23rd Presence Almanac

PRESENCE ALMANAC

Twenty-Third Chronicle

Curated by Elliott Desai

Cover photo by Elliott Desai

Inside Cover photo by Elliott Desai

FOR THE A DVA N C E M E N T OF ARTS & CULTURE The prompt of being alive is to make choices — creating for yourself and doing things for yourself is how the whole world moves.

As I summarize two weeks at a time and publish the highlights in these pages, this pattern has also helped organize my visions for the future.

For the past three years, I’ve been sending myself around the country with a vision to create and a vision to connect with likeminded people.

And my hope for everyone reading this Twenty-Third Chronicle is that you also take a moment to project your brightest visions for the future.

I finished reading Atlas Shrugged last week and the theme of this book is very relevant to my mission:

I’m cultivating a personal practice of believing in myself & trusting that I can fulfill the best version of my life through the power of my own will.

Instead of waking up and navigating the world from a fear of dying, what if you woke up each day and made decisions from the perspective of wanting to be alive! Not worrying about “what happens next,” but moving through this world with an optimism for anything being possible. I’m trying to live a life that’s not just aimed at survival, and paying attention to the moon phases has become an underlying rhythm. Today is a full moon and it’s the peak of your new intentions that were set two weeks ago. Like a bell curve — the rising slope is when your energy expands, the highest point is the fullest moment, and the waning slope is meant for letting go and releasing what no longer serves you.

And as I conclude 10 years in Los Angeles, here are more suggestions for your travels and presence:

BEVERLY HILLS On view until January 13, M+B is showing new oil stick and acrylic paintings by Eliot Greenwald in his solo show Listening Arm. As I walked around the gallery, I loved peering at the details and getting lost in the shapes and symbols of these scenes. According to the artist, he takes viewers “across verdant worlds, accompanying a lone night car as it navigates spaces which oscillate between familiar and improbable.”

BRENTWOOD

FAIRFAX

As an undergraduate at UCLA, The Getty was always an iconic property featured in the background of my years living in Westwood.

I moved to this neighborhood in 2019 and the Greenway Arts Alliance has remained a creative force within the community.

I’ve made it a point to visit at least once each winter, and I recommend visiting for an entire day.

From shopping at the Melrose Trading Post every Sunday to seeing poets at Da Poetry Lounge every Tuesday night, you can always rely on this public programming at the Fairfax High School to discover new artists in Los Angeles.

There are permanent exhibits that feature artwork from 200+ years ago, and new shows are installed for visitors to experience every season. So regardless of your motive, a visit to this museum will always provide you with a present afternoon.

Published December 26 at 4:33 PM Love, Elliott Desai

BRENT WOOD

Photo by Elliott Desai

BEVERLY HILLS

Photo by Elliott Desai Courtesy of M+B

FAIRFAX

Photo by Elliott Desai

BRENTWOOD

BEVERLY HILLS

The Getty

Eliot Greenwald

1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Listening Arm December 2, 2023 - January 13, 2024 mbart.com/artists/340-eliot-greenwald

getty.edu

M+B 612 North Almont Drive, Los Angeles, California 90069 mbart.com

FAIRFAX Greenway Arts Alliance 544 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 greenwayartsalliance.org

December 26 at 4:33 PM Los Angeles, CA

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