Last time I wrote, I’d just done some massive Spring cleaning, and while I still have a ways to go, what I did on my own was incredibly hard work for me. I’m not in good physical shape and had to get on the floor, lift stuff, climb on things, put stuff together, move heavy objects, go up and down flights of stairs with heavy bags, etc. It’d cost well over $200 to pay someone to do what I did last week, and so I ended up getting myself a gift. It’s an electronic keyboard with a drum machine and it has 300 beats and 300 different instrument sounds and I can record on it, so I’ll be able to make beats with it fairly easily. I’ve wanted a keyboard since my manic spiritual experience in 2010. I’d just seen a Jim Henson exhibit at the History Museum in Lexington and there was a video of a Muppet that was sort of like an early version of Kermit, and he was playing jazz music on a piano and explaining what he was doing in a way that I understood…like, in that moment, standing there in the museum, watching this old Muppet video that I understood music for the first time, and when I was locked up in Cambridge Hospital a few weeks later, they had a piano, and I would manically play it every day, doing what I now understood. I was annoying everyone because I had no skill yet, and I still don’t, but I have the music in me, and I can already tell that I’m actually gonna make use of this instrument, unlike the bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bongos, and harmonica I already have and don’t know how to play. The thing is, I can pick those up and fuck around a little, making simple music, but I know that I don’t have the coordination skills or the strength or flexibility to ever play the bass or guitar correctly, and I can’t do enough with them on their own to use as a side thing with my rap, but the keyboard is perfect… so, yeah. I literally said to someone the other night that I wanted a keyboard but that I couldn’t possibly allow myself one, and then before he could reply to ask why I couldn’t allow myself one, I’d sort of already done a search to see how much they cost, and when I saw an extremely affordable one with great reviews that included a drum machine and recording options and all that, I ordered it. I don’t regret it. It’s not super high quality, but people say it’s one of the best for beginners.
I haven’t actually done much cleaning the last 5 days, but Friday I needed to rest so I wouldn’t hurt myself before going to see my parents for an early Easter, and I was there Saturday and Sunday and when I got home Monday I didn’t do much either. I took out a big bag of trash and broke down boxes tonight, plus carried the keyboard inside and set that up, and I’ll probably do a little more cleaning before bed, but it was good to get away to see my parents for Easter. We watched the new movie “The Trial Of the Chicago 7” which I enjoyed but it had an intense rape scene and lack of strong female characters. It wouldn’t be my Oscar pick, but I enjoyed it. I thought the Borat guy was great as Abby Hoffman and the humor made it a unique film, because it was also disturbing in many ways, especially what was done to Bobby Seale. Abby Hoffman and Bobby Seale were the only two of the seven that I was familiar with and the story of the trial was new to me so it was cool to see.
The other movie we watched is several years old now but still on Netflix… The Fundamentals of Caring. I hadn’t seen it yet and was in love with it. It was a feel-good comedy that I could relate to because I’ve had so many healthcare workers that I’ve grown to love and have grown to love me as well.
We cooked out on the grill Saturday and we had a honey of the ham, broccoli, cheesy potatoes, and ricotta pie for our Easter, which was technically Palm Sunday.
My dad said something to me that made me feel good in the way he worded it. I can’t quite remember the wording but what he said made me feel like he believes I’ll be successful some day if I keep doing what I’m doing, and that meant a lot.
I took a few pictures…
I am adding this painting to my permanent collection at The Armory. It will be hanging in the new performance space.
I also wrote up my artist statement for the photography show at The Armory in May. This is it.
“Wicked Cliche’ Psychosis Show: Falling Apart, Breaking, and Putting Myself Back Together Through Art” by Jymi Cliche’ (2005-2010)All 25 of these 8×10 photos were taken between 2005-2010 in Massachusetts. Specific towns include Woburn, Stoneham, Reading, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, Allston, Brookline, Waltham, Boston, and P-Town. They are photos of friends, strangers, family, graffiti, streets, nature, architecture, design, and a few were taken in spots where some of Jymi’s old friends lived when they were homeless. The specific locations are not included on those, but many of the spots no longer exist anyway because the towns deliberately built stuff to keep them out.
In one of the photos from this collection, the graffiti reads: “Let Go”. Jymi found it on the first day of Spring, 2010 at the beginning of his manic spiritual journey. He felt the sign was speaking to him directly, telling him to “let go” and so he did. He let go of everything, so much that he lost touch with the reality society fed us and started to see things for what they really were, but he was locked up against his will just for talking about it (and causing some harmless trouble by driving around Boston loudly singing and taking photos, including some of these).
Spring has remained a spiritual time of year for Jymi ever since that journey in 2010, and this year he wanted to give back by inspiring other struggling artists to keep doing their art no matter how hard life gets and who’s supporting it. When these photos were taken, Jymi was a broken soul, lost in the system which was destroying him as he tried to get help, going in and out of abusive psych wards, usually voluntarily. The abuse in the system began when he came out as trans. Before that, he thought it was a safe place to turn to.
All through his struggles, Jymi created art, danced, made music, wrote, and took photos and videos. Music is one of his most recent and least mastered skills, but his love for all kinds started as a young child in the 80’s. His obsession with hip hop however, didn’t fully begin until 2001 around his 23rd birthday, which was 9/11. His passion for music and hip hop are displayed in many of the photos included.
Jymi spent time with local underground rappers like Bronze Buddah who hosted “Wut Up Dunn?” on Cambridge Community Television years ago and who is pictured in a few of the photos, as well as a rapper named Struggle. They used to go to parties together where they often did rap cyphers. They’re talented freestylists who taught Jymi a lot about hip hop and life in general.
Jymi took photos of the underground hip hop scene here and there along the way and has a separate collection dedicated to just that, but some of the photos from that collection overlap with the years he was in a psychosis.
The 25 photos picked for this show aim to tell the story of Jymi during some of his most challenging years and how he fell apart, broke, and put himself back together through art.
You can see them here…
In other news, I lost another pound this month but I’m probably gonna put it back on this week with Easter and leftovers, I sold 4 more books and a t-shirt, and I may have a new long distance boyfriend. Things are still going really well with my other long distance boyfriend and it seems like things are probably over with the local one. We’ve grown apart, but I like a bunch of people right now, yet don’t know what, if anything to do about it. I don’t wanna do anything too fast, but I do like this guitarist and artist guy I’m talking to who reminds me of a rebirth of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. He is unique and cool, although a bit young… like barely 30… but that’s not like, not okay or anything…it’s just that I don’t typically go more than 5 years older or younger than me….not that I really “typically” do anything. I was single for over a decade by choice until recently. We will see how it goes.
Here is a song to try. Peace.
