Not that long ago I posted a photo on the Facebook that had as its background my corkboard. An old friend from high school, David Levine, left a comment, “I think it’s time you gave us a tour of your corkboard.”
Who am I to say no to such a request. Here then, with apologies to David Hockney, is the corkboard above my desk. And below that a key explaining some of the things on it. (The big black thing on the bottom center is the monitor.)
1. Gifts from friends. Things like cards (bikes and cathedrals are popular), ceramic hawks, a paper rose, a wooden souvenir from Muir Woods in the shape of a tree, a Mad Lib.
2. The structure of A Life’s Work. Along the Y axis you’ll see the subjects (SETI, Arcosanti, Trees, Gospel) and along the X axis you’ll see the film’s “chapters” (Overture, Goals, Beginnings, Unexpected, Influences, Ridicule, Meeting Challenges, Setbacks, Now/Successes, Different Successes). Then…
3. A Life’s Work keywords. Each subject (Y) discusses the topic of each chapter (X), so for each intersection of Y and X, there are keywords. Where “Arcosanti” and “Beginnings” meet you’ll see “Dome House.” Posts have been written about the boxes “Vastness,” “Methuselah,” “Tony Gone,” “Paolo Soleri Dies Goes Home” (all but the latter include video clips). Also in a green box is “Legacy.” That used to be one of the chapters, but it is no longer. Many of the keywords have meaning only to me, “Save MD Group” for example, and “Dead Elm Harvey.”
4. Photos from my past. One from what I think is my third birthday party that I believe was taken by my father and one when I was 18 or 19 taken by my mother . It’s important to look back at where you’ve come from, I think, and to see how people saw you.
5. Reassurance. Tango Octogenario postcard, a film I completed and that was successful, and a name tag from VCCA that identifies me as “Writer-Filmmaker.” It’s important to look back at what you’ve done well and to remember who you are.
6. Clippings and things that inspire. A mini interview with choreographer Mark Morris, a passage from a book review, the same flyer, collected decades apart, advising me not to give up and seek spiritual guidance from Rev. John, Sister Ann, and Teresa.
There’s a lot of stuff up there, to be sure. See anything that piques your curiosity? Ask and all will be revealed!