Half Century Mark on Tumblr

“If my hotel was real, I would fill it with the people, places, art, words and dreams that I post here, some of them my own” is the way I described the Hotel’s new venture on Tumblr. Tumblr is like a blog only briefer and more visual, they call it a micro-blog. For me it’s a place to exhibit interesting artwork and invite real people to imaginary dinners.

This all started because last week because I created a Tumblr for the Cazenovia Public Library called Mr. Hubbard’s Salon. It’s really fabulous, if I do say so myself. Please go visit. But don’t stray too far. I want to tell you about the Hotel’s Tumblr.

I’ve played around with Tumblr before but I could never really figure out what to do with it. And then it hit me, Tumblr can be an exhibit space for my imagination and the Hotel. (I hope I’m not beating this hotel metaphor to death, but it so makes me smile).

Here’s what happens. I’m sitting in the Hotel thinking, Who do I want to invite for coffee? How about the poet Elizabeth Bishop? I find a sweet article about Bishop’s time in Manhattan from The Paris Review by Laura Mallonee accompanied by a lovely watercolor  by Bishop. l ‘re-blog’ this and voila, Bishop’s painting is hanging in the hotel. By the way, Bishop lived in six apartments and seven hotels in NYC. She wasn’t the happiest of people but her poems and paintings are delights.

Okay so I didn’t think of Elizabeth Bishop out of the blue. She came to me because I subscribed to The Paris Review on Tumblr. I’ve also subscribed to Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings. Maria sent me this: a 1955 love letter from the artist Ray Eames to her husband Charles. All three will be Hotel artists and guests. I even invited me to hang at the Half Century accompanied by our tagline:

And guess what happened next in Tumblr land?  The sweet micro blogger Jasmine re-posted my photo to her Tumblr beneath this quote by Maya Angelou: If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be. How much does that make me smile?

It’s all such a curious adventure. I heartily recommend dipping your toes into some kind of amazing newness now and again. Happy Dipping, fellow travelers.