soul for a rainy day

erykah badu's new video, window seat, has caused quite a commotion online. it's a narrative music video: a "story" by erykah badu. its melody kept me company in the rain today.

the video premiered on badu's website this weekend, and i've got to say --- i'm glad the videos premiering online aren't all of the telephone variety. i don't know why lady gaga thought it would be clever or appropriate to set her video in a prison (jail never looked so good --- according to gaga, life behind bars is all high-fashion glitz). sure, she's trying to "make a statement", but what is the statement exactly? what is she trying to say?

badu is pretty clear about her message. the song is a glimpse into the deep interior life of a woman who is a great comfort and catalyst to herself. the lyrics about the desire to get away from a life that's not all bad. i understand the longing to go away for a bit and hope someone will call you back. at the end of the video, erykah philosophizes aloud about the dangers of groupthink and the power of self-love and transformation.

as for erykah, she is (to quote the good, brilliant, and compassionate friend who first showed me this video) real and beautiful.

all in all, i think this video is great --- it's got the feminism and the art i've been missing in mainstream music.

acrylic and ink on wood

i loved this image the moment i saw it. i stumbled across it while reading live through this, an anthology from seven stories press about women, creativity, and self-destruction. the image is cristy c. road’s new year’s day, and it is acrylic and ink on wood.

i love that this woman is putting herself back together, holding her heart in her hands. i showed it to a friend and visual artist who said it looked like the woman was removing her own heart. we had very different interpretations, but i stick by mine.

what do you see?

what if all it took to put oneself back together was some needle and thread?