TIME FOR TASP

For the second year in a row, I have had the pleasure and honor of participating in a fundraiser for the Trenton After School Program (TASP).  The program was Founded in 1986 by Nassau Presbyterian and Trinity Episcopal Church of Princeton, and it provides over 70 children from Trenton's West Ward personal after-school homework assistance, tutoring and enrichment in a safe, nurturing environment.

In part, the program is financed by an annual fundraiser held By Nassau Presbyterian and Trinity. Last year, TASP fundraisers invited about 30 artists to paint a chair for auction,  The Chairs for Children were gorgeous and can be seen at Chairs for Children. 

The chair I painted was entitled "A Prayer For Joy."  It was a very bright, playful piece done in drip and splatter style with a montage of children playing.  After all, the fundraiser was in support of children.  My chair was purchased through the live auction by an Educational Testing Service excutive, who was active in the sponsorship of the event.

This year, I helped conceive the idea of painting clocks and naming the event "Time for TASP."  This year over sixty artists participated and the wide range of time pieces is absolutely fascinating and beautiful. They were all assembled for the first time last week at the artist reception at Trintiy Church in Princeton.  The event was covered by the Town Topics.

The Time for TASP Gala Reception and Auction will be held on June 14th at the Arts Council of Princeton’s newly renovated Paul Robeson Center for the Arts which was designed by Michael Graves and will open itself on June 5th. 

The program promises to be very exciting, but now we must assure that enough people show up to see and purchase the beautiful time pieces.

WELCOME

LISTEN, READ, ENJOY & RESPOND

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED, BUT IT CAN BE GOOGLED ON THE INTERNET

As I enter my twentieth year of practicing law, it has become increasingly clear that I must create a fork in the road and follow the signs of my heart and mind.  Those signs point away from another twenty years of legal practice and to a more creative life, whether it be the creation of businesses or literature or art.  It is time to stop just thinking about moving on and put some motion in that notion.

I laugh silently at those who believe I desire to leave the alleged financial certainty of a legal practice to simply paint, to be the bohemian near the local mall.  Although, I would love to just grow a scraggly beard,  wear the clothes that make my wife shake her head, and walk around the downtown area like a homeless man or perhaps an artist in perpetual observance of the art of life, that is not the plan.   The plan is to be apply my creative resources to create a self-sustaining legacy that will last beyond my physical presence on this earth.

At this point in my life, creativity simply describes the human desire to create, to build and for me to build something that will sustain on its own without me.  As a lawyer, creativity is at the very essence of the service I provide.  However, more often than not creativity is used to solve problems, not directly or primarily to build something.    But when one evaluates whether he or she has maximized his or her time on earth, he or she may be able to say they did a lot, as in "I have a long resume of things done and places expeienced." However, the tougher issue is " In what you have done, what have you created that will last and continue to impact others beyond your lifetime?"

Now, is as good a time to create, to build a legacy, as any.  And creating art and sharing a unique vision of the world, of life, is a good place to start.