The Artist’s Curse

Artist's Curse

The first rule of artistic housekeeping is simple: never throw anything away. The second rule is more complicated: never admit that you have kept it. A respectable person sees an empty jam jar and thinks, “Recycling.” An artist sees a future lantern, miniature greenhouse, paint-water container, jewellery holder, spice museum or possibly the missing component …

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Dolor Fati

Dolor Fati

Dolor Fati For years, fate seemed like something to be accepted. Then one morning, it arrived wearing the face of everything never wanted. The house was sold. The woman once loved walked away. A trusted friend disappeared when needed most. Even the little things seemed to conspire: the train was cancelled, the letter waited months …

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The Avalanche 

The Avalanche. It usually begins with something very small. A person refuses to sign a paper. “Why is it necessary?” Another person has a perfectly simple task to complete. A KYC update. A bank requirement. A registration. A compliance form. Something that would have taken five minutes if everybody involved simply did what they were …

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Daffodils

Daffodils. I heard the word today. Daffodils. And for a moment it did not mean a flower. It meant a room, a season, a version of myself that no longer exists. Strange, how the world allows this. How we lend our hearts to songs, streets, restaurants, cities, books, flowers— and later discover I had mistaken …

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