Life in Virginia
I thought I would give a bit of an overview of the lifestyle change I’ve just undertaken. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I have lived in Brooklyn, NY for the last 5ish years. I spent most of my free time with friends, going to parties and events, and SHOPPING. I decided to take a break from my fast-paced life including a fast-paced job to focus on feeling less anxious and more peaceful. This was part of the reason why my partner Diogo and I decided to take a year in a town neither of us had ever been to.
We rented our house only having toured the OUTSIDE of it after there was a mix-up with the tenants at the time of our scheduled tour. The outside is what won us over. To get to our new address on Deer Run, we drove through miles and miles of fecund farmland, surrounded by the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Once we got to our prospective property, we were pleasantly surprised by the acreage; we’d thought it was three acres but turned out to be five. There was also a small pond at the far edge of the property, at the bottom of a sloping hill, just visible from the big windows in the dining room (we presumed). We decided that this would be our nature retreat.
The following month, we conducted a multi-pronged moving operation. We had Diogo’s house in Lake Tahoe to pack and ship, my apartment in Brooklyn, and all the shit we’d brought with us across the country from Nevada to Georgia, where we’d been since house-sitting for Diogo’s parents. All of that to say, we felt quite accomplished once the last U-Haul was returned.
I got straight to work on updating things a bit. My brother, an electrician’s apprentice, came to help me replace nearly every light fixture in the house. I hired a local man to paint everything a crisp white and had the smelly carpet in the living room replaced. While I was preoccupied with home beautifying, Diogo took up fishing. He explored our surrounding area to find more than 6 ponds all stocked with different kinds of fish. We talk about largemouth bass more than we used to.
Once I finished the house, I decided to take full advantage of my unemployment and focus fully on cultivating an artistic practice. The only rule I’ve imposed on myself is to try new things and to share them even when they’re not perfect! I'm giving myself permission to be less obsessed with the end product and if it makes money and more obsessed with getting a little weird! I have been experimenting with writing, drawing, painting, fashion, and even video editing.
We are happily leading very quiet and simple lives. We expect some new excitements, projects, and endeavors in the new year but take the time now through the end of the year to rest.
