<![CDATA[Brook S. Lauer - Thoughts...]]>

<![CDATA[Brook S. Lauer - Thoughts...]]>Sun, 26 May 2013 00:51:19 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[on living and otherwise...]]>Fri, 17 May 2013 00:24:53 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/05/on-living-and-otherwise.html“I don't think you should die until you're ready. Until you've wrung out every last bit of living you can.”
― Libba Bray, Going Bovine

this pretty much explains the recent life and death of a dear friend. I didn't get to see him or talk to him much over the years, and I probably cherished our friendship more than I should've, but I loved him nonetheless. Bermingham will always be the rad dude as I and many, many others remember him.

It truly breaks my heart to know he is gone. I lived vicariously through his travels. He took life by the horns and did it man. He fucking LIVED! He wasn't afraid to up and go somewhere unexpected he just did it. I admire that. He was a rambling man. No one could tell him what to do or where to go but himself. He ruled his own destiny. He was true to his desires and lived life to it's fullest.

I loved him. He was good people.

SO...here's to you brother. May your next journey be just as kickass (without the dramatic ending) as the one we shared part of together.

CHEERS!! To one RAD mothafucka!!

]]><![CDATA[rules...]]>Mon, 13 May 2013 02:55:44 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/05/rules.htmlrules are to protect. rules are to govern either the masses or ourselves against the possibility of being hurt in one fashion or another. following the rules is generally good practice. however, sometimes those rules can be inhibiting. they can keep one from experiencing life. breaking some rules is sometimes the best decision a person can make.

i broke so many rules growing into the person i am today. i wouldn't take a one back. i never seriously hurt anyone and those i did hurt (emotionally) i apologize. it was never my intention to do so. i just need to follow my heart and desire. i take certain precautions these days regarding things such as diet & exercise, career choice, parenting and relationships but i will always stay true to my heart and do what i feel is the right thing to do. sometimes still breaking rules, but as "They" say...rules are meant to be broken.

follow your heart...let it take you down a path uncertain of the ending. it's the journey that is most important.

]]><![CDATA[...]]>Tue, 07 May 2013 22:44:41 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/05/1.htmland then there are ones who are fantastic, but unfortunately have silly rules about why it can't happen.]]><![CDATA[Graphic Art vs Fine Art]]>Thu, 02 May 2013 19:57:22 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/05/graphic-art-vs-fine-art.htmlthis was spawned by another discussion by someone is the same class mentioned in the previous post.

I used the phrase "disposable art" to describe graphic design. Not that I truly feel that graphic design is all disposable, but a majority of what is created in the field is packaging. Graphic design is a tool used to sell a product in most cases. Packaging that has every intention, it's sole purpose, it to be destroyed.

Fine art, while this one student in particular stated, is also considered to be disposable art. I guess it can be looked at that way, but it has a completely different purpose. Its purpose is to sell ITSELF. To be around for a long time (in hopes) that someone, whom ever purchased the artwork and spent hundreds maybe thousands on it, sees it as an investment. That it will be worth even more than its original cost. It is the packaging and the product all in one.]]><![CDATA[Making Art, Learning Art...]]>Thu, 02 May 2013 19:44:50 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/05/making-art-learning-art.htmlbeen thinking about the discussion we had in my class i teach at harrisburg area community college...my students were wondering about what they will get out of art school when all of the assignments are "do exactly this and that using these materials only..." here is what I have to say about that...art school is merely a ladder - NO- each class is merely a rung on a ladder to get you to or closer to your destination. If your goal is to be an artist...GO BE AN ARTISTS! NOW!!! Forget school - art school doesn't teach you how to create what you want to create. No really - you learn different techniques, experience new tools and mediums, but you can do that on your own as long as you have the drive to want to do it. Art school won't give you the drive if it doesn't already exist. You have to want it bad enough. If you want to become an artist you should take marketing or business classes. Take art classes as electives to keep your hand in it and to maybe teach you some new things, but just go be an artist!! If your goal is to become an art teacher either k-12 or college then you must make the appropriate choices in order for that to happen. Not one is any better than the other it just depends on you and what you want out of life. That's been my experience anyway.

One thing I have discovered on this journey is how to be creative with the skill set that I do have...perhaps art school

]]><![CDATA[Nesting Roots]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:39:53 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/04/nesting-roots.html

Proud to announce (a couple of weeks late) that I am the 1st place winner of Art in the Wild at Wildwood Nature Center. The project along with 8 other fantastic trail side artistic creations can will be on display from now through October 31, 2013. The park is located in Dauphin County, Harrisburg, PA off Industrial Road near Harrisburg Area Community College. Bring the whole family including your four legged furry friends!

Just a little bit about nesting roots...

Every time I go walking through the woods either alone or with my daughter I often see these structures that make me think "Fort" or "Cave"! when with my daughter she will point them out and often times pretend that it's her fort or house even then proceed to crawl in them. The innocence of play in conjunction with these seemingly simple forms made me think about our own home life and how the idea of family is so simple but sooo complicated at the same time. The forms I created are to embody the same atmosphere within the home by simulating it outside.

Nature is such a great place for reflection. To see how human life isn't all that much different than that of our furry and feathered neighbors. Yes we have the huge difference in that we have a higher thinking brain, but the basic instinctual processes are still there...gathering for shelter, food... to nurture and to defend... These are all still very much ingrained in every culture.

"Nesting Roots" also includes the different ideas behind being of a hunter, gatherer kind of race. I gathered bittersweet vine to build the "shelter" or "nest". I couldn't help but feel as if I were fulfilling what is still considered to be a man's job during this process. I then started on the yarn pieces. Crocheting the yarn is a big part of my heritage as a woman. As a single mother of a daughter whose father abandoned her I have to fill both roles. It was a very natural process for me. I often use our little family and how we go from day to day in my work. Nature allows me the tools to realize what is right in front of me. Using the simplest forms and materials to express such emotionally loaded experiences.

I hope you enjoy those moments as they come.

]]><![CDATA[direction]]>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:14:46 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2013/03/direction.html

struggling with direction...uncertain about life direction. unhappy with parts of my life...finances. Love my professional life as a college instructor but it leaves huge gaps in the income stream. over a month during the winter and about four months during the summer. the part time job isn't helping at all. it is almost making my life more problematic with scheduling.

so with all of this my mind has been thinking heavily on my ideas to open up an art school and gallery. an investor has been contacted and a potential building has presented itself, but in the same moment a tenure track position has presented itself as a possibility as well as a fellow with a very reputable college in Massachusetts...do i continue to establish my roots where i am currently and jump into a situation that is uncertain to bring me the monetary needs required to live a comfortable life while closing the door and locking it behind me so that being able to explore other options isn't a possibility at all?

i hesitate on starting up a business mostly because i don't like being locked in. i would love to be a part in AIDING someone else in starting up a business, but to be partners...not so sure.

the other options require uprooting and moving. very difficult for my little one, but if it means a comfortable future i am all for it.

]]><![CDATA[it's been a while...]]>Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:33:09 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2012/12/its-been-a-while1.htmlfor one, i would like to just say that my work is now about 50% mark down until the beginning of the new year!!! contact me if you need more info and prices!!!

now onto the topic that has been weighing on my mind...

lately i have been stressed and not myself due to various aspects of my life. feeling very overwhelmed with having my work schedules all over the place, remembering what my schedule holds, Mollie's schedule holds, my financial debts and their payment schedules, wondering how i am going to make rent is a very heavy issue that plagues my days and nights...i have dropped a few balls this past week and wonder how or where i went wrong? why am i missing appointments? why can't i find a decent and well paying job?

i am considering moving back in with my parents in the summer, but i really don't want to have to. Mollie, who is already struggling a little in school will be uprooted and i fear will fall further behind.

i pray everyday that something gives and i can stop working for peanuts. those hours making nearly nothing take more time away from me that could be used finding a better spot on this earth. the application process is super time consuming. from searching for to applying. gathering all the information for teaching jobs is really a challenge. it seems each position/place of employment wants different things.

i am simply exhausted and feeling as i will never get there...never get the teaching job or any job at this point.

i know i'm not the only one. there are lots of other people out there looking and feeling the same discouragement. but we have to have hope. hope for a better day...hope for a good job with benefits...hope for a day when i don't have to worry about my daughters future and how to pay for this and that to get her horse riding lessons and gymnastics.

]]><![CDATA[what if...]]>Sun, 22 Jul 2012 15:32:03 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2012/07/what-if.html

rachel ann austin "astoria"

been thinking a lot about taking risks in life...there are healthy risks and there are risks that can damage ones soul.

healthy risks...ones that you enable one to grow as an individual. good risks that make you feel alive! that can be life changing in the most positive way thinkable...but you have to be willing to take those risks.

the damaging risks...these are the risks that not only damage you, but those you love and care about most in this world.

what's the use in living in the worry of "what if...?" all your life and not taking any healthy risks? just sitting around waiting for something to happen...or worse yet, sitting around being too afraid to take those risks that make life so worth it. walking around with blinders on...making choices that are safe, like what color to paint your walls or where to travel for vacation.

if given the opportunity to move to a new place for a chance to teach at a promising college or university...i would take that risk. if given the opportunity to love someone as much as they say they love me...you bet (i don't know if you ever really know their love...you just have to trust in the relationship, in your partner and in your love for them)

life can be a wonderful, exciting ride if you are willing. have faith that good things can happen. trust your inner voice...if it says "no" listen don't just make excuses for feeling a certain way about a situation. talk about it with some one if it helps, but don't wait around for some thing to happen. you have to make it happen yourself.

http://youtu.be/OmLNs6zQIHo

]]><![CDATA[Back in the saddle!]]>Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:47:47 GMThttp://www.brookslauer.com/1/post/2012/07/back-in-the-saddle.htmlI have been lagging behind lately getting into the studio. As mentioned in the last post, I have felt as if my mind and my body needed this rest though. I have been working my tail off the last four years in order to achieve a life goal. It is all finished now and I can finally say I am a Master of Fine Art. It's official since I now have my M.F.A. certificate hanging on my wall in the "office" area of my home.

The most recent work I have created is still revolving around my ideas of domesticity involving my experiences and interpretation of that history.

My father is a hunter. He has been for years. I am using aspects of that in my work. Life/Birth/Renewal; Death/Decay; all play a role in my work. Plus, there is a masculinity that is masked when I use it in my work. I am not sure yet how it will play out, but the masculine vs feminine is intriguing. The juxtaposition of the two is intertwined somewhat. Crosses between the confusion of gender roles. My mother's influence of craft is heavy in my work as well. We shall

I will post some images as my pieces unfold.

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