2/23

I was watching Connecticut play West Virginia in college basketball last night and I couldn't help but be weirdly fascinated with West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. Huggins, who has the distinction of not graduating a single player during the entire time he coached at Cincinnati, no longer even tries looking like a professional college coach on the sidelines during a game. While most coaches still wear a suit or coat and tie (Pat Knight at Texas Tech goes with the golf shirt) during games, Huggins wears a turtle neck shirt and a black track suit top. His hair is slicked back so the only thing keeping him from looking like Paulie Walnuts of the 'Sopranos' is a white streak.

I finally got around to seeing Harry Callahan: American Photographer at the Boston MFA yesterday and although it is fairly small (only about 40 images) it was really good. There is an elegant simplicity to his work that is very powerful and each image is perfectly composed. And after seeing so much contemporary art photography where the size of prints are enormous, it was a relief to view these small wonderfully printed photographs. Looking at each one was like viewing a short story.

2/21

It's been a few weeks but it's hard to stop thinking about graduate school. It was so intense for so long that I find it hard to reintegrate myself back into a world without papers to write or books to read. It's oddly relaxing to suddenly have nothing due on Monday or next week or next month. I feel calm and anxious at the same time.

I also keep thinking about the teachers in the program. To review and consider what I learned but mostly to really appreciate the majority of the faculty. Especially those who were generous with their opinions and knowledge. The ones who tried to help you rather than dictating the direction of your work or how you should get there. The good ones listened to your ideas and worked with you. They didn't impose their own sensibilities on you or wanted you to make work that would look like theirs.

These faculty members were actually really good teachers, not just working artists who needed a paycheck. They were the ones who went above and beyond the job's requirements. They weren't lazy, burned out, selfish or arrogant. They did much more than the minimum.

The reality is that all the students knew who was working hard and who was phoning it in. It was painfully obvious.

The great teachers will stay with me forever. I will always appreciate their kindness and generosity for the gift it was. The other lazy or disinterested ones? I can't forget them fast enough.