Noah Goes To RISD

I’m no city boy. I am far more accustomed to walking through the woods then walking across the street (though I still manage the latter just fine). So being here in the big city of New York is quite a change.

My family and I drove up yesterday from Virginia here to New York. The journey was largely uneventful, aside from noticing a gradual decline in road quality and a freshly burned truck on the side of the road. We came here for a couple reasons. First, my brother’s working here this summer. And second, I’ve never been here before, which gives us all the rights to be another one of those obnoxious tourists you see everywhere. Though, I would hazard to say we are not as much of a crime to fashion as they.

Today we walked. And walked. And walked. Sore feet not withstanding, we managed to see enough to stir up my creative juices and get me revved up for RISD. I got to to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or the Met, as intelligent people seem to refer to it as), which quickly and firmly set me in my place. I now fully understand that, in the grand scheme of things, I have a long way to go in my art. And that’s ok with me. The great thing about art is that it’s fun no matter how good (or bad) you are.

Quite a city

I’ve been to few smaller cities in my time, but none quite like New York. As people often say, New York has an energy to it. There is an inner life. There are always things happening, people going around, things to see—it truly never stops.

I’d almost say there’s too much energy, but then again I’m used to looking up at mountains, not skyscrapers.

That said, I really see the allure to living in this city (or any other active city). I could even see living here for a year or two. I have a few series of paintings in the back of my mind that New York has inspired me to do. But I couldn’t live here forever. For a short time I like life and energy and a fast pace, but I need my peace. I need my tranquility; my serenity.

So tomorrow I spend one final day in New York before heading off to the grand, though not quite so large, city of Providence.