ArtWalk's - 5 Cool Things - 1/14/22
A Weekly Creative Entertainment Newsletter
1) FILM / TELEVISION
DOPESICK - (Hulu)
There are times when art can move us, inspire and motivate us, shock us, wrap it’s arms around and love us. There are also times when art can educate us. Dopesick takes a leap into that very territory, with an in-depth look at the opioid epidemic of our country during the last twenty five years.
One week after lauding the Levinson father-son duo, I stumbled upon another television series helmed by one of the greats, completely unintentionally. Barry Levinson directs this look into Purdue Pharmaceuticals’ role in the terrifying opioid epidemic that it helped create with the manufacturing and marketing of the drug Oxycontin. The mini-series was created by Danny Strong.
Barely anyone has time to read through thousands of pages of court documents, and listen to any public testimony from court cases, even if those cases are national news. We often times only see a short, summarized article of some opinionated writer. So many times, the rich and powerful get slaps on the wrist, attached with monetary fines that are pocket change for these massive capitalist companies. Shows like Dopesick can help peel back the layers of the rotten onion, and offer the public a deeper look into these types of cases and the people involved, including the ones that created the medications you are taking, and the FDA, who may not be all you think they are. I urge you to dive into shows like this, if only to educate yourself, and to start looking deeper into things for your own well-being, instead of blindly trusting the all mighty powerful government, and the corporations that help fund their campaigns for election.
I am only two episodes into this saga, and I am looking forward to wrapping up this series as soon as I have the time. The acting core is fantastic, lead by the likes of Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson, and one of my favorite and most underrated actors of our time, Michael Stuhlbarg. Here is the trailer for Dopesick:
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2) MUSIC / PODCASTS
NATHANIEL CROSS - (British, Jazz, Trombone, Composer)
I am always trying to discover new, fresh artists, no matter the artistic space. Jazz has been a musical genre that I have always been drawn to. It is organic and improvisational and all of the things that make music a romantic notion. Nathaniel Cross is someone that I have recently become aware of, feeling out the jazz compositions that he brings to the table. There is something just a little different here, and his background surely has something to do with that. Innovative artwork often times comes from that place of personal experience. Cross shares with us those intricate, personal experiences with his trombone and arrangements.
“I wanted to merge jazz with the music I’ve grown up listening to,” Cross continues; he’s a fast talker with a thick accent. “I didn’t learn jazz via New York or New Orleans. I learned jazz via London and via a Black British household, a Black Caribbean household [also containing his tuba-playing brother Theon], hearing calypso, soca, reggae, and ska. It felt more natural and honest to take what I’ve learned and merge it with what I already know.” - Nathaniel Cross via Ken Micallef (Jazztimes)
3) ART
ANDREW WYETH / Christina’s World- (American Painter)
“The Nerdwriter” on Youtube never disappoints with his interpretations on various artforms. In this video, he dissects a few things about painter Andrew Wyeth, and his painting Christina’s World. This video also features portions of an interview with Wyeth himself:
4) BOOKS / WRITING
THE WAR OF ART - (Steven Pressfield)
I mentioned this gem of book in my Holiday gift idea post last month, but thought it deserved a little bit more of a showcase. Steven Pressfield (The Legend of Bagger Vance), authors a motivational book unlike so many others. The War of Art is a 165 page masterpiece in daily inspiration, and understanding of the artist’s mind.
In this book, Pressfield mainly tackles “Resistance”, and the awful effects it has on the ability for artists, in all fields, to create and move forward with their work. I have used this book as a bible of sorts, and I cannot recommend it enough, to any creative artist out there.
“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify: seduce, bully, cajole. Resistance is protean. It will assume any form, if that’s what it takes to deceive you. It will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine-millimeter in your face like a stickup man. Resistance has no conscience. It will pledge anything to get a deal, then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned. If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” *-Excerpt from the book
Click Here to Purchase The War Of Art
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5) PHOTOGRAPHY
VANESSA WALL - (Swedish Photographer)
Vanessa Wall is a photographer based in Stockholm. I constantly seek out great photography on Instagram, and occasionally bump up against talent that has not been fully recognized by the mass public. Wall is one of those photographers that made me stop, and look through her album of work. There is a sense of unease mixed somehow with a form of comfort. Shape and color work as the forefront of her photography. All around is it really great work, and I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
Vanessa’s work can be seen here:
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/atelje.wall/
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