December 31, 2005
oh I'm exhausted - I am crazy to wear pink for this long. It's ending. Its the end. Please and thank you. I have to do some reevaluating of my life, and my clothing options. I need dark dark colors. I need black jeans and black hoodie and black scarf and walk around normal for a few weeks. I will put all of my pink clothes in a box and keep it in my closet. I need to see new york city as a softer place. It was somewhat rough there for a little bit. It was more than just the pink...
This year was the hardest year I have ever experienced and I pray that this next year will be better. This performance was so important and I am very proud to finish it. Now I need to not be a public performance artist for awhile.
This might be the last post for a long time. I encourage all of you that want to learn more about the performance My Year In Pink to read through all the archives. Or better yet email me with any specific question:
transmorty@hotmail.com - or - morty@mortydiamond.com
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Comments
Nice job
I stated to read your blog today, it's long so it will take me time but it's very interesting.
I hate pink, I hate it so much ;) I hope you will feel better soon with new color.
bye
Anne
Posted by: Anne | February 02, 2006 at 06:12 PM

December 26, 2005
Searching for the end/hello the end
Hello! the end! of the performance! yay!!!! no more pink! no more pink!
The end will now consist of sitting, in all my pink glory, on a pink stool in the train station at union square for a few hours a day this week. it would be more than just a few hours but this performance artist has to work! so here are the times:
Wed: 5-9pm
Thurs: 9-11am and then later in the eve if I'm feelin' it
Fri: 10am - 2pm
Sitting on a stool probably reading a book, and really just thinking as all the commuters walk past me. I will have a little sheet to give away that talks about the performance, and maybe some candy if your lucky. Now please come stop by and say hello. this is it! the last time you will ever see me in head to toe pink!
xxxxxooooomorty

Comments
congrats!
Posted by: Ruthie | December 29, 2005 at 01:41 PM

December 21, 2005
well new york is having a transit strike so that means i wont be performing in the union square train station. i am going to move this installation for next week.
things to think about:
you me and everyone we know soundtrack is amazing!
bike riding in freezing cold temps make my butt hurt like hell.
i met someone who commented on my pink outfit and i realised that i dont have anything new to say about wearing pink. nothing.
"this is a performance piece."
"ohhh ..hmmm, thats interesting."
Blue jeans and black t shirts right around the corner.

December 19, 2005
LAST PUBLIC PEFORMANCE AS MR PINK
Ok here it is - the last piece I do as mr pink. i am making a small "living room" made out of all pink things - chair, carpet, lamp and i will set up 'shop' in the train station at union square - i wont be doing much, maybe talking to people about the project who walk by maybe just reading a book....
I will be there this coming thursday at night: 5:50 to 9pm or so
and friday in the morning 9:30am till about 2pm
come say hello bring your camera. will i get arrested for doing this in the train station? its too damn cold to do it outside!

December 18, 2005
This is it, almost the end of the performance piece. Fun in pink is now near dead.

December 15, 2005
I hope to one day wax nostalgic for all this pink. I know that’s it seems strange to most folks but this has been one great moment for me and new york city…I’ve learned that new york needs to be ripped a new asshole, with all the attitude this city feels entitled to.
Lets face it, I never lived here in the 80’s or even 90’s when there was an unimaginable amount of artists here, when rent was cheap and it was scary to walk around the east village past midnight. No, that new york is long gone…we have welcomed in the donald trump new york, the prada in the meatpacking district new york, the multi millionaire as mayor new york, and there seems to be less and less room for the likes of me, a tranny from the west coast with little resources and a penchant for performance and porn. I know, there is a lot of art happening here, for sure, but a lot of it seems driven by fame, money, stardom, or just plain ego. I am just one guy trying to change some perspectives and I hope I have accomplished that with this piece. I have no real understanding of the art world, I just like to make art and if folks want to watch then great. I think the piece has set me in motion to discover what it means for me to be an artist, I just want it to be as pure as possible. I have started to write a performance piece based on this year long performance piece, all of the experiences, things I’ve learned, and funny anecdotes…plus a bit of personal stuff that had little to do with pink but still occurred in the same year (major heartbreak, major reconstruction of my life, etc.)
To you, the ones that have read this blog and watched this year go down, thanks for reading, hope you learned a thing or two and can apply any of my experiences to your own life. I will not blog after this year in pink is over. I will keep this blog up for people to read about the performance.
Xomorty

Comments
somehow i hadn't heard of your fantastic project before, though we know folks in common (i almost came to your party at the top of the month, by way of your housemate...) and i've read some of the anthology you put together.
anyway, i'm just interested to know whether you've run into or thought about the year in white clothing that some afro-atlantic belief systems use as part of the initiation/transition process... it's mainly a candomble and santeria thing i think, less a vodoun one... it jumped right into my head when i read your posts about going off T and ending the pink year.
good luck with the last weeks, and i hope to run into you around town sometime.
Posted by: rozele | December 15, 2005 at 12:00 PM

December 14, 2005
well, what is there to say...the year is coming to an end (i sound like a broken record)
and so is the wearing of pink! i have already made trips to thrift stores to revamp my wardrobe which, before pink, was in need of many new things. i hear purple is coming up as the new hot color...actually if you have the time you should read this article, its all about how the skaters, especially Bam Margera, is making pink cool for young guys to wear. I feel as if this is the trickle down effect from my year in pink....
The Star-Ledger [Newark, NJ]
November 27, 2005
Breaking the color barrier in clothing, boys think pink
By CARRIE STETLER, STAR-LEDGER STAFF
When Jake Miley was 5, he violated one of boyhood's most powerful taboos: He
wore pink socks to kindergarten.
The results were predictable.
"I got made fun of," says Jake, now 12.
These days, when Jake wears a pink shirt and matching bracelets, he gets
nothing but compliments, especially from middle school's harshest fashion
critics: eighth-grade girls.
"They say, 'Nice shirt,'" according to Jake, a seventh-grade skateboarder
from Montague whose shaggy blond hair falls over one eye.
Once the color of girlie girls and preppie men, pink is losing its stigma
among boys. Teen and preteen skateboarders - a group that retailers consider
trendsetters - have made the color a style statement, a defiant blow against
gender-typing that lends boys in fuchsia a sort of reverse machismo. It is
summed up in a T-shirt sold by J.C. Penney: "Tough Guys Wear Pink."
Doug Rosell, 13, is so tough he wears that T-shirt, with pink sweat pants,
to wrestling practice at Little Egg Harbor Middle School. He's campaigning
to get teammates in pink for matches, though not everyone likes the idea.
"They think they're going to get harassed," says Doug, a skateboarder whose
11-year-old brother, Eric, also wears pink.
Although pink menswear is not new - it was big in the 1950s and resurged in
the 1980s - it's unusual for it to be embraced by boys, especially younger
grade-schoolers.
"When a baby's born, blue is for a boy, pink is for a girl. It starts right
off the bat. It's how we've been socialized in this country," says Atlanta
psychologist Barbara Rubin, who specializes in gender identity.
While she couldn't explain pink's from sissified to sick (skater slang for
"cool"), Rubin said it may symbolize some small, rose-colored way that
America has changed.
"I don't know whether this is a status thing for these kids, a sign that
they're able to take risks, or whether they're doing it for shock value,"
Rubin said. "But if they're not getting chastised by their families or
friends, things have come a long way."
Skateboarders, who total 12 million in the U.S., according to the
International Association of Skateboard Companies, incited the pink
revolution a few years ago, along with rap stars like Cam'ron.
The fad began with older teens and caught on with junior high skaters and
grade-schoolers, especially fans of MTV star Bam Margera, whose signature
gear for the Element skateboard company is pink.
"It trickled down," said Bill Spice, who works at Division East skateboard
shop in Montclair.
At NJ Skateshop in Sayreville, four of 10 items sold are pink, said co-owner
Chris Nieratko. "One hundred percent of the pink stuff we sell is sold to
boys," he said.
For skaters, wearing pink is a way to stand out.
"It's not something everyone else is doing," said Jake Miley.
Wendy Smith, who with her daughter Leslie McAdam co-owns Fate skate shop in
Manahawkin, said: "It's a really positive rebellion: 'I feel so secure with
myself I can wear pink.'"
'WHATEVER MAKES HIM HAPPY'
At Fate, boys can find pink T-shirts by skateboard companies like Flip and
Girl, along with metal-studded pink belts and pink leather sneakers.
There are pink helmets, pink decks (the top of a skateboard), pink trucks
(the brace that connects the wheel to the board) and pink wheels. Shades
range from hot pink to bubble gum to pink as pale as ballet slippers. (The
store also sells "girl pants" - tight, flared jeans that skaters, including
Jake, are starting to wear.)
While Smith has seen some parents balk at pink for boys, many are fine with
it.
"I just figured it's a punk rock thing," said Jake's dad, Lance Miley.
"Whatever makes him happy and keeps him out of trouble."
Miley, a guitarist who sported teased hair and Spandex in a 1980s metal band
called Angelica, draws the line at pink for himself, however.
"I wear a lot of black," he says.
And for most preteen boys, pink is still fringe.
"We are aware of the trend and we are watching it closely. But at this time
we don't have any pink clothes for boys on order," said Susan LaBar,
investor relations analyst with the Children's Place clothing chain.
Charlie and Carter Cooper, preteen skateboarders from Parsippany, sometimes
raid the girls department to buy pink knit caps and T-shirts. Carter, who is
9, said he has been teased - his pastel polka-dotted Vans sneakers are a
particular source of ridicule.
"They say, 'You wear dumb shoes,'" said Carter, but he shrugs off the
hostility. "I don't care about other people's opinions."
Charlie, his 12-year-old brother, lifted the cuffs of his jeans to reveal
shocking pink socks, also bought in the girls department. He's been wearing
pink since third grade. Carter started last year, when he was in second.
Pink's popularity among skateboarders probably means it soon will be easier
to find in stores. It's already making headway in the boys department.
"Skateboarders are the trendsetters, the center of it all for that age
group," said Daphne Avila, a spokeswoman for J.C. Penney.
Pink has been especially popular for boys in the teen department, said
Avila, and she expects there will be a spike in pink clothes for younger
boys. The "Tough Guys Wear Pink" tee was a big seller this year, she
said.Whether tough guys and skateboarders will continue to wear pink,
however, is debatable.
While Carter said he'd stick with the color even if everyone wore it, others
have moved on.
"Purple is really coming up," said Smith.
December 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 08, 2005
Driver: Hey can I ask you a question?
Mr. Pink: Yeah sure
Driver: You wearing that pink on a dare?
Mr. Pink: No, it’s a performance actually, I’ve been wearing it for a year
Driver: A year!!
Mr. Pink: Yup..but its almost over so I’ll be wearing blue jeans soon.
Driver: Huh….long pause…that’s cool man. You look a little tired.
Mr. Pink: Yeah, I’ve felt like I’ve had some pretty weighty stuff on my shoulders lately.
Driver: Tell me about it! I’ve got a kid in jail as of a week ago…but you know what? Nothing is forever, hang in there, it’ll all sort out.
I step out of the cab
Do you think I can get my pink outfits into the Whitney Biennial ?
Maybe take photos of the blog and send them to the Deitch gallery ..?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxomorty

December 07, 2005
Five years ago I measured my life by all the changes that my body was going through. First it was the crack in my voice, then the gradual shift in my body fat, and the ten fold increase in my sex drive. I was in my transition period and it seemed that everyday my body was showing signs of a total metamorphosis. Five years later here I am, full beard, lower voice, looking as male as any other guy walking down the street, albeit a shorter version of....and I still don't understand gender and where I stand on the topic. I want to believe that gender does not exist, but it does, and it forces the masses to part MALE/FEMALE on so many levels. It is truly a social construct, men don't have to be assholes to women and straight men don't have to treat queers like shit but..it happens everyday....a little boy learns from someone or something that what it means to be a real man is to hate all things fragile and sensitive (feminine) inside himself and so where is all supposed to go?
--------------Sometimes I look in the mirror naked and realize how socially unacceptable this body is. If some people knew what is underneath these clothes of mine... I tend to think the reason I was born with webbed fingers and 7 toes was that the forces that be knew I'd be of strong constitution and that I'd be able to handle pain on so many levels. My body has gone through 14 operations, all for the sake of socially acceptable fingers/toes.
And then three years ago the very last (I hope) surgery...my chest surgery. One of the greatest moments in my life.
I am telling you all of this because it may give you more of an understanding about what makes a person want to wear head to toe pink for a long stretch of time. It wasn't nearly as hard as a childhood of doctors visits,skin grafts, and scars.
xomorty

December 05, 2005
just another day in pink. its snowing...
this year is so close to being over and that means the end of this performance piece.
so am i totally tired of wearing pink? of this performance? what was it like to do it for a year? it feels good to see what has transpired in my life a year ago. i truly feel like a totally different person. personally i've gone through a lot, probably more than any other year in my life, and thats not including this performance. with this performace i have had so many great experiences, meeting people, understanding so much more about life and my art.
The cumulative effect of wearing pink for such a long time probably wont be felt in any concrete way until its all over. yes, its true i am not feeling 100% happy right now but i am doing well enough. today i am in the basic outfit of pink pants and a pink sweater and am just about to put on my 'regualr' clothes over the outfit so i can take the train in peace. i'll take off the outer outfit and be in pink as soon as i get to work...
xomorty

December 03, 2005
ok deep breath - whoa and here we are its December and here I am - Its 2am and I'm in bed actually I just finished some personal writing, that is I write in a journal almost every night of the week. A simple spiral notebook. Its there that I write about all the tedious shit like what I've been eating, doing, thinking but not much is written about my year in pink in there. I save all that for the bloggy blog. If anything I start to talk about love lost or a movie that resonated with me here, with ya'll. I don't even know who reads this blog but I think a lot of you are my friends checking up on me with this performance. Blogging, as I've said before, is really strange. Online journal? You want to know about someones life in such a way that you're willing to read pages and pages of details about their life? Well maybe. If you really love someone. Or are obsessed. I wonder if anyone is obsessed with me and my on line diary...actually I really hope nobody is. Please don't be obsessed about anything other than making the world a better place and giving love. Ha ha I sound like some lunatic love guru! Anyhow, moving on.
I'm sad a lot lately, are you? All these brand new light bulbs keep popping in my head. For instance it is a big ol' bright light bulb that I have stopped drinking and doing drugs. I was never an addict but I drank, and I knew that I drank to relax or make myself feel better and I am very happy that I don't do that any longer.
I get emails sometimes from people who read this blog who say wow I cant believe how honest you are about your sadness and depression and all I have to say is if everyone was as honest about their own sadness and depression we'd be drowning in it! But it would be the good kind of drowning! I swear feeling crappy and letting yourself feel crappy is the only way to feel better.
I think I am in a deeper sadness in pink, but not a bad sadness. See I knew that it was going to be hard wearing pink for a whole year but I also knew that this was and is a complete choice, and that it had a finite moment in my life.
But what about the sadness from an extremely hard life - job problems, family issues just any problems that you could potentially face in life that would leave you totally devastated? Wearing pink doesn't even get close to this kind of emotional turmoil. So what wearing pink has led me to understand is that even though you're a heep of a mess always remember that you aren't the only person on the planet with a rough life. I do not have a rough life, what I have right now is a slightly damaged heart from lost love, wearing pink, winter approaching, and my saturn return wreaking havoc on me emotionally. I have nothing really to complain about.
I just want to end with this message: that if you feel like crying please for heavens sake cry. Just sit down and let it out, you'll feel better after I promise.
xomorty

Comments
Morty,
I read this regularly, not cause I'm obsessed but I find it really grounding. Not only because I know and like you, but because it's really inspiring to read about other kinds of art being made out there. Especially in your blog, when you discuss the challenges that you've faced in doing the performance. I always feel like artists who inspire me always present their art and themselves as effortless, easy, 'natural'. And since I struggle a lot with creative work it makes me feel like maybe I'm not doing it "right" since it doesn't always flow out of me. But anyways, to read your writing here is really inspiring and normalizing for me, it's okay to have a hard time making art, it's good to struggle and engage with it. I'm really glad that you're making this blog, even if only for selfish reasons.
I hope that you are doing well, and taking good care of yourself. Let's hang out and get coffee soon.
xxo
max
Posted by: Max Steele | December 05, 2005 at 02:12 PM

December 01, 2005
what is there to say? i feel really bombarded by lifes little painful moments. this isnt really the forum for most of these thoughts, you're here reading this because I wear pink everyday like an absolute crazy performance artist on some sort of trip.
reality of it all is wearing pink is going to end and then I'll have to think of something else to do at 3am (it's 3:20 actually) other than blog about this experience. fuck, ive been sort of choking on all this reality...there is a lot I could write but I am censoring myself because like everything I am trying to do lately I want to come from a place of love. Sounds corny doesnt it?
Start from a place of love.
Do you start from a place of love? Can you hug your fellow man after he spits in your face? Can you let go of the hurt someone has caused you to feel?
Well I say it like a mantra: start from a place of love.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My stomach is sick. I have this nasty insomnia. I feel like every night I have that terrible feeling I get when I have to get on an airplane alone. Scared... with stomach jitters. I lay down and close my eyes, maybe this time I'll hit that sweet spot and get some sleep. Otherwise what is there to do but think of her and what used to be.