The Bright Side

Art with Romero Britto, finding your happy place, and other odds and ends.

So...

How are you guys doing this week? What's new? Hit reply and let me know what's going on with you and yours.

Another week has gone by and my head is still in Southern France. I'm thinking about Marseille today, which is really wonderful with all its sunshine and freshly caught seafood and delightfully petty soccer fans. Right now, The New York Times has a piece on what to do if you're there for 36 hours. Here's what I would do: Stay longer, maybe even forever, and then buy the apartment I really like before someone swoops in and snaps it up for themselves. It's in such a happy little neighborhood full of good restaurants, cute little shops, and an ever-changing array of pizza trucks. As Liz Lemon would say: "I want to go to there."

Yeah, I love Marseille. I don't even mind that they light things on fire at Orange Velodrome during a soccer match. It just means they take their soccer seriously, and I respect that. I also have mad respect for any fan petty enough to say "Yes, I am French, but I am also Marseillais, so I will not be rooting for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final this weekend. I will be rooting for Inter Milan." The Marseillais absolutely hate PSG. How bad is it? I have seen team scarves that say "go f*&^ yourself PSG" in French on one side. I don't believe they sell these at an official team store, but whatever. I hope someone gets me one for my next birthday. Who knows whether they'll be worn around town this weekend during the PSG vs. Inter match. I do know there will be an awful lot of people wearing Inter Milan jerseys though. The Marseillais have gone buck wild buying them, and some reports indicate that as of this moment they are damn near impossible to find. I bet it's going to be fun there this weekend.

Just knowing Marseille is there makes me happy. Just knowing the Marseillais are out there being their tough and tender selves makes me happy too. Really. May the city and its locals never, ever change.

Other sources of delight this week: a visit with my stylist, who I adore; a new album by New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas; two consecutive Atlanta United wins; a really good cappucino from Little Tart Bakeshop. My dog, who, as far as I know is not a hound, has begun these mini-howls after barking at passersby. He's a total loudmouth, but it's hard to not smile at something so stinking cute.

At any rate, this week is about finding that happy place or thing, whatever it is, wherever it may be. I've got a story for you about world-renowned artist Romero Britto (don't forget to click through to the rest of the piece!), some additional thoughts about the Yoko Ono biography I had been reading, plus a book about Josephine Baker, and a fun podcast about lady swindlers. Be good to each other, take good care of yourselves, and thank you again for being here with me for yet another week!

Fondly,

Paige

Romero Britto creates art that explodes with positive energy and joyful hues. Here, Britto shares how he finds his happy place.

Romero Britto's creative universe is a playful place full of Pop Art polka dots, spray paint drips, sunshine, and hearts. Still, he confesses that his canvases don’t always reflect his state of mind.

“I’m not always happy,” says Britto, who’s seated at his studio in front of an enormous mural he recently painted. The scene makes it look like hearts and flowers are exploding from his very soul. “I’m just like anybody else,” he continues. “I mean, I want to create images of hope and happiness, but you know, it’s not like I’m the guy who wakes up like that in the morning. My art is a vehicle for me to find a happy place inside myself.”

It has also been a way for his collectors to grab a slice of joy for themselves. Considered the most licensed artist in the world, Britto is collected by notables such as Great Britain’s King Charles III, Brazilian soccer player Neymar, the record producer DJ Khaled, Colombian pop star Shakira, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. His work has been exhibited in more than 120 countries around the world, appeared in the Super Bowl XLI pregame show, and been featured at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His fine art and everyday wares such as dog gear, fine bone china, perfumes, chess sets, and desk chairs are sold online and in a network of Britto stores that will continue to expand this year. But for all his reach, why stop at mere visuals? Britto has launched a skin care line called, of course, Britto Skin.

Britto’s art (and his world) are marked by perpetual motion. “I usually tell people, ‘You have to surround yourself with people and things that lift you up and go to places that make you feel good,’” he says. “Anytime that you don’t feel good at that place, you have to move on to somewhere else. It’s the same thing with people. If there’s somebody who doesn’t make you feel good, you know you have to move on. Because you can’t change people, you can only change yourself and your habits.”

For more about Romero Britto, please click here for the rest of my story about him in the June issue of Aventura Magazine.

Writing prompt: What does your happy place look like? Who's in it, where are you, what are you doing? How often do you find yourself in that happy place? And if the answer is "not enough" what can you do to change that?

Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself.

—Mahatma Gandhi 

Endnotes

What I'm reading

Last week, I mentioned I was reading the new-ish Yoko Ono biography. I still stand by what I said about Ono deserving a full biographical treatment. However, I walked away from this one feeling like while there were definitely some really interesting, telling moments that shaped her (For example, oh what a sad, sad, SAD childhood she had), but my extremely nosy self would still like to know more.

Right now, I'm reading Josephine Baker's Secret War by Hanna Diamond. It's a well-told, and well-researched look at the performer's undercover work for the Free French during World War II. 10/10 would recommend, especially if you're looking for a real-life story about someone who used their powers for good.

What I'm watching

"Becoming Cousteau" a Disney+ documentary about the life of explorer-adventurer-filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who once made wee Paige believe she should explore the seas too. What I enjoyed about this flick: We learn that Cousteau is human and makes mistakes just like the rest of us. He revealed that he was once short on funds, so he accepted money from BP to help locate oil in the Persian Gulf. When he realized how much environmental damage oil exploration caused, he regretted his decision, and turned to the television projects I grew up on to raise environmental awareness. Great doc from start to finish!

What I'm listening to

Historian and BBC presenter Lucy Worsley's "Lady Swindlers" podcast, which chronicles the wonderfully wily women in history who, for example, with the help of prophetic chickens and random potions (among other things) get one over on all sorts of people. Worsley is one of my favorite storytellers, and one of the things I am enjoying so far is the way she basically says "yes, this lady swindler did lead folks to believe that this potion would end their woe, but you know she also gave people hope at a time when medicine wasn't as advanced as it is now. So there's that."

Where I hope you'll donate this week

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Because one in five adults experiences a mental health condition each year, chances are you know someone who is struggling with something right now. Please consider a donation to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which fights stigmas associated with mental illness, provides support and education, and advocates for better and more equitable mental healthcare and improved research.