To Be or Not to Be an Artist. A Letter To My 17 Year-Old Self

This is a re-post of  something I wrote as a guest blogger for the website, Admitopia. They had asked me to advise teens who were considering going into the arts. In the end, I only felt comfortable advising myself. ___________________________________   Dear high...

Ignorance is Bliss

How lucky I am that no one ever talked me out of pursuing a career in the arts. This morning I was sitting in my favorite Roman coffee bar watching the usual suspects pop in with hearty “buongiornos” to the barista Alessandro, who knows everyone’s...

The Artist’s Guide to Manipulating the Public

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” — George W. Bush. Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 OK, so...

End of a New Beginning

Here’s a little something for Flashback Friday from the days just before I moved to Rome. This entry is dated July 14, 2006: Today was my last day at William Paterson University. I had two students to meet, final paperwork to fill out, and keys to return. My...