February Fifteenth

Since Steve and I both had classes all day yesterday, we decided to put off celebrating V-day until this afternoon. I had my tailoring class with my favorite teacher at the Fashion Institute, Eugene, and then Steve picked me up to go to lunch. For our special down-town valentine date, I made sure to wear my new dress...

Tons of compliments from class mates and such. I felt pretty good. 

The best restaurants in Salt Lake are of course down town. We decided to try someplace new: Plum Alley on 3rd South. Very affordable, adventurous, delicious, and an inspiring setting. 

Steve got me the black lace for my dress for Valentine's, and I made him a matching sterling silver hammered ring. Now we match :) I like how Steve wears it with his wedding ring, like I do with mine. He said he'd try to wear it everyday, but he has to get used to wearing two rings. What a baby.

After lunch we decided to not go to a typical movie but instead go to the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. I had never been there before and had been meaning to go forever. It was so great: full of really cool art by local Salt Lake artists and other American artists. There were many pieces that had to do with technology and how we display ourselves on the internet; how we use our personalities as commodities in order to achieve notoriety/fame/success. We are built of many personalities, but only one is shown on Facebook and the internet-- "I am a diamond with many facets" as one artist described it in a video piece.

There was another exhibit from local artist Siren Bliss who has created more than 80,000 pieces of art so far in his life. He had many very interesting thoughts about creativity and being an artist as a career, and I was able to scribble down a few:

"Find out who you are. Find out where this is. Find out what this is. Find out who you are. Find out what to do about it. Find out who the others are. Create or do not create in accordance with your findings."

"He who takes possession loses [...] I decided that to be economical with my career [as an artist], I would stay away from taking possession as mush as possible and either dump [my art] for quick cash or give it to the charities to do with what they may."

 "I sacrifice a lot for what I get. If you don't eat anything except bowls of oatmeal, unseasoned, anything at all will taste like a huge garden of flowers."

I feed off of other creative people. I'm grateful that down town has so many creative outlets. Steve, Bridgette and I will actually be moving down town next month, and we are all super excited to see down town on a day to day basis walking around, and not driving in a car. 

Steve bought me a print at the museum gift shop by a local artist, Patric C. Bates. 

He's my valentine. I love him. It was a good day.