Hi, my name is B.A. Lampman.
Feed the Monster is a monthly missive from my studio, where I share what's on the slab—whether painting, collage, journaling, or one of my other obsessions. It’s where I show you what I’m working on, things I’m thinking about, gaffes I have performed, and personal artifacts of interest. I aim to inspire, entertain, and give you permission to be your unruly, creative self by endeavoring to do the same.
At the moment Feed the Monster is in flux as I work on bringing in more of my journaling and note-taking world. In 2017 I started The Journal Project, where I systematically read through---then tore up---sixty-two of my (then) seventy journals. I had my reasons, which you can read about here. Mid-way through the project I looked at my piles of journals and thought, “oh my God, is this my life’s work?”
It was a bit of a joke, of course… what one pictures when they hear “life’s work” is more likely to be, for example, research into a rare form of cancer. Not a pile of journals.
What can I say? I’m not a doctor. And those torn up journal pages became part of an art exhibit in 2022 called Life’s Work: A Visual Memoir that turned out to be a major turning point for me, both personally and artistically. The project dealt with my mother’s Lewy Body dementia and my difficult relationship with her, but the primacy of journaling in my life also emerged as a force to be reckoned with and duly acknowledged.
I’ve recently launched weekly hand-drawn posts called Taking Note, which I aim to fill with inspiration and ideas for taking note of your life. There will be ideas or exercises for journaling, and encouragement for following your nose and feeding the monster. The usual monthly posts will keep coming as well, but Feed the Monster is growing and I’m pretty damned excited about it.
What my lovely subscribers say:
“Insightful and darkly humorous” – L.L.
“Unpredictable, unpretentious, and relevant” – K. L.
“A little dose of authenticity in a loud and annoying world… personal, entertaining, heartfelt, and inspiring” – E. L.
“This made me cry. Your honesty and perspective is courageous. And you inspire me. So there.” – D. S.
“Inspirational and touching” – L.L.
Hi. My name is B.A. Lampman. I graduated with Distinction from Concordia University in Montréal in 1989 with a BFA major in Painting: I was going to study languages, and/or psychology and world religions, but in a moment of madness I switched to Fine Arts. After graduating I eventually settled in Victoria, BC, where my husband and I raised a stellar daughter. Lack of time and space compelled me to explore collage, and I did that for many years. In 2015 I returned to painting with a vengeance. I also like to write, read, take photos, and sing.
Thanks for being here.
