Oligarchy

“The rule of law has slowly been replaced by giant idiosyncratic bureaucracies that are designed to criminalize failure, poverty, and weakness on the one hand, and to immunize strength, wealth and success on the other.” - Matt Taibbi

Becoming successful is like cheating at monopoly.
----If you want to be rich marry an heiress.----

"If you work hard, if you meet the right people, if you focus on your craft. One day it will come".

They tell us at youth, about the importance of school, how we need to work hard and get good grades, and one day we will be happy. We struggle our whole lives doing what we are supposed to do. It felt like a church gathering. Like god telling his servants to repent, and making promises of an afterlife.

******Shake THE hand correctly, shake THE hand! Make THE eye contact, be friendly to the right person. Learn the pecking order and stick to it. -------The truth is: it is people like YOU that make people rich and famous.


*********Daily Rants provided to you by Cedric C.***********

Compassion

I don't know how else to express my thoughts except on paper. I never thought I'd care for someone like you. I guess I have learned a lot from you. I took up photography, and I'd say I've gotten pretty good. I learned how to cook, and how to take better care of myself. I grew up a bit. Thank you for teaching me. Some things are so inevitable that it's funny how predictable they actually are. People make promises. No matter how devote you are, thousands of years of trial and error has taught us a few things. You can't tell people who to love. You can't tell people how to fight. Treaties and promises don't keep peace. Peace has always been a choice.

My mother used to tell me "don't ever fall in love, you'll let yourself get hurt, and then you'll forgive". This echos in my mind. Don't ever feel compassion because you will get hurt. I do not know how many lovers and friends I have been hurt by.

Being the first of the series. I learned a lot about what I could and could not do in such a small time frame and size. Figures at a small scale, are more difficult than figures at a large scale. I love the idea of the "Virgin of Guadalupe floating in space" - I added a small element, she is a Russian doll now.

The importance of artist statements.

I remember putting up my first painting on eBay. I heard a story about a person whom sold a fly on eBay for $50, because he wrote out a long biography for the fly. I mimicked this for my first few sales, then I started experimenting on other methods. I went to an art show yesterday. I donated a large black and white painting to a charity that helps Burmese refugees. I dressed up in a nice suit. Because these were nice people. I had arrived a few hours late and didn't plan on staying for long. I went from painting to painting until I landed on mine. The event was a silent auction, and the prices on every painting were soaring. I witnessed a woman place a $1800 bid - as the first bid. Except mine... Mine had no bids. It hit me again, just like that fly on eBay. "Art does not sell itself", wise words from artbusiness.com. The context, the artist statement, the environment are all more important than the art.