Unconcerned, But Not Indifferent

In Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, Gil and Dali are sitting at a restaurant. In walks Luis Bunuel and Man Ray. Gil (the main character played by Owen Wilson) is in a perplexing situation and starts to explain that he is from another time. "Exactly correct. You inhabit two worlds. So far, I see nothing strange" says Man Ray. The four hash out Gil's problem and the scene is concluded with Dali proclaiming "I see a rhinoceros!". The surrealist perspective makes everyday life and problems seem so very boring.

This morning I woke up with bright eyes, but feeling like I didn't want to do anything. I spent the better part of my night trying to update all of my Apple tools (iMac, Macbook, iPhones, etc) without success. It's funny that I made the transition from PC to Mac to get away from all of the updates and compatibility issues only to be right back in a sea of updates and compatibility issues. With a few looming deadlines, part of me is telling me to focus and get to work, while most of me is telling me to take the surrealist approach and think about rhinoceroses.

I'm a huge fan of Salvador Dali, but thinking about the scene in Midnight in Paris got me thinking that I should check out Man Ray. Man Ray was born in 1890 and got his spot in Midnight in Paris because he was one of the famous artists and photographers who called Paris home in the 20's. He made the move to Paris in 1921, which would have made him about the same age as I am today. He said that he would paint what could not be photographed, the things from imagination and dreams. He would photograph the things he did not wish to paint, the things in existence. One quote that makes me think Man Ray may have been out there, but down to earth is his take on the seriousness of art; "I have been accused of being a joker, but the most successful art to me involves humour". I can imagine him being the kind of person that would watch people trying to decipher and articulate the deeper meanings in a painting and laugh to himself as if the real art is in their reactions.

So I've decided that being uber ambitious has it's limits. Taking a mental break to learn something completely unrelated to my studies is just what is needed today. As Man Ray's epitaph reads, I will be unconcerned, but not indifferent.