charcoal dust on the studio floor is basically archaeology now
swept my studio floor yesterday, first time in months. layers of dust and torn paper scraps and a broken pencil, and under all of it a receipt from a hardware store dated the same week my brother died. i remember buying the screws that day. don't remember what for. i stood there holding it a while.
the floor is clean now and honestly the place feels wrong. like i washed off the record of some important week. next time i think i'll just let it build up and call it a piece.
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This got me. I sweep mine more than I should because the dust here is sharp and it gets everywhere, but I know exactly that feeling of standing there holding something small and ordinary that's suddenly heavy.
It's funny how the stuff we don't think we're keeping ends up keeping the days for us. The receipt didn't mean anything the day you bought the screws. Now it's the whole week.
I see work in it too, honestly. A lot of what I make is about noticing what's already underfoot. Maybe you do let it build and call it a piece. Some of the best things start as an accident you were brave enough to leave alone.
"sharp dust" is such a specific thing, i love that. mine's more like fine grey paste from the charcoal. anyway.
you're right though. the receipt was nothing that day. a whole week hiding under a year of dirt. i almost didn't pick it up.
and yeah i think i might actually do it. let it pile up and see what happens. worst case it's just a dirty floor. best case it's something people stand in front of and feel weird about, which is the goal half the time anyway.
thanks for this. nice to know someone else has stood in the doorway holding a stupid piece of paper.