Life Imitates Art - Blog Posts
Kolkata, India.
February 2025.
To Naseebo.
•
A thousand years ago, we made love.
Money, power, glory.
Wine by the window.
Magique.
my interior decorating goals are that upon entry, any and all minimalists immediately take heavy psychic damage
fire text that says "kill minimalism"
so these are all of my snails’n’slugs paintings by now. better quality is coming soon!
Lessons to Learn (from Banned Books)
There are a few stories listed as classics, children’s books and young adult novels that are on the banned lists. Noting a few of my favorites on the classics list (1) and my #1, these are books that produce a unique view and with proper discussion can really influence and mold the individual.
Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling is the obvious choice, not only did it play a large part in molding me but it was also a great comfort that others who were tormented or bullied were not alone in those feelings
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding was a funny and realistic story. If you don’t like the story, then really you don’t like humanity—there was even a US television series that had the same outcome, except this had boys and girls. (2) While it showed how people break down in survival settings and need guidance in someway, it also showed how some naturally lead in a positive way or negative way, the effects of propaganda and how others are natural protectors. The focus of the title and the non-titular character is all a warning about how we can all lose ourselves
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, similar to Lord of the Flies, people seem upset to know that they might not be perfect. One of my first experiences with now the common “near-future destroyed society” similar to The Outsiders you are introduced to a group of kids who start off as, not the best (these guys are worse than The Outsiders). Similar to The Lord of the Flies, instead of trying for a common good, cracks develop within a group of kids being the worst they can be. With two versions, there are two possible long-term endings to the story that nod to the readers belief about life’s outcomes are based on chance or choice
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is one of the most infamous, if not the most infamous, story about how depraved people can be. To the point and getting inside the mind of the criminals, unlike other stories such as A Clockwork Orange or Lord of the Flies where we may suspend our understanding or relationship to the criminals as they are fictitious, here they were real.
The reading of these stories when we are younger is not always best (Lolita) but discussion and true examination while you read can open your mind not just to different life experiences or difficulties you share with others but also common human struggles that have different levels and the different ends they may come to.
(1) http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics
(2) https://www.flavorwire.com/474701/kid-nation-looking-back-on-tvs-most-disturbing-reality-show
Sometimes I fuck myself up thinking about how on the DSMP Technoblade became Ranboo's sensei, and then became (jokingly) distraught because the sensei always dies, and how in real life Ranboo wears the crown because viewers said they sounded like Techno and they said "if the crown fits, wear it" and then the two became friends, with Techno being an experienced streamer/youtuber and Ranboo being extremely new
And then, y'know
The sensei always dies
Kitten Asleep, Stewart Bell Maclennan 1948
Nashi sleeping, 2024