Through the month of January, resolve towards the equivalent exchange of value, with others and within.

Ensō is the Japanese word for circle, it is most commonly associated with Buddhist painting. The painter makes the circle in one stroke, the brush only leaving the parchment or canvas when the circle is completed. And yet the very point of the Ensō is to accept that there is no beginning and no end, thus no credence to perfection there is only our continual progression moving outward in all directions. Our life journeys take us varied and often unexpected places, it is the experiences and knowledge that we pick up along the way through both thick and thin that make life worth living in the first place. Still reeling from such an amazing experience at Ink Knife Studios in the Hobbes I’ve been thinking about the coming year, and how we often make resolutions that fall to the wayside, often simply out of habit or tradition. So I figured maybe we would try something a little different this time, but only if you’re game. Motuv’s main focus before I leave is dedicated to the equivalent exchange of value, to give a skill, idea or product of what you love in return for the same from another. But it’s just as vital to focus on the self in order to share those very things you value in the first place. So I call anyone who is willing to spend a Sunday in January either doing, learning, or sharing something you love either in private study or with others. It could be something you already know how to do, or somethign you’ve always wanted to, be it a painting, a good book, how to throw a pizza, organize a soup kitchen or just stitch up your pants. And then to send some photos or writing about it to: dreamdofollowthrough@gmail.com to be shared on our burgeoning website. Thanks to you all who constantly choose right action and value each day, it will be those small positive actions that when accumulated that do and will change the world. D FB link: http://www.facebook.com/events/282437525142572/

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Well it’s that time of year, though I’m not much for the the holiday itself but I do find value in the underlying message if you tear away the consumerism and the advertising. To exchange markers of value some made, some found with those you care about. What better pursuit, so the gang here at Motuv wants to invite you to the first leg of the last tour in Kansas city beginning with our good friends at the Kansas city center for ink and paper arts. Nestled in the basement of the Hobbes building is a treasure trove of wonders, from expert calligraphy to beautiful letterpress machines, hell they’ve even got a screen printing collective.

The night will bring presentations from the amazing and evocative Sarah Sutherland on making cookies based on the different types of rendered fats, a basic rundown of roller-derby by a couple great roller girls themselves cuz really what’s winter without some good natured beat-down? And a quick tutorial on letterpress complete with a handmade card for everyone who shows up. Bring in the season based on right action and the equivalent exchange of value, and have some damn fun while you’re at it.

This is also a pot-luck event so please bring some food and enjoy some good company, and as always this is a nonalcoholic event. Anyone unclear on how to get there just message me. Hope to see you there! D

1427 W 9th St [Basement of the Hobbes Building]     6:30pm until 10:00pm

RSVP Here: http://www.facebook.com/events/177997182294440/

It is with this that I gladly welcome you to the launch of our site and our work in general. The purpose of Motuv is to imbue individually and communally a sense of respite, clarity and then positive right action not only to fight for ground against the negative but to keep that ground within and to truly foster the creation of healthy, joy filled work that roots itself comprehensively in an organismic ethos. Whether by building neighborhood gardens, or having community dinners, or taking time to focus on things that need to be dealt with inside oneself, or just taking the time to slow down and appreciate the life one has and all that underlies the conveniences it is so easy to take for granted. The point is that life IS truly wonderful, that even with all the chaos rocking the world we must bear in mind that all things have been chaotic in all times and that chaos is relative. It goes hand in hand with our American notion of life as superpower, that all those cultures and peoples we don’t see and will maybe never know directly or indirectly must sacrifice in order for us to enjoy many of those very comforts. Alpha just like Omega is a relative term, it describes through contextual means that which gives one dominance or authority but not all cultures or peoples hold the same things sacred. How do we define affluence? We do so through time and as referenced earlier we equate that time with money and thus power. But when you get right down to it, our whole “pursuit” has been one of happiness and when money is no longer based on honorable and equivalent exchange but hoarding privilege and using denial as a justifier can one really even call that happiness?  In many indigenous cultures around the world time isn’t even that relevant, for it moves in circles instead of lines. Time is simply what passes while one is lucky enough to enjoy the company of loved ones and pursue one’s work as not only what one can learn, but more importantly what one can give back. This site’s main focus is hopefully on how each of us can remind ourselves and our communities that this life is a reciprocitous one, between people, animals, plants, AND places. Take some time to browse our projects, and help us create systems that render old ones obsolete instead of rebellions that repeat our past mistakes.

And most of all remember, life is a gift, and it is good.