A lot on my mind after one week.

In no particular order....
Thanks to SB at TCOP, I came across this post by Joanne Materra. My thoughts exactly. I understand the need for undergrads to possibly have recco letters, because one, I believe letter-writing skills are important and it helps younger artists make connections. Recently, for a grant app and for job searches, I've had to ask people for letters or ask if they'll be a reference at which point they might be asked to write a letter. At the other end, someone asked me to endorse them by writing a letter to be posted on linkedin. I did, because it seemed like the generous thing to do and I had no real reason not to, but then after reading Sharon's request for recco letters as an art project, I was having trouble discerning the linkedin request, which to my knowledge was NOT an art project, from the art project of requesting letters. In the end, it's going to look the same. Linkedin person will accumulate a plethora of supportive letters and let's face it, there are not enough words in the dictionary to make enthusiastic letters of ref sound sincere without sounding ridiculous, so I imagine at some point, it will be repetitive and humorous, as I imagine Sharon's project will soon point out. Or not. I could be way off.

When writing a letter of rec for a student, I believe there is an honest attempt at getting the blatant point across using language we all know and love, but the bottom line is, will this student handle criticism, are they self-motivated and would you hedge your bets on whether they will contribute to the greater whole? The end. YES, NO, MAYBE. But in the grant world, by the looks of my resume, statement and jpegs, you should be able to discern my level of commitment. my ability to follow through on things, my seriousness as an artist and to some degree, my part in contributing to the greater whole. Or just ask me point blank.