Astrology taught me two important lessons. The first is that I am naturally inclined to be addicted to praise and attention. The second is that you can turn any flaw into an adorable quirk if you just blame it on the moon. In regard to the former lesson, I can confidently say that it’s been a lifelong addiction. Legend (my mom) has it (told me) that after getting dressed in the morning for elementary school I would routinely make a real show out of presenting my outfit to my family at the breakfast table. I don’t have any memory of this (thank goodness) but I do know that before I started making art, I would put all my creative energy into assembling interesting outfits for school. The possibility of establishing myself as the fashion icon of the 3rd grade was just so exciting. What I’m trying to say is that I am intimately familiar with the desire to show off a little. This need for validation, this craving for attention can seem desperate to some. Maybe even a little pathetic. “Real happiness comes from within! It doesn’t matter what you look like,” a chorus of people in expensive athleisure wear chant from the sidelines. Fine, but occasionally I want to top off that happiness, to add a little whip to the frapp if you will, in the form of external validation. The works in this show exude a similar earnest desperation. They want your attention. They want you to tell them that they look cute and they are correct about something. They have small wisdoms to share and they want to hear that they are on the right track. They’ve put on their Sunday best and excitedly told you a cool fact they just learned about the moon. They want to be your teacher, your student, your best pal and your muse. Or, at the very least, they want to know if you like their new shoes.
