Inside the Mind: Ipso Facto Owner Brandon Nelson

Brandon Nelson and wife Lisa in their Sawyer Michigan home.

Ipso Facto owner (and all-around groovy artist, musician and friend/father/husband) Brandon Nelson wrote this piece for the first in a semi-regular (meaning whenever I can cajole somebody into doing one) column, “Inside the Mind of . . . “  Thanks Brandon.  Brandon may also contribute occasional posts about design and the world of antiques.

Be sure to drive the hour to the sweeeeeeet Three Oaks, Michigan antique shop Ipso Facto (visit their website here and my past Ipso stories here and here).  Also, if you are cool, you’ll want to visit Brandon’s band Squirm Orchestra’s new website.  Here’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brandon:

To begin with , I perpetually feel like I am living in a dream state……..

This may help you to understand the general approach I will take with this collection of musings and ponderings that I have the privilege to share with you, the esteemed readers of Strange Closets.

For instance, how many periods after a written statement does it require to clearly denote a sense for the reader to take pause and let that statement breathe for a moment?  I randomly hit 8 in the first sentence.  It felt right.

If you pay close attention to the rest of this ramble, I have a strong feeling that the number will be different intermittently.  Now, back to the dream state idea.  Not a dream state , like going down a busy street as a floating head without the sensation of a body, where all sound is muted except for a pulsing soft hum. No….. well, sometimes.

Dream state like I am always feeling a little disjointed, but in a comfortable way.  I guess I sort of seek it out. I truly enjoy to be out of my element, to be surprised, befuddled.  The older I get and the more I learn, the less I feel I truly know.  Now this is probably not a good thing to admit as a shop owner and avid design obsessionista.

I know obsessionista is not a word, but like my dear friend, poet Patrick Smith said I can create my own words where those prior to me failed to.

Damn , it …………

I should copyright obsessionista. If you decide to , please let me know. I probably won’t get around to it. Ok….clarity Brandon, stay here for a minute and shine this one shoe.  The concept of a copyright is a good bridge to take me over to the other side.

I just finished reading Basquiat’s biography by Phoebe Hoban, and it absolutely blew my head open….Whammo!!  He would place copyright symbols in his paintings next to random words, and he would most often times put a line through a word, rather than erase it, or paint over it. When asked about it, he said that you could see his thought process in keeping the word there, rather than removing it.  White children were often taught to not interrupt adult conversations, while in the Black culture, interrupting or asking questions, was a sign of the child paying attention to the conversation …….

So, I guess I am continually interrupting myself, but I am paying attention.  Initially, when asked to write this piece, I spent days pondering the variety of subjects that intrigue me, and what clever little angles I could shine on each of them respectively, then, finally, I thought, you know.  I am just going to spit it out like an improvised drum solo and let it be. No editing , just turn on the spicket and water the lawn….

See? I told you.

Four periods on the last sentence.