a typical night

hugh and i are a bit nightowlish in our studio, as i imagine many creatives might be. many of my studio mates thrive in the morning, but we tend to be more concentrated when the sun goes down.

lately i've been feeling like there is a very finite period of time that i am actually able to work... from 11-3 seems to be the best and then from 7-10. the rest feels very non-productive.

in the spirit of delurking i'll tell you a bit about myself.

firstly, my name: mati (long a) and my parents heard it from a friend of a friend, who they later found out has the same last name (rose). sometimes i do fib and say my parents are pirates... actually, it's true.

2ndly, i just finished post-bach work in art school, which coincides when i started this blog and it has been a constant companion in my art making process. always useful to vent and gain perspective from school... everyone tends to be incredibly kind & supportive when they come visit here. thank you:)

3rdly, art has always been a force in my life, but it wasn't until i took the step to go back to school 2 years ago that i started calling myself an artist. i'm 31. before that, i had studied latin american studies and minored in art. i lived in boston, JP, for a couple of years and worked at a non-profit for homeless children. then my soul sister and i took 2 months and drove cross-country and landed here. i temped and couch surfed at the funniest places for a bit. then i got a job working for a progressive art law firm that laid me off shortly after september 11th and the dotcom bust. i lived on unemployment and volunteered daily: as a yoga cook weekly for free yoga, at an art gallery where i had my first joint show with hugh, as an art therapy facilitator for homeless children; meanwhile i covered my kitchen table nightly with art projects and tried to figure out the next step. after about 6 months, my fiance hugh and i packed up all of our belongings into storage and headed to oaxaca, mexico for a few months to make art, experience dia de los muertos and see frida & diego's houses (all of which was a dream of mine). upon returning we huddled into our friend nigel's apartment (one room with all of our belongings & we are collectors) and i found a job in the food industry. and then another and saved up money to start school and here i am. currently i manage a trendy south indian restaurant part-time, which suits me perfectly in a lot of ways. i love learning about food and the backgrounds of the south indian chefs, talking spanish to the predominately mexican kitchen staff, bantering with the smart funny serving staff, drinking fresh chai, getting dressed up a night, eating for free, learning about wine, solving problems and being social after a day by myself in the studio. this is the balance. i've always been on the cusp of introvert/extrovert. i dream of being a full-time artist, but for right now it works.

4thly, i grew up in maine on the southern most point, kittery point. i dream of being bi-coastal in the summers so that one day our potential children could experience long days of being on the beach and traipsing around freely, outside of an urban environment. i miss my family most of the time, but also feel so expansive and inspired here in the mission district of san francisco with my studio and friends and the vibrancy of street signs, ice cream carts, palm trees, graffitti, tacos and all that makes this home.

what about you? where are you from/live/love/hope for?

cheers,
mati