Meredith Stern

Meredith Stern
Keep Life Simple
$130

This is a one color print on a handmade rice paper. I've been thinking alot about how much stuff we surround ourselves with; things that are supposed to make our lives easier (like a washer and dryer, computers, etc) which actually further complicate our lives and create an unneccesary dependence on "things". I recently hand washed a few loads of clothes by hand and laid them out to dry, and I felt more connected to life in general. I hope that this will inspire all of us to simplify our lives more. There is a vicious cycle I find myself in... working so much, with the supposed idea that it will help me save money to build resources to work on the things I really care about- but the reality is that then I become dependent on work and dissattach from some of those very things. Like, cooking and growing my own food. When I work too much, I don't have as much time to cook, so I spend money eating food someone else grows and cooks- which means I have to work more to make the money to buy the food. That might be confusing, but the idea is... when I am actually working on satisfying my basic needs, I find myself to be healthier, happier, and actually work less than when I am working on a computer. Today Americans work an average of well over 40 hours a week and many of us do work that has little direct impact on meeting the needs for our basic survival. But in cultures where we are working directly to satiate our basic needs, we work an average of less than 30 hours a week. So... directly, indirectly, this print is about reconnecting with our basic needs, and cutting out all the excess. Whatever that means for you!

linoleum block print
24" x 36"
$130