a year of silence

1/18/14

  As an artist, i have the gross annual income of a paperboy. So in order to avoid becoming one of the starving variety, i do odd jobs and walk dogs.
  I love animals and enjoy spending time with them. I have dutifully informed all the "owners" of the pets i care for of my intention to remain silent for an entire year. While a voice is extremely helpful in managing an animal, i have found it is not essential (so far...). Dogs are very bright and seem to respond quite readily to physical gestures and even slight modulations in breathing.
  It is important to mention that i absolutely will not risk the health and safety of any of my animal charges for the sake of this endeavor. If i perceive them to be in any danger of harm, in any way or form, i will make noise (and lots of it!).
  Life, all life, is extremely important to me. I will not allow harm to come to any living thing as the result of my silence.
  Of course, it would be easier to just discontinue caring for animals, and decline any opportunity for income if not being able to use my voice would make it inconvenient. I'm very skilled at not making money and this would be an opportunity to really shine...
  Art is a record of the social, political and historical context in which it was made. If you alter the context to fit the art, then you have negated the art itself by making it disingenuous and contrived. This would be an anathema to everything i hold dear, so it is completely unacceptable. Therefore, i will not intentionally alter any of the other aspects of my life to fit this project. I will just shut up and see what happens...