Welcome to our personal hell, hope you like the paintings!

So, after a simultaneously dramatic and cold calculated evening working on the future strategy of the Gray Area Gallery, I sat down and felt compelled to write about it. I thought to myself:

"I really feel like people have no idea just how much work goes into this process, how rewarding and how frustrating, how invigorating and how exacerbating, and how fucked up it really is!"

I'm not quite sure how true to this idea I am going to be, but if the written compositions are at all as exciting as the process of helping start an art gallery in San Francisco (the small city with too many gallery's in a country which will not support the arts without building a resume) its worth a shot (even in the dark abyss that is the Internet) .

I have attempted a lot of projects in my mere 21 years of age. This has to be one of the most frustrating exercises of my professional patience I have yet to encounter. On one end, the flame of my youth is starting to weaken. I no longer feel the urge to bother random strangers and oddballs to listen to my jargon. A couple of years ago, I coulda gotten winos to buy me a case, now, if you aren't on the boat I will only ask about 3 or 4 times until I give up.

Being a creative mind and good business person you will build a strong collection of peers. I have had the gift of getting some really awesome people to do crazy shit for me for free. In turn I have done the same and learned the San Francisco way of give and take.

But, tell you me, there is something different going on with the Gray Area Gallery. People who normally bite aren't and I can't find the fresh meat that will. I can't tell if it is the weather, the location, or what? Where are the go getter's?

All my close friends have an excuse, they have gone above and beyond the call of duty. They know better than to give me their time.

Are people confused about the intentions of the gallery? I am slowly learning how constricting a professional or somewhat legitimate space can feel. Not only is the process of setting up a government sanctioned space the most un-sexy, unfulfilled process ever, but it can feed on the veins of a projects life.

Fear not, the Gray Area Gallery is NOT a sinking ship. It may look like its the Queen Mary, and by golly it may be haunted from raves past, but it is slowly, slowly, slowly pushing out to sea.

Yes, the ship could use some cunning pirates to steals us some bags of booty, but we are working on that.

Yes there are renegades on the ship. Alas! They are NOT driving the boat. These renegades are merely well intentioned marionettes who will make all the sailors laugh when they are drunk and happy when they are put to bed.

In fact there is a fair maiden at the wheel with wind-swept red locks. She has the dreams of a young child and the command of a wise old sage. Her crew warns her of sharks, storms, and rocky waters and deep down inside she knows all will be well, her ship looks shakey but it has a heart of pure steel!



So, if you didn't buy your boarding ticket, or you haven't been enlisted for the crew of the S.S.
G.A.G. then don't be sorry when your all wet from swimming!