I fell in love yesterday...

with the New Genres department at SFAI.

My first day at New Genres 1 was better than every day I had at SFAI last quarter mashed into a ball and hit with a stick. My faith in that school has been restored. After 2 hours of lecture the teacher informed us that our first piece would be due at 1pm that day. It would be an introduction without confession, the only requirement is that we would be allowed one prop.

In the presentation of student works that resulted I experienced being: blindfolded and made to lay on the ground whilst a metal chair was being banged on above my head, given a generous gift in the form of a note, forced to watch purposely boring student video, watched good student video, assisted in another student's attempt at throwing individual sheets of toilet paper into a trash can 5 feet away, and watched a girl rip a book (that was given to her by a homeless person) to shreads.

Isn't that what art school is all about?!

I think so, that is why I am officially changing my major to NEW GENRES. In my opinion, the Photography department at SFAI is outmoded. I could never stop using photography in my "work" but I am desperate for this new perspective. I want to study in the major that includes everything cool: installation!, performance, video and still. Can you believe that I was discouraged from doing installation in my photo classes? Disappointing.

Anyhow, imagine my initial shock and terror when given the task of producing my first art piece to present to the class with only an hour to figure it out. I decided very quickly that I could never do an actual performance in front of all these scary art students. The anxiety attack that would ensue would no doubt be entertaining for those watching but horrifying for me. Instead, I decided to do an interactive text piece. So, I ran to the computer lab (okay, I didn't really run, I stopped and ate half an apple walnut salad and wrote the text for the piece and chatted a bit with a friend THEN I walked briskly to the computer lab) and downloaded my website and built this teeny work:

an introduction piece


I also did a little revamping to my "artist" website lastnight. You can see it out here...

http://karenleslieficke.com

She fell off the earth.

Where have I been these last few months? It actually feels like years, decades even. Hmm, how do I put this politely?

About two weeks after my last post I had a nervous breakdown and I admitted myself to a Partial Hospitalization Program for depression and anxiety. Right before I entered the program I was diagnosed with severe OCD. I've always known there was something wrong with me, but I had no idea it was OCD. It turns out that I have had it since as far back as I can remember, 5 or 6 years old. I have been in and out of therapy for the last 8 years for depression and anxiety but it was never obvious that I had OCD because I have particular type of OCD which presents itself less physically than mainstream OCD, it is called 'Primarily Obsessional OCD'. In this type of OCD the sufferer has mostly covert/mental compulsions rather than mostly overt/physical compulsions, covert compulsions by nature are much harder to detect.

These last few months have been a rollercoaster to say the least. More soon...