I don’ t want to brag or anything, but my Christmas dinner was THE BEST

Erica loaned me her copy of Rob Walker’s Letters from New Orleans which is (1) great, just so charming and fun to read and (2) getting me excited about going to New Orleans for the winter. The book is comprised of missives he sent to friends about his life in New Orleans after he left New York with his girlfriend and moved down there in 2000. I read half of it last night. It’s a nice meal for my brain.

One of the things he does in the first chapter is make a three-page FAQ about his move. The joke is that every single question is “Why did you choose New Orleans?” Because there is more than one reason. Making a move like that to a place like that is not a simple gesture.

For me it’s because New Orleans is New Orleans and is unlike anywhere else. It has its own unique character, and is a truly original city of the world. I plan on doing things I wouldn’t ordinarily do in New York. It is a noisy and colorful place. The people are kind and funny. Also I heard no one asks you what you do for a living there. (If I didn’t have to think or talk about the book that is coming out ten months from now for just a little while, I’d be just fine with that.) I will treat the city with respect, and hope that whatever I leave behind is helpful or good in some way.

Also I chose New Orleans because I’ve spent time in pretty much every other city (in the U.S.) I might want to live in. Portland, I got out of my system in a summer. Seattle, I’d go back to if I had a reason, but just wanting to go isn’t enough; it’s a little too easy for me there at this point. San Francisco, would, in a way, be just like staying in New York. I like Austin OK. Austin was a back-up plan. Los Angeles, you’ve done me wrong before, and I got the message loud and clear: weekend visits only. Chicago in the winter? No. Where else? I don’t know. Somewhere quiet in the woods, or perhaps the desert. Maybe that’s next year.

And please forgive me if I’ve already explained this but the main reason why I am leaving is because I need a shift in perspective, both for the sake of my artistic and personal selves. Artists need to shake shit up in their lives. I’m not saying I’m in a rut necessarily, but everything feels a little too safe and secure right now, and I find myself caring about things that are a waste of my time. I need to be able to take a step back from myself and look at things from a distance. When I do that, I can be more critical, but also I can get to a place of forgiveness too. That’s my creative process. That’s my humanity. That’s all I know.

(12/26/11) | 1 Comment »