It's amazing the way Destiny, that old bitch, drops her tears on people's life. Thank you for remind us that happiness is a beautiful rat that will work hard, even to verge of absurdity, to make its way out of the shadow. Nice drawing too.

I just googled on "homeless prison rehab new york city" and found that there are a number of rehab and rescue mission resources that seem geared to helping people in Curtis' position ... at agrm.org and another called United Christian Prison Ministry. I don't know how he'd feel about the religious slant of these apparently faith-based programs, but one of them might be able to help him get off the street, get some training and counseling and into a program that can lead him back to a happier and more rewarding life. I'm sure his story is a common one and he sounds like someone who is motivated to get on his feet if he had some options and appropriate opportunities. If you can find Curtis again, maybe you can suggest one of those directions. Thanks for the story. We have heard similar ones from returning homeless vets, often suffering from PTSS whose only "crime" was serving their country and coming back damaged in some way that made them unemployable, homeless and hopeless.

Speaking of returning vets, look for a reprint of the book "Back Home" by cartoonist Bill Mauldin, written in the late 40s. Fabulous drawings of GIs "Willie and Joe." He won the Pulitzer for his work.
Mauldin drawings here

Thanks for your help, Karen.
I have contacted a couple of groups that help the homeless but it seems they all want to coral people into shelters which are scary and bleak places. I agree that Curtis could be getting more help than he is and I will talk to him about it. I think part of his issue is an aversion to institutions and bureaucracies and control and so on. I also have the feeling he's not giving me the full story — but after all, why should he?
Your pal,
Danny

Just saw a "Now With Bill Moyers" feature on the bleak state of post-incarceration programs and the major obstacles folks coming out of prinson face in re-building their lives. Apparently Shrub (a.k.a. Bush), in some speech or other, made a "commitment" to funding for such programs. Um, right.

Thanks for telling Curtis' story. Seems like half the battle is not to become hardened to those all around us in need, whatever form the need might take. The other half is to see as fellow human beings who've been placed in our paths and need our respect, our love and our resources -- rather than as objects of pity upon whom we bestow our help.

I got an MFA back in '71, taught university-level, ran a little ad agency for 10 years, now doing other things, but as a student, I (and some of my art buddies) used to really admire, nay, idolize certain commercial artists of the day. One, very high on my list, was Bob Peak. Your line work (& other) is just like his. It was the kind of facility that deserves the highest compliment: "I wish I had drawn (painted) that.."
Nice work.

I love your work... i really do. I've been creeping on the site for a little while, following it, and i can't say i've ever seen anything that i didn't like. Until this.

My background is going to school in downtown los angeles, where every art student believes that it's their duty to capture and render local transients for the sake of "art," so forgive me if my comments seem a bit harsh, as they are loaded - but this is the lowest form of exploitation humanly possible. Not because you've set your voyeuristic eye on a homeless man for his exotic, tortured disposition... and not even because you've titled the work, "Homeless Journal #1" as to denote that you're cataloguing these human beings like a big city Audobon of the new millenia, treating them as some perverted typology.

No, what truly offends me is that you would condescend to actually know this man, or care about him based on the few minutes you spent with him while polishing another sketch for your portfolio. That you would condescend to bring this man's plight to a weblog so we can all jerk eachother off about how sad the state of the economy is, and how much we truly care. Like anyone is going to do more than offer their own grandiose story about the time they bought a homeless guy a cup of coffee.
I'm sorry man - i'm not suggesting that you had overtly selfish reasons for doing this (I'm quite sure of the opposite), and I'm sorry to throw this much salt because I know this is not a one-sided issue and understand the pros and the cons of this argument i've made -- but I think sometimes you've got to look at your subject as a little more than just that...

Graz:
Thanks so much for your kind words. I just found a nice site of Peak's work you might enjoy at:
http://www.bobpeak.com/
I am deeply flattered by the comparison.
Your pal,
Danny

I'm writing in response to the above entry, just to say that it's way over-the-top. "The lowest form of exploitation humanly possible"? Hyperbole like that should be reserved for discussions of what American soldiers are doing in Iraqi prisons. The vast majority of people just walk by homeless men on the street; at least Danny Gregory stops to talk and draw. Give the guy a break.

Big Steve has a point. A bit abrasive, but a good point. Art students often choose transients and the homeless as subjects. It's trite, and in many ways insulting, but it is rarely a subject chosen with malice or bad intentions. In fact, at an art college near where I used to live in San Francisco, there was an entire student show dedicated to paintings of homeless people. Given that city's homeless problem, the show seemed slightly palatable.

I think Danny's intentions were noble and the fact that he showed a genuine interest in helping this guy is admirable. Had he posted this story without the sketch I think it would have been less offensive, but also, in a way less effective.

An artist is like Mercury, he/she's there to observe, take notes, and let know. Don't kill the messenger. There are many ways to help people, one is certainly in the form Danny did it.

It's odd, isn't it? We read about this man's plight and perhaps feel pity; yet, if we passed him on the street, many of us would give him wide berth. There ARE resources out there, you just have to be able to take the time to find them. If i were local, i'd do him a favor - find one of those resources and put the number in his cup.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Dear Big Steve:
I appreciate your candor and would like to explain my motivation in creating my homeless journal. As you probably know if you are a regular to my site, I try to draw everything I encounter every day. Curtis is one of those 'things' and that 'thingness' started to bother me. I see him when I take my son to school most days and frankly, I just walk past him. Recently I decided to change my point of view. I offered him a sandwich and sat down to talk. Now, I hang out with him instead of passing by. Sometimes just for a couple of minutes to catch up, sometimes for a longer talk. He's lonely and bored sitting, ignored on the street.
Perhaps you are outraged because you imagine I sat there and callously drew him. But I didn't. I asked him one day if I could take his picture and drew him from the photo. Is that any better? I dunno. Curtis says he like the drawing.
Maybe it was a mistake to share his story here but I don't think so. I am troubled by his predicament because I don't see a clear way out of it. He is resistant to the services that are available ( I could call a number that would send people over to pick him up but he's told me he would hate that; he'd also have to deal with the police and have parole issues) and his only choices seem to live on the streets or return to prison eventually. I had no idea that incarceration was such an endless series of shock waves. I'm not blaming our economy, our government or anything else. I was simply surprised and dismayed as a human being, I guess (and that's why I thought it was okay to write about it in my own personal web journal). That's mainly an indication that I'm not terribly good at putting myself in other peoples' shoes. Since dealing with my wife's paraplegia, I have learned a lot more about judging people quickly but apparently not enough. I am also struck by people who have shit dropped on them out of the blue. It happened to me and my wife, it happened to my sister when my brother-in-law died in his sleep in his mid 30s. It could happen to anyone, anytime. It's scary how little of a safety net there really is when it does.
If you think I'm either a shallow opportunist or a sanctimonious asshole, well, that's your right. But I don't agree that I see Curtis as just the subject of drawing.
It seems these days like somebody misinterprets my postings and motives on a daily basis. I guess I shall continue to explain, apologize and beaver on.
Your pal,
Danny

keep on keepin' on, b/c we love your stuff...

Never listen to a guy with the word "big" before his name.

Keep healing Danny.

Keep healing.

big steve big bugs.

start looking at the glass as half full, not half empty. read what DG wrote again. notice that he is writing in an editorial tone w/o passing judgment on this man, nor did i read anything about DG pretending as if he truly knows this man. i personally didn't interpret the entry as objectifying this man as a 'subject,' but the opposite. i thought that DG was attempting to humanize him by narrating his story. i know i'm speaking for DG, but this is my observation w/o the intension of jerking you off.

in regard to shoop, what exactly are you attempting to express that is offensive to you about DGs illustration? that the man isn't a white corporate business man? does it bother me that the homeless man is african-american? yes, of course it does. but the separation btwn my thinking and yours (presumably) is that i am not angry at DG for depicting this man (ie, a reflection of reality)... i am angry at our society that has allowed a disproportionate amount of homeless people to be african american. for that matter, a society that allows anyone to live life homeless at all. is it wrong that there is a disproportionate amount of ethnic minorities with HIV, on death row, w/o health care, pick your cause and fill in the blank. of course it is. it's called racism... and sadly it is still a part of everyday life.

shoop: would you feel less offended if DG had chosen a white man to portray? big steve: are you saying the appropriate solution is to not address the problem in artwork/movies/books whatsoever?

DG: you have to have think skin to post your journal online... people take offense at anything from dildos to taxidermy. unless of course, you are big steve and posted that comment to get a rise out of people like moi. ???

here's looking at the glass as half full.

Thanks, Danny, for sharing this story - beautifully told - with us. I wonder why it is that we cannot find it in our collective hearts to give people a second chance. For all of those who abuse the opportunity, there has to be a dozen more who would blossom.

big bugs, If you read the last sentence from my post, you will see that I had no qualms with the sketch. In fact, I found that the sketch made the prose more moving. Sketch sans prose = trite and (possibly) offensive. Prose sans sketch = less effective in conveying Danny's concern. That is all.

Danny Gregory,
As i said above - the extent of my distaste for your illustration was not in the image itself, but in my own baggage related to the subject matter... I did not mean to accuse or offend.
And I hate being the scolding parent in any situation. A hundred times out of a hundred, i am laissez faire, expecially with art - I'm the first and most adament to defend Serrano, Mapplethorpe, Koons, Cadmus, whoever about freedom of expression/speech... But the cultural tourism thing (think Irving Penn, Aaron Siskind, even to the extreme, Walker Evans, Gauguin) bug me because they do fetishize the unfamiliar in a very pitiful and for lack of a better work, exploitative way.

Basically, it's not you, it's me. That said, I do understand the converse - that Curtis has gotten his fifteen minutes, and hopefully does feel warm/cared about because of the drawing - that the plight of the homeless men and women of NYC has been at least brought to light (as opposed to the Reagan-esque practice of sweeping everything unbecoming/problematic under the rug and into prison to be worsened). I understand this, and these problems with america torture me daily, so maybe it's merely my disguist with the overall situation that caused me to lash out against you... I do not agree with the drawing still, however I cannot offer a viable solution to the problem that it embodies, nor a"proper" way to address the problem, which is my bad. All said... i didnt mean to bring darkness, i just wanted to offer a perspective. big.

Big Steve:
You set off a bit of a debate and forced me among others to rethink and clarify our positions, all of which is to the good. I don't fully understand your point, not really getting the whole exploitative-art-student-thing first hand but that's cool. I hope you will re-emerge from your lurker status to share your opinions with me again.

Your pal,
Danny

From my wheelchair today i read these provacative comments from Danny's amazing-blog-visitors......

Very interesting and important topic. basically, the elusiveness of Truth. The changeability of Truth according to context and perspective. The beauty, as first taught to me by Richard Feynman, in being comfortable with not-knowing and admitting that. Appearances. Unveilings. I am learning lessons and finding new understandings all the time now. The difference in appearing to have one type of life and then to appear to have another type of life can be extremely enlightening, if one allows it. Perhaps the true value of the so-called "Enlightenment" is the ability to be open to the possibilities of infinite perspectives. Seeing from every which way and more and more all the time. Remaining Open. for some people, I suppose that spells v-u-l-n-e-r-a-b-i-l-i-t-y. For some people, I hope it spells h-o-p-e.

Each of us reacts to each of us all the time. The radar is the ego, the, id, and the superego. I know that now as I watch people when they encounter me one way or another.

The absolute most interesting aspect of my experience as a later-disabled-human is that I have the ability and the opportunity to watch how other humans react to me as a person, as a this, as a that. Different than before yet somewhat the same. Like a painting thru the ages, with all different visitors observing and attempting to make sense within a private personal context as well as within the context of the world at each historical or future point in time.

I have been made to feel so many ways every day. just like You. But somehow I seem to now be allowed to be the recipient of much more naked responses as well as very-masked and fearful responses.

How different the creature in the wheelchair incites oberservers when she travels happily within her obvious challenged life. esp. with a baby or child or friendly cute doggy.

But what happens when the creature in the wheelchair dresses up as a slut or a tramp for some thematic event with friends, or what if she's smoking? what if she has a temporary device attched to her with a tube visible with some unknown bodily fluid or is that some fancy pharmaceutical? It can even change according to whether her hair is messy or coiffed to perfection.

What if? How the fuck does anyone know one way or the other. but it is human nature to need to decide. Unconditional compassion is a real challenge. Training oneself to not need to know is the real art. Does any of tales really have that much thought included that it may be fair to analyse at all? Sometimes it does.

Well, most people don't have the good fortune I've had to learn this lesson every day. All that matters and the only way consciousness can ever be roused is by making yourself and others think about it some times. Nobody really needs to have a position on such judgments...it changes as more information comes in. So please just keep paying attention and exerting and sharing your views. Whether they are right or wrong or uninformed or studied doesn't really matter.

Just don't sleepwalk or get so comfortable with what you thought you knew or understood that you can never see it for anything else. Cuz that's when death occurs. And no love can enter the picture anymore. Fear can be a fantastic armour. You will be frozen. People will no longer share with you or need you. You will be a safe and sturdy rock. Numbed. Paralyzed.

Could it be possible that this is what humanity is striving for?
Or are we really able to seek ENLIGHTENMENT?
Kids, Babies, Teens, Grannies, Geniuses, Scientists, Capitalists, Unencumbered Homelessers, Big Executives, The Unemployed, The Heroes, The Soldiers, the Abusers, The Presidents, Who?
Who are The Brave Ones? Who are The Smart Ones? Who Doesn't know anything at all? Whose brain has been so damaged that we must find pity for them? When should we respect anyone? And if They are The Chosen Ones now, will they always be? Who deserves? Who decides? Will they fall suddenly and disappoint us all? Who Do You Wish To Be and
At Which Moment Will You Know For Sure That That is What You Are?
Who is Who?
I wish I knew.

I'm a regular lurker, often inspired by this site, in addition to the beautiful art illuminating my day. Please don't be discouraged by the anger and issues of other people. In the end the argument against what you did boils down to not telling an uncomfortable truth. Uncomfortable truths are the ones most in need of telling. After that it's a question of exploitation and I don't think you do that. I love the little corners of my virtual life which shine with the best of humanity - thank you for tending one of those corners so well!

The image is haunting, the story poignant. Unforgettable.

The image is haunting, the story poignant. Unforgettable.

big steve wrote:
these problems with america torture me daily, so maybe it's merely my disguist with the overall situation that caused me to lash out against you... I do not agree with the drawing still, however I cannot offer a viable solution to the problem that it embodies, nor a"proper" way to address the problem, which is my bad. All said... i didnt mean to bring darkness, i just wanted to offer a perspective. big.

Here's a solution for you, big steve. Do something. Do something.

You can stay home and brood about the "problems with america". Is there a homeless person in your neighborhood you can give a dollar to or buy a sandwich for? How about an old person who'd enjoy a few minutes of conversation? Can you offer someone a ride to the supermarket? Send a postcard to a friend who's having a hard time? Pay the toll for the guy behind you just because? Walk someone's dog?

Get the picture, big steve? Talk is cheap. Artistic deconstruction and second-guessing the motives of others is even cheaper.

Help someone or something who's right in front of you.

Joy, please do not attempt to judge me, or assume to know my position or the actions i take on a daily basis. You do not know me, and to chastise me fore being the person you assume I am is simply ignorant. I dont believe at any point I have offered an artistic deconstruction (in the academic or practical form) of anyone or thing here in this forum, but rather I have offered a different perspective on the issue than that which is shared by the majority (which, i thought was a goal of healthy dialogue). When you to say talk is cheap, you have only echoed my point - that the rhetoric that exists here in these bytes of information has done nothing to help a person, it is merely masturbatory - we can all sit around and share warm tales of the time we did something for someone at some time, but that does nothing more than inflate our egos and give us a sense of stilted morality. And, if 'second guessing the motives of others' is cheap, then cliches like 'talk is cheap' and knee-jerk assumptions about a complete stranger certainly belong on the clearance rack, as they do not stimulate discussion nor do they contribute any sort of factual, debatable information. If the concept of hyperbole has evaded you, or if you honestly believe that anyone (including myself) can exist in a vaccum where social interactions and common courtesies are a foreign concept, then maybe it is you who should step out from behind your keyboard, because you have lost touch with reality.

I'm not going to justify my comments with a sympathy-inducing anecdote, nor am i going to quantify that which I give to society in an attempt to legitimize me or my position. I will say this, though - When i do a service for my community or for society as a whole, i do not need to run to the top of the mountain to share my good deed with the rest of the world - maybe it's selfish anti-guilt, but I prefer to treat each good deed as a simple action, and not hoard it in the kharma bank, nor wear it on my sleeve so that everyone else can know what a good guy i am.

I'm not very religious, but this guy named Jesus once said that you should never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing... Maybe he was onto something [unless he was talking about beating off, 'cos then i believe in a bipartisan use of both hands].
For the record - I was not speaking of the social problem which i did not know how to solve, but rather my problem with the illustration. xoxo

Patti, this is the first time I've run across something from you here. I loved your insights. Thank you for sharing them. Please "talk" more often here, it's nice to hear from rather than just about you.

oh, and please tell Curtis that we are all highly in favor of his well-being and (hopefully) future success and happiness. I know that it may not work out, but the Pollyanna in me really hopes it will, so tell him "hi" from us and give him our best wishes.
thanks.

Steve:

Why do people always complain about being "judged" after they do that very thing? You came to Danny's "house" and judged him.

I don't know what's in your heart or how you live your life. I was simply offering a response to your post.

We can't save the world; we can save what's in front of us. If that's what you're doing, God bless you for it. I'm Jewish, so I don't follow Jesus's precepts, but in the Jewish tradition, if you save one person "it is as if you saved the entire world."

Emily: your post put me in mind of the Oscar Wilde quote: "A cynic is one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." I've been there, and it's a very lonely place.

The world can be a cold and cruel place, That's why--IMO--it's so essential to "act locally."

~Joy

If you would like to discuss this entry further, please do so on the Everyday Matters group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/everydaymatters/
Thanks,
Your pal,
Danny