Arte y Pico Award

Vikki North nominated me for this and I'm so flattered to have been chosen by her for it! That is what I realized is truly important about getting this. I mean, who wouldn't want to be singled out by a world class artist with a vitae that reads like a Hollywood novel!! Who doesn't want to let other creators know that we appreciate their work. Having seen it appear on other artists blogs including Beate Knapp, I searched for the origins of it and found somewhat recent, obscure beginnings. I like the little statue, too.

It apparently hasn't been around very long. It operates like a chain letter and this is the first part of it I want to party poop on. I have a very long list of people I think are creative. To honor one would be to agonize over not having chosen the others -truly Sophie's Choice as Vikki said. So I am going to nominate either with abandon, or not at all. Some I won't give the Arte y Pico to because they've already gotten it, don't believe in the amount of time needed to give it along, or don't care to get it one way or another because they've told me. And I would like to give it back to Vikki to let her know that I honor her, her art and her opinion as well. So. Vikki. Consider yourself nominated for a second Pico by me. Think of it as getting a second Oscar only I say you don't have to nominate another five unless you want to.

It really puts you in a sticky spot, that five nominees part.

The other part that is difficult with this is the guilt of choosing other creative people to pass it along to with all the links back and forth and work and time consumed with doing it. It's a little like a costume contest during the hippy days where I spent an enormous amount of time on a costume to be a beaded and feathered roach clip and ended up not able to enter the contest night of after we were told we could because I worked at the same place having the contest. I could have put yellow rubber gloves on my feet and wore a feather curler cover turban and gone as a turkey.

It also speaks to something many artists have hidden in a box somewhere - our desire for recognition. It's a very human thing, recognition is. We want to be thought of as good. "What a good girl and boy you are!" I think that's why we like contests, the Academy Awards, and Tony's and SAG awards and beauty pageants and races. It reaffirms our need to be suitable and accepted. THE best at something! Appreciated and getting something tangible to say so.

I really didn't mean to get all heavy on you all! So I'm going to put my Pico y Arte up on my site and I'm going to lighten up. I'm just happy that Vikki North let me have an 'in' to what I'm sure will be a true piece of Internet kitsch some day.