September marks my one year of being back in New York City after some epic travels.

And October will be one year of me working as a full time artist. I’ve been hustling, and have had amazing support from a host of friends/family/fans/admirers/etc. I thank you all for this. I’m honestly not sure how I’ve gotten this far and/or how I’m still standing. I definitely know that without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Literally. So thank you.

This post is an attempt to create a timeline of the last year of my life, mostly as relates to my career. Maybe it’s more for myself. To put it behind me. To start fresh so I feel like I have room to grow again. Fall is about that, right? But maybe it’s also to serve as a record of how I sustained an unsustainable practice for a year. I mean, I’m not slowing down anytime soon (lots of projects in the works), but I am drinking more coffee.

Occasionally people look at me either like I’m crazy or in confusion as to how I’m surviving. Abridged version: Hard work and luck. And lots of coffee. And maybe some ability to socialize/be sociable. And I’m really, really, really, really stubborn.

Besides a ton of studio time I also went to a lot of great openings of friends and strangers. Would be afraid to compile that list though. Oh, everything mentioned is in New York, unless otherwise listed. Lastly, I would love to create some sort of visualization of this, but, uh, well, I don’t have the time. Same for not linking everything. Most of it’s on my website anyhow, btw.

Ready go

September 2009
Moved back to New York
Got studio in Bushwick

October
Unemployment benefits ended :(
10 drawings accepted into Pierogi flatfiles :)

November
Group show at One Way Gallery in Rhode Island (drawings)

December
Interned at Art Fag City
Studio broken into, laptops and backup drive stolen :(

January 2010
New studio (across hall from old studio)
Residency at Flux Factory begins
24h Best non-Buy (performance)
Hyperallergic / James Wagner posts
Theseus (performance)

February
@1stFans Twitter project for Brooklyn Musuem
X-Initiative BYOA (drawing)
Housebroken at Flux Factory (sound installation)
Brucennial (mixed-media installation)

March
Photojournalist Amanda Julius follows me around
#class at Winkleman Gallery (performance)
WYNC #whibi tour of Whitney Biennial

April
Started making lino-cuts (one a month)
Systema Mundi at Flux Factory (solo show of drawings, pyrography and installation)

May
Escape from New York (installation/performance)
#24hEcho at PPOW (performance)
#24hOpen at Whitney Museum (performance)

June
Bushwick Open Studios
Lumenfest (collab with Flux Factory) on Staten Island (video)

July
Magicality at Platform Gallery, Seattle (installation)
Back to New York at HP Garcia (drawings)

August
”Social Media Art…” article on artnet
#24hCycle at Flux Factory
Daily News article
#1mGroupPortrait (event)

September
What It Is at ArtXposium, West Chicago, IL
Sidebar Project at Theodore:Art

Ok, I’m probably missing stuff. That’s just what I could come up with off the top of my head, and from looking on my website. Which knows more than me…

xo,
Man

P.S. If I still owe you work (“Thank You” drawings, 200/300th follower drawings, James Lee, balloon “paintings,” Alexis K Manheim and anyone I’m forgetting), I still haven’t forgotten about you. Promise. Feel free to remind me though.