking large dishes that I can eat for a week, I made an incredibly simple (far simpler than pot pie, which while worth every minute of work that went into it, was not quick to make) breakfast porridge: Mediterranean Muesli, which I got from Peta's Vegan College Cookbook. All it consists of is rolled oats, soy yogurt, soy milk, and chopped up dried apricots and dates. Mix it up and put it in the fridge and there is a hearty and healthy breakfast cereal for a week, no cooking or further prep required! I thoroughly enjoyed this easy recipe, so perhaps you might too!

In a nutshell, friends, it was an eventful month, but just another series of days in the life of a law student/masters candidate/vegan cook! I feel exhausted, but strangely animated by the possibility of peace throughout the world and the hope of a brighter future for all the earth's living creatures. If you are interested in getting inspired about peace, watch this short film I had the privilege of seeing in one of my classes this month, and it may make you feel as hopeful as I do: The Imam and the Pastor. May peace and delicious food be with you all!!