Dear all,

It's time, I know, it's high time! First let me introduce some new pictures, taken by Fabian, our friend from downstairs at the last gardening work day. I wish someone had taken some "before" pictures co things are really changing now.

Gartenarbeit Eisenbahnstraße (gardenworks)

Now some general news. T is doing fine and continuing to do fine at Uni. She is very seriously thinking about joining her old handball club again and working away on her transcription of a late medieval biblical text in German.
Some weeks ago we found out that I lost the church job to a lady who was already a member of the congregation. But it seems I was No.2. Knowing how politically charged such things are I can see where they may have been coming from with their desicion.

In the middle of the turmoil of that time just after they turned me down God chose to speak o or two simple, deep things. T and I had sceduled a talk each with another friend living in the house, Andrea. Basically to give us some outside opinion. During my stint with her I talked about how seeing a special blog of a donations-funded community in Portugal made me bitter. "I could get people to just give me money to do exactly what I would like!" I said sarcastically. Enter God: "Why don't you?" said Andrea.
And she continued to talk about a story she heard about a writer who got about 80 people to give her money for a certain amount of time so she had enough to live of while she started writing.
Here came the second profound thing: "I guess you either say 'Everything I've learned in the last 10 years is more or less waste' and go and do somethign completely different (which will also not guarantee you a job) or to say: 'I believe that I can do things that are worth something and that what I can do is woth a living' "

From this talk unfolded the plan for a project. I would ask people I know if they would want to commit to giving monthly for a period of 3 half years initially. The reasons they would give is to a: provide me and T with a basic income for the start up period of my art and translations business
b: to purchase hand made print (woodcut etc.), of an edition limited to the number of regular donors, to be received every six months

I loved this idea, because it wasn't completely donation but also a real investment (value of the prints would rise if I turn out to be successful as a printer), a bit like shares. It also is affordable (basic rate is 10 Euro/Pound a month) and more relational than art business "as usual".

So now I'm looking to set this up in the next few months. If you would be interested (some examples of drawings of mine are on www.myselfandtheschneider.wordpress.com , those posted by saplingjones)to be one of my circle of patrons, please leave a comment or get in contact.

That's most of the news for now.

Love from Leipzig

Al