July 19
Silly summer fun.
Guilty pleasures.
We may all define our
seasonal escapist pursuits differently, but chances are, we’re all tempted to
indulge every now and again in something a little frivolous, something that may
help us feel we’re on vacation, even when we’re not.
Halfway through my
favorite season, I’ve only managed one weekend getaway and haven’t seen a
single blockbuster movie.
But I have given myself
permission to join the binge-watch brigades, and I’ve found and gone through a
weird genre or two.
My recent faves include
“Married at First Sight” and “Arranged.”
The Bachelors and
Bachlorettes have long-since lost their luster, but I admit to being intrigued,
and then hooked, by these chronicles of alternatives to choose-it-yourself
matrimony.
“Married at First
Sight” fyitv/shows/married-at-first-sight
is explained in the title. Three couples, paired by four “relationship
experts,” meet for the first time at the altar, immediately set off to honeymoon
at exotic locales, live together for several weeks and then are asked to decide
if they want to get divorced or stay together.
“Arranged” fyitv/shows/arranged also featured three
couples, all from “traditional cultures” whose families helped with the
matchmaking. The motley crew included teens (bride, 17, and groom, 18) from
close-knit Romani (Gypsy) families; a couple from the deep South in their 20s,
a grad student and a physician finishing his training; and my personal faves, a
30-something professional couple (a laid-back physician and his high-powered
business executive wife) who finally gave in to their parents with traditional
East Indian roots, who helped arrange their match on an online dating site.
The take-away is that
marriage is not easy, however it comes about, and adding reality show
observation doesn’t help. However we get to the altar, you have to admire the
courage of those of us who have been brave enough to try it.
I also try to get more
adventurous and laid-back in my choice of reading material during the summer
months, especially rewarding for those of us who give so much at the office,
online, and are often burdened with homework in the form of books, reports,
e-mailed and texted links and oppressive amounts of new apps.
Luckily, some
entertaining finds have materialized this summer, in the line of duty,
including a bumper crop of books and specialty publications.
A breathtakingly
beautiful publication called CREATIV creativ.com started showing up on my desk in
the spring. The Arizona-based magazine, on the cover of its latest issue, lists
“ADVENTURE/ART/CULTURE/INNOVATION” and manages to more than live up to its
masthead credo. CREATIV’s photos, art, design, layout and reproduction on
thick, high-gloss paper are some of the most lovely I’ve seen in a long
lifetime reviewing and writing about visual arts, travel, and diverse cultures
and enjoying and sometimes curating exhibits while living in Europe, New York City,
Portland, Ore., Santa Fe, Florida and the Caribbean.
This magazine reminded
me of the reasons I still vacation at art meccas ... it’s what I love. CREATIV
captures images of art and artists in unique ways. Their May issue, for
example, included a starry Patagonian sky, closeups of tiger eyes and zebra
patterns, giant origami paper horses, a vividly ethereal jellyfish, and
eclectic and entertaining profiles of a creative philanthropist and imaginative
entrepreneurs.
At a time when I’m
cancelling most of my magazine subscriptions and, like most of us, moving more
and more online, CREATIV reminded me of what print media, at its best, can
achieve. It’s timely, timeless and collectible and makes me feel better about
new generations and the future of art and publishing.
Give in to a guilty
pleasure during silly summertime. Indulge a little and squander some time
looking for something new and different. You could be entertained. You could
stumble upon sources of insight and inspiration. And you might just discover a
treasure.
S. Derrickson Moore may be
reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com,
@DerricksonMoore on Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.
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