A Year of Not Magical Thinking

Amelia Meyer

In January I was working maintenance at a resort hotel ice rink and security at a mid-size music venue in Denver. I spent the month reading an 100 Year Anthology of Short Stories compiled by Lorrie Moore and skating with knit gloves on in the parking garage near my apartment. I recorded the “january is a good month to fall apart” ep throughout the month but mixed and finalized most of it in the last three days of the month.

Through February, I read “Just Kids” by Patti Smith which was recommended to me by an old friend. I became obsessed with “Memorial Day 1967” and did a number of recreations with a pen I got a from an even older friend.

In March, I went to a party where they gave out canvas bags. It was a weird party. A few days later, I cut up the bag and sewed it into a shirt with the 1952 Singer 301A sewing machine given to me for free by the owner of a sewing and vacuum store in Boulder. She gives machines for free to young people and people recently released from jail.

In April, I bought a 1964 Esquire Magazine from an estate sale, made a frame from recycled wood, bent a crucifix out of wire, and drew other pieces.

In May, I sold postcards in NYC parks and slept on park benches and thought about Robert Crumb. I took no photos of my postcards but there are examples of like images in the presentation.

In June, I painted a series of acrylic trees. Inspired by oaks and willows.

In July, I painted a portrait of Joni Mitchell on a collared shirt. It is the photograph of her from the back of the original Court and Spark vinyl release.

In August, I did a series of charcoal drawings including a self-portrait with a Sherman Alexie inspired neck tattoo.

In September, I drew things in ink like Jake and Dinos Chapman.

In October, I discovered the Annuals of the American Society of Illustrators and still drew many trees.

In November, my Dad requested a sketch of a horseshoe crab. I was paid in IPAs.

In December, I saw a cement scratching of two birds and recorded a demo called “two chickadees having a dance” and hand-drew a music video the morning of the STEAM festival. The video is here.