Here is my proposal, unaltered save for the evidence. I am keeping a physical journal, and have started a blog at http://tribulationjournal.tumblr.com/. Please check it out!
I am of the opinion that, among many other wonderful and horrible aspects of our time, humanity has brought the planet Earth closer than it has ever been to catastrophe on a currently unimaginable scale. The crisis runs deeper than the ecological nightmare of the moment, permeating mass culture, politics, economics, physical sciences (as in atomic and astro physics, chemistry, and biology), geology, and, of course, spiritual thought of all stripes. For my creative project, I propose to keep a multimedia journal that catalogues my feelings on the state of our world and the perspective that I am constantly evolving in response to my environs. In these times that are unlike those that came before it in the breadth and scope of uncertainty, I will attempt to report micro- and macro- events that reflect the apocalyptic possibility, and the hope that it can be transcended or averted. (NOTE: the major earthquake and eruption in Java this morning is a perfect example of something to write on: first the news and the scope of human tragedy, and then the archetypes latent in the event and my analysis of their possible meaning).
To organize a mindset that thrives on chaos might be able to defuse the ticking bomb that I sometimes feel we are sitting on, and I certainly hope that this would be case. Alternately, though, the inescapability of our collective fate might become all the more clear the deeper I delve. Developments (or discoveries on my own part) in any of the fields mentioned above would be fit for inclusion and interpretation. Either way, with careful consideration of the themes of destruction so actively present in our world and my own life, I hope to be able to foster a perspective of re-creation both for my own self and the larger body of humanity and the living Earth. My aim in this proposed project is to bear witness to the coming months with honesty and art, and perhaps create something whose meaning can be witnessed by others as well.
One thing I’m going to be really curious to see is how your physical and online journals differ. In the physical notebooks which I keep for my own work and personal thoughts (I don’t always divide the two) I do a lot of cutting and pasting–everything from useful quotes in a magazine article to a picture of some shoes I like. (Hey, it’s always about the shoes.) Let us know if you find that keeping a physical journal lends itself more to writing, or more to a sort of analog equivalent of your Tumblr.
I’ve got your online journal in my RSS reader now so I’m looking forward to journeying with you over the month. One thing I’m curious about is the choice of such a bare-bones journal style. I know that when I set up this blog, I pushed the white/grey/black combo a lot more than in other class sites I’ve done, the better to let the header image and any images/videos you guys might contribute stand out and be the focus of things. (I also think it’s easier to read!) Did you choose the style so that it would feel a little like the pages of an empty physical journal?
Also, given that Tumblr is a platform that allows for a lot of reblogging and short-form connections, I hope we’ll get to see some of your posts get reblogged and commented upon? That could be really interesting.