even though you are tormenting yourself, the work you do is very good

Please enjoy this beautiful video, made by Joao Leonardo, of a 1965 letter written by Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse, exhorting her to Make It Happen.   The first time I saw it was at dusk, facing out of a gallery window in Chelsea.  It was intense, although I experienced it without the music, which frankly I’m not so crazy about.

One Letter from Sol LeWitt

The text reads in part:  “You seem the same as always, and being you, hate every minute of it. Don’t. Learn  to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking,  worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for  some easy way out, struggling, gasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling,  bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, rumbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling,  scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning,  horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose-sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball- poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eying, back- scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself.  Stop it and just DO”

— from Sol LeWitt: A Retrospective, edited by Gary Garrels, published by MOMA

You seem the same as always, and being you, hate every minute of it. Don’t. Learn
to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking,
worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for
some easy way out, struggling, gasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling,
bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, rumbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling,
scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning,
horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose-sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-
poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eying, back-
scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself.
Stop it and just DO.

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