Mark Evans Studio

 " What a time to be starting out" I lucked out this past weekend by being asked to join a friend, last minute, to watch the Broadway production of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. If you’re not familiar with it; it’s one of the most talked about musicals Stephen Sondheim ever wrote, because, controversially, it was a big flop when it first premiered on Broadway.  This production, wonderfully directed by Maria Friedman, is as close to perfection with this show as you can get in my opinion. The story is told in reverse. Meaning, at the beginning of the show you meet the three main characters at the end of their journey and gradually as the show progresses, they turn back time and reveal how their story began. That concept was always what made it a challenging show to execute well.  Within the final scene - so the youngest we see the three main characters, and right at the very beginning of their careers as creative artists, they’re sitting on a rooftop, staring at the stars and th...

  Plant The Bulbs  A reel recently popped up on my instagram during one of my pointless scrolls into the pits of social media doom and it snapped me into consciousness because the sentiment really resonated with me and inspired me to share this with you all.  I don’t even know who this woman was but she was in her allotment on a gray cloudy day, looking a little weathered and ‘outdoorsy’, talking to the camera about these tiny little bulbs that she was about to plant in the ground. She was speaking in a motivating/inspiring tone which was also a little like she was reprimanding me for being a lazy son of a bitch on instagram.  *I think the following reads best with a New Jersey accent “I’M DOING THE WORK RIGHT NOW! I’M GETTING DOWN IN THE DIRT AND I’M PLANTING THESE BULBS AND I’M SOWING THESE SEEDS. SOME OF THEM WON’T BLOOM UNTIL THE SPRING BUT I’M PLANTING THEM NOW. SOME OF THEM I KNOW WON’T BLOOM FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS BUT I’M PLANTING THEM NOW. AND SOME OF THESE,...

  Clear The Cutlery  Our dishwasher at home recently stopped working. We are in the process of getting quotes to either get it fixed or buy  a new one, but in the meantime we’re washing all our dishes by hand. I’ll never not appreciate a dishwasher again.  I’m sure you all know that feeling when you’ve had a big meal, you really enjoyed it, your belly is full and satisfied and THEN you reenter the kitchen and see the carnage. The mess. I had a flashback last night to being a young teenager where my Mam would yell from the kitchen “can you come wash these dishes please?!” and I would respond “I’M WATCHING SISTER SISTER, I’LL DO IT AFTER”. But of course, my mother would succeed in that battle.  Back then, I found a trick that would make it less overwhelming. Clear the cutlery! Right now, picture the pots and pans and plates and bowls and glasses everywhere. Now add bits and pieces of silverware and utensils scattered all around and in between. I found that if I wo...