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Accomplishing nothing: procrastination meditation poem
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Accomplishing nothing: procrastination meditation poem

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Content
 

 

 

 
Accomplishing
 Nothing:
 
 
“Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem”
 

 
by
 
Alana
 Riley
 

 
_____________________________________________________
 

 
A
 Thesis
 Presented
 to
 the
 
 
FACULTY
 OF
 THE
 USC
 GRADUATE
 SCHOOL
 
UNIVERSITY
 OF
 SOUTHERN
 CALIFORNIA
 
In
 Partial
 Fulfillment
 of
 the
 
 
Requirements
 for
 the
 Degree
 
MASTER
 OF
 FINE
 ARTS
 

 

 
August
 2015
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Copyright
 2015
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Alana
 Riley
 

 

  ii
 
Table
 of
 Contents
 

 
List
 of
 Figures
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  iii
 
Abstract
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  iv
 
I.
 
  Introduction
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1
 
II.
 
  The
 Aesthetics
 of
 “Umlessness”
   
   
   
   
  4
   
 
III.
 
  Procrastination
   
   
   
   
   
   
  8
 
IV.
 
  Meditation
 Poem
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  10
 
V.
 
  Refusal
 and
 Potentiality
   
   
   
   
   
  12
   
 
VI.
 
  Conclusion
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  15
   
 
Bibliography
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  17
   
 
Appendix
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  18
   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  iii
 
List
 of
 Figures
 

 
Figure
 1.
 Riley,
 Alana
 (2015).
 YouTube:
 Eric
 Wesley,
 “Procrastination
 Meditation
 
Poem”,
 2012,
 (Image,
 screen-­‐capture).
 Retrieved
 from:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgIhlLmlMQ
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  iv
 
Abstract
 

 
Through
  an
  in-­‐depth
  interpretation
  of
  Eric
  Wesley’s
  video
  “Procrastination
 
Meditation
  Poem”
  (2012),
  my
  aim
  is
  to
  examine
  the
  signification
  of
  the
  verbal
 
blunder
 “um”,
 and
 to
 propose
 it
 as
 a
 site
 of
 potentiality,
 refusal
 and
 enlightenment.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Accomplishing
 Nothing:
 “Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem”
*

 

 
I.
 Introduction:
 
Eric
 Wesley
 is
 a
 Los-­‐Angeles-­‐based
 artist
 working
 in
 sculpture,
 painting,
 drawing,
 
film
 and
 video.
 His
 practice
 explores
 the
 blurring
 of
 work
 and
 leisure,
 the
 critique
 of
 
capitalism
 and
 mass
 production,
 often
 employing
 historical
 references,
 all
 with
 a
 
keen
 sense
 of
 humor
 and
 irony.
 
 
In
 his
 video
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem
 (2012),
 we
 see
 the
 artist
 sitting
 
in
  a
  swivel
  chair,
  wearing
  a
  white
  button-­‐down
  shirt.
  This
  semi-­‐formal
  attire
 
resembles
 what
 one
 might
 wear
 to
 the
 office,
 not
 the
 stereotype
 of
 an
 artist
 in
 the
 
studio.
 While
 there
 is
 no
 furniture
 visible
 in
 the
 frame,
 one
 can
 assume
 he
 is
 sitting
 
at
 a
 desk
 or
 a
 conference
 table;
 rarely
 does
 one
 sit
 in
 a
 swivel
 office
 chair
 in
 the
 
middle
 of
 a
 room.
 These
 details
 suggest
 an
 environment
 of
 work,
 not
 leisure,
 and
 
even
 less
 so,
 a
 site
 of
 spiritual
 transcendence.
 
 In
 an
 email
 exchange
 with
 Wesley,
 I
 
learned
 that
 he
 is
 in
 fact
 sitting
 at
 a
 desk
 in
 his
 workspace,
 with
 the
 video
 being
 
recorded
 by
 the
 camera
 of
 his
 computer.
 
 
The
 camera
 is
 fixed
 and
 framed
 above
 his
 chest,
 mimicking
 the
 “talking
 head”
 
framing
 of
 a
 speaker’s
 address
 on
 screen.
 There
 is
 nothing
 but
 a
 white
 wall
 behind
 
him,
 which
 he
 occasionally
 turns
 to
 face.
 Throughout
 the
 video,
 he
 spins
 in
 his
 seat,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*

 I
 am
 grateful
 to
 my
 thesis
 advisors,
 A.L.
 Steiner,
 Charlie
 White,
 and
 Noura
 Wedell
 
for
 their
 generous
 advice
 and
 many
 helpful
 comments.
 I
 also
 wish
 to
 thank
 Eric
 
Wesley
 for
 providing
 the
 details
 on
 where
 to
 view
 his
 video,
 thus
 enabling
 me
 to
 
procrastinate
 and
 meditate
 along
 with
 him.
 
 

  2
 
offering
 us
 his
 profile
 or
 the
 back
 of
 his
 head,
 but
 even
 when
 facing
 directly
 forward,
 
his
 gaze
 never
 meets
 the
 camera’s
 lens;
 the
 viewer
 is
 never
 directly
 addressed.
 
This
  negation
  of
  an
  audience
  intensifies
  the
  impression
  of
  an
  ongoing
 
internal
 struggle.
 For
 the
 duration
 of
 the
 11
 minute
 28
 second
 video,
 we
 witness
 the
 
artist
 repeating
 variations
 of
 “Um”.
 At
 the
 beginning,
 it
 seems
 as
 if
 the
 “um”
 is
 just
 
the
 prelude
 to
 the
 articulation
 of
 a
 thought:
 he
 is
 going
 to
 say
 something,
 the
 thought
 
is
 coming
 to
 him.
 This
 is
 what
 we
 expect
 when
 we
 hear
 the
 utterance
 “um”.
 
 

 
Instead,
 however,
 he
 quickly
 gets
 lost
 in
 the
 sound
 of
 his
 own
 voice.
 The
 pitch
 
shifts
 to
 that
 of
 fascination,
 and
 perhaps
 almost
 an
 enjoyment
 of
 the
 sensation
 
triggered
 by
 generating
 such
 a
 sound.
 The
 “um”
 morphs
 into
 iterations
 of
 itself:
 
“hm”,
  “yum”,
  “om”,
  “ah”;
  each
  utterance
  sparking
  a
  new
  interpretation.
  These
 
utterances
 with
 their
 varied
 tones
 and
 intonations
 begin
 to
 take
 on
 the
 form
 of
 a
 
language.
 This
 process
 is
 reminiscent
 of
 a
 child
 discovering
 her
 voice
 and
 its
 full
 

  3
 
range
 of
 capabilities;
 getting
 lost
 in
 her
 own
 babbling,
 finding
 joy
 and
 amusement
 in
 
her
 highest
 pitch
 screech,
 at
 times
 even
 startling
 herself.
 As
 we
 learn
 as
 the
 video
 
progresses,
 much
 can
 in
 fact
 be
 communicated
 through
 the
 almost-­‐language
 this
 
process
 generates.
 
 
The
 playing
 with
 syllables
 turns
 into
 the
 mantra
 like
 chant
 of
 “om”.
 Yet
 the
 
video
 is
 edited
 to
 cut
 between
 these
 moments
 and
 return
 again
 to
 different
 states:
 
attempts
 to
 speak,
 searching
 for
 words
 and
 thoughts,
 toying
 with
 sounds,
 meditative
 
chanting.
 The
 viewer,
 along
 for
 the
 ride,
 is
 jolted
 from
 witnessing
 the
 artist
 sitting
 
antsy
 in
 his
 chair,
 struggling
 to
 contend
 with
 his
 thoughts,
 to
 reveling
 in
 a
 state
 of
 
non-­‐doing,
 to
 appearing
 calm
 and
 meditative.
 Wesley’s
 “um”
 is
 an
 endless
 cycle:
 the
 
video
 signals
 a
 loop
 with
 its
 first
 frame
 matching
 the
 last.
 
 
In
 performing
 speechlessness
 and
 the
 failure
 of
 communication,
 Wesley
 is,
 of
 
course,
 not
 alone.
 For
 example,
 William
 Pope.L’s
 speech
 during
 the
 Tate
 Symposium
 
of
 “Live
 Culture:
 Performance
 and
 the
 Contemporary”,
 in
 2003,
 similarly
 plays
 with
 
the
 disappointed
 expectations
 of
 an
 audience
 that,
 like
 the
 viewer
 of
 Wesley’s
 Poem,
 
awaits
  comprehensible
  communication.
   
  Yet
  addressing
  the
  audience
  of
  the
 
symposium,
 Pope.L
 performs
 a
 10-­‐minute
 speech
 comprised
 of
 incomprehensible
 
utterances,
 click
 sounds
 resembling
 Southern
 African
 dialects,
 and
 a
 few
 mixed-­‐in
 
French
  words.
  It
  is
  clear
  that
  he
  is
  not
  speaking
  any
  one
  language
  but
  rather
 
appropriating
 sounds
 and
 occasional
 words
 into
 a
 format
 that
 bears,
 in
 gesture,
 
inflection,
 and
 cadence,
 the
 outer
 appearance
 of
 a
 public
 address.
 
 Alongside
 him
 on
 
the
 stage
 are
 two
 sign
 interpreters
 who
 attempt
 to
 convey
 the
 sounds
 as
 best
 they
 
can,
  but
  they
  are
  captured
  laughing
  while
  trying
  to
  perform
  this
  task.
  The
 

  4
 
incomprehensibility
 and
 the
 duration
 during
 which
 he
 persists
 to
 convey
 that
 which
 
is
  indecipherable
  makes
  this
  speech/performance
  at
  once
  comical,
  awkward,
 
touching
  and
  captivating.
  Procrastination
  Meditation
  Poem
  evokes
  a
  similar
 
response,
 despite
 its
 contrasting
 context
 and
 execution.
 However,
 while
 Pope.L’s
 
speech
 serves
 as
 such
 –
 as
 a
 public
 speech
 –
 a
 comment
 on
 the
 mannerisms
 of
 public
 
address
 and
 the
 expectation
 of
 an
 audience,
 Wesley’s
 video
 is
 more
 intimate.
 While
 
Pope.L
  depicts
  the
  failure
  of
  communication,
  Wesley’s
  piece
  is
  about
  its
  non-­‐
occurrence:
 the
 focus
 shifts
 towards
 the
 expectation
 of
 that
 which
 is
 never
 said,
 that
 
which
 should
 follow
 the
 “um”,
 the
 act
 of
 communication
 that
 is
 prevented
 by
 the
 
titular
 “procrastination”.
 The
 repeated,
 seemingly
 useless
 “um”
 thus
 becomes
 an
 
activity
  in
  itself,
  a
  conscious
  choice
  not
  to
  pursue
  another,
  assumingly
  more
 
important,
 task.
 
 

 
II.
 The
 Aesthetics
 of
 
 “Umlessness”
 
For
 the
 entire
 duration
 of
 the
 Poem,
 the
 protagonist
 repeats
 variations
 of
 “um”:
 a
 
verbal
  blunder,
  which,
  usually,
  as
  a
  moment
  of
  speechlessness,
  precedes
  a
 
communication.
  With
  the
  “um”
  comes
  a
  moment
  of
  awkwardness
  –
  an
 
uncomfortable
  interlude
  in
  which
  we
  are
  fearing
  with
  the
  speaker
  the
 
embarrassment
 of
 not
 knowing
 what
 to
 say,
 of
 not
 being
 able
 to
 say
 anything
 at
 all.
 
 
 
 
Fillers
 such
 as
 “um”
 thus
 have
 become
 the
 symbol
 of
 lack
 of
 eloquence,
 of
 
lack
 of
 rhetorical
 polish,
 even
 of
 lack
 of
 intelligence.
 Spoken
 word
 should,
 ideally,
 
resemble
 a
 printed
 text.
 Author
 and
 journalist
 Michael
 Erard
 has
 examined
 the
 

  5
 
history
 of
 this
 “aesthetic
 of
 umlessness”
1
.
 He
 traces
 the
 presence
 of
 verbal
 blunders
 
among
  rhetoricians
  of
  ancient
  Greece
  and
  Rome.
  His
  findings
  propose
  that
  the
 
aesthetic
 of
 umlessness
 is
 a
 modern
 phenomenon:
 according
 to
 Erard,
 it
 manifested
 
in
 the
 last
 century
 with
 the
 advent
 of
 industrialized
 societies,
 and
 when
 language
 
became
 more
 of
 a
 marker
 of
 status
 and
 social
 class.
2

 
 
The
  “aesthetic
  of
  umlessness”
  is
  reinforced
  not
  only
  through
  countless
 
unrealistic
 dialogues
 in
 movies
 and
 television,
 but
 also,
 and
 in
 particular,
 through
 
the
 ubiquity
 of
 polished
 public
 speech.
 Toastmasters,
 an
 international
 non-­‐profit
 
organization
 whose
 purpose
 is
 to
 improve
 the
 communication
 and
 public
 speaking
 
skills
 of
 its
 members,
 has
 a
 policy
 of
 fining
 members
 a
 nickel
 for
 each
 “ah”
 or
 “um”
 
uttered
 during
 a
 speech.
 One
 public
 speaking
 technique,
 employed
 by
 Lee
 Glickstein,
 
founder
 of
 Speaking
 Circles
 International,
 is
 to
 practice
 transforming
 the
 “um”
 into
 a
 
slow
 “mmm”
 sound,
 which,
 if
 practiced
 over
 time,
 would
 eventually
 lead
 to
 a
 fading
 
out,
 until
 there
 is
 only
 silence.
 By
 meditating
 on
 them,
 Glickstein
 said,
 a
 speaker
 
should
 eventually
 be
 able
 to
 turn
 “mmmms”
 to
 what
 he
 calls
 “rich
 stillness”.
3

 
 The
 
goal
 is
 the
 erasure
 of
 the
 sound
 entirely,
 in
 order
 to
 make
 room
 for
 a
 “meaningful”
 
pause.
 
Wesley’s
 video
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem
 does
 not
 specifically
 point
 
towards
 public
 speaking
 –
 there
 is
 no
 implied
 audience
 that
 he
 is
 addressing
 within
 
the
 video,
 rather
 a
 monologue
 seems
 to
 be
 taking
 place.
 However,
 the
 expectations
 
created
 by
 the
 proliferation
 of
 public
 speech
 with
 which
 we
 are
 confronted
 every
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1

 Michael
 Erard,
 Um…
 Slips,
 Stumbles,
 and
 Verbal
 Blunders,
 and
 What
 They
 Mean
 (New
 York:
 
Pantheon
 Books,
 2007),
 113.
 
2

 Erard,
 Um…,
 118ff.
 
3

 Erard,
 Um…,113.
 

  6
 
day,
 expectations
 of
 eloquence
 and
 flawlessness,
 which
 make
 “um”
 all
 the
 more
 a
 
forbidden
 utterance.
 It
 is
 the
 disappointment
 of
 these
 expectations
 that
 causes
 an
 
uncomfortable,
 curious
 or
 even
 amusing
 reaction,
 while
 watching
 Wesley’s
 litany
 of
 
“ums”.
 
The
 culture
 of
 public
 speaking
 has
 become
 an
 increasingly
 popular
 venue
 for
 
the
 dissemination
 of
 information.
 The
 ubiquity
 of
 TED
 Talks
4

 (TEDx,
 TEDGlobal,
 
etc.)
  online
  is
  astounding,
  especially
  considering
  the
  common
  fear
  of
  public
 
speaking.
5

 Each
 easily
 digestible
 speech
 runs
 no
 longer
 than
 18-­‐minutes,
 designed
 
specifically
 for
 our
 current
 attention
 spans,
 and
 the
 length
 of
 our
 coffee
 breaks.
 2014
 
even
 saw
 the
 publication
 of
 a
 self-­‐help
 book
 entitled,
 “Talk
 like
 Ted:
 The
 9
 Public-­‐
Speaking
 Secrets
 of
 the
 World’s
 Top
 Minds.”
 As
 a
 promotional
 text
 tells
 us:
 “Make
 no
 
mistake.
 Your
 ability
 to
 persuasively
 sell
 your
 ideas
 is
 the
 single
 greatest
 skill
 that
 
will
 help
 you
 achieve
 your
 dreams.
 Follow
 these
 nine
 rules
 and
 you’ll
 astonish,
 
electrify,
  and
  inspire
  your
  audiences.”
6

 The
  language
  surrounding
  this
  culture
 
emphasizes
 the
 pitch:
 “to
 persuasively
 sell
 your
 idea”,
 reminding
 us
 that
 ideas
 are
 
commodities
 to
 be
 sold;
 the
 listener
 is
 the
 consumer.
 The
 formulaic
 execution
 of
 a
 
TED
 Talk
 is
 uncanny,
 and
 one
 can
 expect
 to
 not
 hear
 any
 verbal
 blunders
 uttered
 in
 
those
 18-­‐minutes.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4

 TED,
 a
 private
 non-­‐profit
 foundation
 hosting
 conferences,
 originally
 focused
 on
 topics
 
related
 to
 technology,
 entertainment,
 and
 design
 (thus
 the
 acronym),
 but
 has
 since
 
broadened
 its
 focus
 to
 include
 academic,
 scientific
 and
 cultural
 topics.
 
 
5

 Gallup
 polls
 have
 shown
 that
 people
 fear
 public
 speaking
 more
 than
 they
 do
 death.
 Gallup
 
poll,
 2001,
 accessed
 April
 15,
 2015,
 http://www.gallup.com/poll/1891/snakes-­‐top-­‐list-­‐
americans-­‐fears.aspx.
 
6
Promotional
 text,
 “Talk
 like
 Ted:
 The
 9
 Public-­‐Speaking
 Secrets
 of
 the
 World’s
 Top
 Minds”,
 
accessed
 April
 15,
 2015,
 http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/03/04/9-­‐
public-­‐speaking-­‐lessons-­‐from-­‐the-­‐worlds-­‐greatest-­‐ted-­‐talks/.
 

  7
 
Inescapably,
 the
 TED
 Talk
 has
 experienced
 its
 moments
 of
 subversion
 and
 
critique.
 The
 performance
 by
 the
 comedian,
 musician,
 and
 poet
 Reggie
 Watts
 at
 
TED2012
7

 is
 a
 well-­‐known
 example.
 Watts
 delivered
 a
 speech,
 including
 musical
 
interludes,
 which
 parodied
 the
 characteristic
 TED
 rhetoric.
 His
 speech
 oscillated
 
between
 several
 languages,
 taking
 on
 various
 accents,
 and
 when
 speaking
 clearly
 in
 
English,
 he
 combined
 catch
 words
 and
 phrases
 all
 too
 familiar
 to
 this
 environment
 
in
 a
 manner
 that
 seemingly
 made
 sense,
 but
 in
 trying
 to
 follow
 what
 he
 was
 saying
 it
 
becomes
 clear
 that
 it
 is,
 in
 fact,
 all
 completely
 nonsensical.
 
 
 
If
  we
  compare
  Watts’s
  performance
  with
  Wesley’s
  Poem,
  we
  notice
  the
 
similarly
 ironic
 take
 on
 a
 certain
 aesthetic
 of
 polished
 eloquence.
 Watts
 parodies
 the
 
public
 performance
 of
 the
 TED
 talker
 in
 their
 presumptuous
 pose
 of
 delivering
 
profoundness
  in
  a
  glibly
  packaged
  and
  easily
  digestible
  fashion.
  While
  Watts
 
disappoints
 the
 expectation
 to
 be
 bestowed
 upon
 the
 typical
 polished
 rhetoric
 of
 the
 
TED
  talk,
  Wesley
  similarly
  disappoints
  the
  expectation
  of
  “umlessness”,
  thus
 
expanding
 the
 awkwardness
 of
 the
 speechless
 moment,
 the
 moment
 that
 exposes
 
the
  speaker,
  according
  to
  the
  unrealistic
  expectations
  of
  this
  aesthetic,
  as
  un-­‐
eloquent
 and
 even
 unintelligent.
 
 

  Yet
  we
  also
  notice
  the
  obvious
  difference
  –
  another
  aspect
  that
  perhaps
 
makes
 us
 even
 more
 uneasy.
 Watts
 parodies
 the
 shallowness
 of
 sharing
 meaningful
 
truths
  by
  the
  portrayal
  of
  the
  breakdown
  of
  communication.
  Wesley,
  however,
 
withholds
  communication.
  “Um”,
  the
  uncomfortable
  blunder
  before
  a
  more
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7

 “Ted
 Talk,
 Reggie
 Watts”,
 accessed
 April
 25,
 2015.
 
https://www.ted.com/talks/reggie_watts_disorients_you_in_the_most_entertaining_way?la
nguage=en.
 

 

  8
 
meaningful
  elocution,
  never
  actually
  bears
  fruit;
  the
  tension
  it
  creates
  is
  never
 
resolved,
 and
 like
 a
 disharmonic
 chord
 that
 is
 never
 resolved,
 it
 leaves
 the
 audience
 
with
 an
 ongoing
 feeling
 of
 cacophonic
 dissatisfaction.
 As
 we
 witness
 throughout
 the
 
video,
 the
 initial
 utterances
 of
 “um”
 seem
 to
 be
 simple
 blunders
 that
 a
 viewer
 would
 
soon
  expect
  to
  give
  way
  to
  a
  statement
  composed
  of
  words
  and
  sentences.
 
Throughout
 the
 video,
 however,
 we
 witness
 how
 this
 apparent
 ambition
 to
 turn
 
speechlessness
  into
  communication
  gives
  way
  to
  playful
  repetition
  of
  different
 
shades
 of
 “um”
 that
 seem,
 to
 the
 protagonist,
 worth
 uttering
 in
 and
 of
 themselves.
 
Uttering
 “um”
 becomes
 an
 activity
 in
 its
 own
 right;
 the
 protagonist
 chooses
 not
 to
 
say
 anything
 else,
 and
 “um”
 takes
 on
 the
 role
 of
 a
 refusal
 to
 communicate.
 
 

 
III.
 Procrastination
 
 
It
 is
 in
 this
 context
 that
 the
 title
 of
 the
 piece,
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem,
 
attracts
 our
 attention.
8

 How
 and
 why
 would
 the
 utterance
 of
 “um”
 be
 regarded
 as
 
“procrastination”?
 As
 we
 have
 seen,
 “um”
 is
 usually
 perceived
 is
 as
 an
 utterance
 that
 
is
 preparing
 and
 preceding
 a
 (more
 or
 less
 successful)
 communication,
 an
 utterance
 
that
 is
 aesthetically
 undesirable,
 yet
 at
 least
 instills
 the
 hope
 of
 leading
 to
 something
 
better.
 

  Procrastination,
 by
 contrast,
 is
 defined
 as
 “voluntarily
 delay[ing]
 an
 intended
 
course
 of
 action
 despite
 expecting
 to
 be
 worse
 off
 for
 the
 delay.”
9

 It
 is,
 by
 definition,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8

 Remarkably,
 this
 video
 is
 not
 listed
 in
 the
 available
 list
 of
 Wesley’s
 works.
 The
 work
 is,
 
however,
 accessible
 on
 “YouTube”,
 under
 the
 title
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem.
 In
 an
 
email
 exchange
 between
 the
 artist
 and
 the
 author,
 Wesley
 confirmed
 that
 this
 is
 the
 title.
 
 
 
9

 Piers
 Steel,
 The
 Nature
 of
 Procrastination:
 A
 Meta-­‐Analytic
 and
 Theoretical
 Review
 of
 
Quintessential
 Self-­‐Regulatory
 Failure
 (University
 of
 Calgary
 Press:
 Alberta,
 2007),
 65.
 

  9
 
going
 nowhere.
 Furthermore:
 procrastination
 is
 a
 choice:
 a
 less
 fruitful
 or
 even
 
counterproductive
 activity
 is
 chosen
 over
 a
 more
 important
 or
 more
 pressing
 task.
 
While
 this
 choice
 might
 be
 deemed
 compulsive
 and
 will,
 typically,
 be
 accompanied
 
by
 a
 guilty
 conscience
 –
 the
 task
 actually
 carried
 out,
 the
 “procrastination”,
 is
 a
 
conscious,
  intentional
  activity.
  “Procrastination”
  is
  thus
  a
  conscious
  refusal
  to
 
function
 in
 a
 way
 one
 is
 expected
 to
 function.
 
 
 

  What
 we
 observe
 in
 the
 video,
 then,
 is
 that
 the
 artist’s
 repeating
 of
 “um”
 does
 
not
 serve
 the
 purpose
 of
 arriving
 at
 a
 thought,
 but
 rather
 the
 purpose
 of
 not
 arriving
 
anywhere.
 If
 the
 repeating
 of
 “um”
 is
 procrastination,
 then
 it
 is
 a
 conscious
 choice
 
not
 to
 speak.
 
 The
 “um”
 does
 not
 signify
 a
 failure
 to
 communicate;
 it
 is
 a
 refusal
 to
 
communicate,
 to
 come
 to
 an
 idea
 or
 to
 articulate
 intelligible
 thought.
 
 
In
 a
 society
 that
 is
 built
 around
 the
 everlasting
 increase
 of
 productivity,
 
“procrastination”
  is
  a
  vice
  –
  or
  even
  a
  mortal
  sin.
  Procrastination
  is
  not
 
acknowledged
 as
 a
 state
 that
 prepares
 creation;
 it
 is
 understood
 to
 be
 the
 denial
 or
 
even
 refusal
 of
 productivity.
 It
 is
 therefore
 unsurprising
 that
 procrastination
 is
 a
 
common
 topic
 of
 a
 literature
 that
 purports
 to
 improve
 our
 lives
 and
 deliver
 us
 from
 
afflictions
 such
 as
 gluttony,
 addiction,
 depression
 or
 the
 insurmountable
 proclivity
 
to
 procrastinate.
 We
 all
 know
 how
 to
 overcome
 procrastination,
 how
 to
 realize
 our
 
full
 potential
 and
 achieve
 success,
 how
 to
 fulfill
 our
 life’s
 purpose,
 or
 how
 to
 get
 rich
 
–
 
 the
 goal
 always
 being
 to
 manifest
 control,
 to
 achieve
 and
 to
 improve.
 
 

 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem
 can
 be
 viewed
 online
 on
 “YouTube”.
 There,
 
Wesley’s
 video
 is
 filed
 alongside
 other
 videos
 such
 as
 “Meditation
 for
 Overcoming
 
Procrastination
 to
 Fulfill
 your
 Life’s
 Purpose”,
 “Subliminal
 Healing
 Thy
 Inner
 Self”,
 

 10
 
“Whispering
 Hypnosis
 to
 Overcome
 Procrastination”,
 and
 “Effective
 Meditation
 –
 
Manifest
 what
 you
 really
 Want
 NOW!”.
 This
 syntactical
 connection
 to
 the
 “self-­‐help”
 
video
 genre
 –
 created
 by
 YouTube’s
 algorithms
 that
 are
 incapable
 of
 detecting
 irony
 
–
 enriches
 and
 enlivens
 the
 video’s
 meaning,
 presenting
 possibilities
 of
 sabotage
 and
 
subversion.
 A
 person
 seeking
 help
 from
 the
 perils
 of
 procrastination
 will
 stumble
 
upon
  Wesley’s
  video
  and
  potentially
  be
  lured
  into
  another
  11
  minutes
  and
  28
 
seconds
 of
 abominable
 procrastination.
 
 
 

   
 
IV.
 Meditation
 Poem
 
Before
 the
 eyes
 of
 the
 (maybe
 even
 accidental)
 beholder
 now
 unfolds
 the
 entire
 
extent
  in
  which
  expectations
  are
  disappointed
  –
  the
  undesirable
  “um”,
  the
 
consummate
 non-­‐activity,
 is
 turned
 into
 an
 activity
 in
 itself.
 
 The
 repeated
 elocution
 
of
  the
  syllable
  becomes
  a
  poem,
  a
  playful
  experiment
  with
  sounds,
  inflection,
 
cadence,
 reminiscent
 of
 Dadaist
 poetry.
10

 
 
 

  But
 the
 piece
 takes
 the
 provocation
 even
 further.
 At
 some
 point,
 Wesley’s
 
“um”
  turns
  to
  an
  “om”.
  These
  two
  utterances
  exist
  at
  polar
  ends:
  “um”,
  the
 
inadvertently
 uttered
 blemish,
 and
 the
 deeply-­‐felt,
 purposefully
 enunciated
 “om”
 –
 
the
 syllable
 that
 enshrines
 the
 process
 of
 arriving
 at
 non-­‐thought
 as
 a
 spiritual
 
pursuit,
 with
 strong
 religious
 implications.
 Both
 oral
 expressions
 are
 indicative
 of
 a
 
searching,
 a
 process
 and
 a
 pursuit:
 the
 former,
 a
 helpless
 stumble
 on
 the
 way
 to
 a
 
communication,
 the
 other
 as
 the
 epitome
 of
 perceiving
 the
 way,
 the
 process
 as
 the
 
goal
  itself.
  Wesley’s
  procrastination
  shifts
  into
  meditation:
  his
  refusal
  to
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10

 Dada
 artists,
 such
 as
 Hugo
 Ball
 and
 Kurt
 Schwitters,
 constructed
 “sound
 poetry”,
 
employing
 repetitive
 sounds
 and
 vowels
 instead
 of
 words.
 

 11
 
communicate,
 his
 refusal
 to
 function
 as
 he
 is
 expected,
 takes
 on
 a
 religious
 or,
 at
 
least,
 “spiritual”
 note.
 
 
Chanting
 “om”,
 “the
 mother
 of
 mantras”

 11
,
 is
 believed
 to
 promote
 a
 sense
 of
 
peace,
  and
  to
  clear
  the
  mind
  of
  noise
  and
  clutter
  in
  the
  quest
  for
  spiritual
 
enlightenment.
 In
 the
 Hindu
 system
 of
 spiritual
 practice,
 this
 syllable
 is
 believed
 to
 
represent
 the
 manifestation
 of
 God
 in
 form
 (among
 many
 other
 things).
 It
 belongs
 to
 
a
 mystical
 science
 of
 sound
 vibration
 used
 for
 spiritual
 transformation
 through
 
which
 the
 meditator
 enters
 states
 that
 are
 beyond
 thought.
 Having
 its
 roots
 in
 Hindu
 
and
  Buddhist
  practices,
  this
  chant
  is
  common
  within
  the
  many
  Western
  yogic
 
practices
 that
 mimic
 and
 plagiarize
 Eastern
 spirituality.
 
We
 have
 primarily
 discussed
 “um”
 as
 being
 a
 signal
 of
 trying
 to
 arrive
 at
 a
 
communication
 –
 at
 least,
 from
 the
 perspective
 of
 the
 audience,
 as
 hopefully
 leading
 
to
 a
 communication.
 
 The
 greatest
 fear
 of
 the
 speaker
 and
 the
 audience,
 the
 greatest
 
possible
 embarrassment
 would
 be
 that
 the
 mind
 goes
 “blank”,
 where
 the
 speaker
 
entirely
 looses
 her
 train
 of
 thought,
 unable
 to
 escape
 the
 awkward
 situation
 of
 
speechlessness
 indefinitely.
 Tricks
 like
 the
 “meaningful”
 pause
 are
 supposed
 to
 help
 
to
 overplay
 the
 blank
 and
 to
 help
 the
 speaker
 get
 back
 on
 track.
 
Wesley
 turns
 these
 expectations
 on
 their
 head
 –
 the
 “um”
 as
 blankness
 of
 the
 
mind
  becomes
  an
  intentional
  pursuit,
  as
  expressed
  by
  the
  transition
  into
  the
 
emblematic
 “om”.
 
 
In
 his
 refusal
 to
 function
 as
 expected,
 Wesley
 thus
 invokes
 a
 cultural
 contrast:
 
the
 meditative
 state,
 associated
 with
 Eastern
 religious
 and
 philosophic
 practices,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11

 "Om."
 The
 Columbia
 Encyclopedia,
 6th
 ed.
 2014.
 Encyclopedia.com,
 accessed
 April
 29,
 
2015,
 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-­‐Om.html.
 

 12
 
serves
  in
  a
  wider
  sense
  to
  reinforce
  his
  refusal
  of
  Western
  societies’
  focus
  on
 
productivity.
  The
  uneasiness
  we
  experience
  when
  sitting
  through
  the
  video
 
indicates,
 ironically,
 that
 for
 the
 average
 person
 in
 our
 society,
 one
 can
 assume
 that
 
patience
 and
 meditation
 might
 take
 more
 effort
 and
 focus
 than
 complying
 with
 
expectations.
 
 

 
V.
 Refusal
 and
 Potentiality
 
A
  similarly
  unexpected,
  unsettling
  and
  far-­‐reaching
  refusal
  has
  found
  its
 
paradigmatic
 literary
 expression
 in
 Herman
 Melville’s
 famous
 short
 story
 Bartleby,
 
The
 Scrivener.
 Melville’s
 character,
 Bartleby,
 works
 as
 a
 scribe
 in
 a
 lawyer’s
 office.
 
One
 day,
 upon
 being
 asked
 to
 perform
 his
 duties,
 he
 simply
 replies,
 “I
 prefer
 not
 
to”.
12

 This
 refusal
 he
 repeats
 throughout
 the
 story
 when
 being
 ask
 to
 perform
 any
 
actions
 whatsoever.
 It
 is
 stated
 with
 the
 emphasis
 on
 preference,
 not
 will
 or
 ability.
 
 
The
 phrasing
 of
 this
 refusal
 is
 important:
 what
 is
 unsettling
 is
 not
 only
 the
 
refusal
 to
 work
 itself,
 the
 non-­‐compliance
 with
 what
 is
 expected
 of
 an
 employee,
 but
 
the
 way
 in
 which
 this
 refusal
 ultimately
 disrupts
 and
 dismantles
 the
 entire
 existing
 
system
 and
 day
 to
 day
 functioning
 of
 the
 attorney’s
 office
13
.
 The
 formula
 “I
 prefer
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12

 Herman
 Melville.
 Bartleby,
 the
 Scrivener:
 A
 Story
 of
 Wall-­‐Street,
 accessed,
 April
 20,
 2015,
 
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11231/pg11231.html
 
13

 As
 pointed
 out
 by
 Rancière:
 "The
 formula
 erodes
 the
 attorney's
 reasonable
 organization
 
of
 work
 and
 life.
 It
 shatters
 not
 just
 the
 hierarchies
 of
 a
 world
 but
 what
 supports
 them:
 the
 
connections
 between
 the
 causes
 and
 effects
 we
 expect
 from
 that
 world,
 between
 the
 
behaviors
 and
 motives
 we
 attribute
 to
 them,
 and
 the
 means
 we
 have
 to
 modify
 them.
 The
 
formula
 leads
 the
 causal
 order
 of
 the
 world
 that
 rules
 what
 we'll
 call,
 in
 Schopenhaurian
 
terms,
 the
 world
 of
 representation,
 to
 its
 catastrophe."
 Jacques
 Rancière,
 The
 Flesh
 of
 Words
 
(Stanford:
 Stanford
 University
 Press,
 2004),
 147.
 I
 am
 grateful
 to
 Noura
 Wedell
 for
 
providing
 me
 with
 this
 reference.
 

 13
 
not
 to”,
 as
 described
 by
 Deleuze
14
,
 serves
 as
 a
 liminal
 space:
 
 in
 this
 space,
 Bartleby
 
remains
 nonetheless
 active
 as
 a
 scribe,
 within
 his
 apparent
 passivity.
 “Bartleby
 has
 
won
 the
 right
 to
 survive,
 that
 is,
 to
 remain
 immobile
 and
 upright
 before
 a
 blind
 wall.
 
(…)
 Being
 as
 being,
 and
 nothing
 more.
 He
 is
 urged
 to
 say
 yes
 or
 no.
 But
 if
 he
 said
 no
 
(to
 collating,
 running
 errands…),
 or
 if
 he
 said
 yes
 (to
 copying),
 he
 would
 quickly
 be
 
defeated
 and
 judged
 useless,
 and
 would
 not
 survive.
 He
 can
 survive
 only
 by
 whirling
 
in
 a
 suspense
 that
 keeps
 everyone
 at
 a
 distance.”
15

 
In
 much
 the
 same
 way,
 Wesley’s
 “um”
 is
 neither
 a
 “no”,
 nor
 a
 “yes”.
 The
 “um”
 
is
 as
 similarly
 counter-­‐intuitive
 and
 socially
 unacceptable
 as
 “I’d
 prefer
 not
 to”:
 
confronted
 with
 a
 question,
 it
 would
 be
 customary
 to
 eventually
 answer,
 rather
 than
 
indefinitely
 withhold
 an
 actual
 answer
 by
 only
 continuously
 answering
 “um”.
 The
 
apparent
 refusal
 remains
 implicit,
 the
 continuous
 “um”
 is
 not
 an
 outright,
 explicit
 
“no”;
 it
 leaves
 an
 open-­‐endedness
 that
 still
 lends
 itself
 to
 the
 prospect
 that
 it
 might,
 
and
 could,
 go
 forward.
 It
 thus
 creates
 an
 extraordinary
 state
 of
 in-­‐between,
 the
 
Deleuzian
 liminality.
 

   
 “Um”
  signals
  a
  moment
  of
  pause,
  reflection,
  contemplation,
  hesitation,
 
and/or
 nervousness
 (or
 all
 of
 the
 above).
 With
 each
 “um”,
 there
 is
 the
 anticipation
 
that
 something
 will
 eventually
 come
 from
 it;
 it
 can
 be
 anything.
 “Um”
 may
 represent
 
the
 search
 for
 the
 right
 words,
 but
 what
 if
 the
 words
 never
 come?
 What
 if
 the
 “um”
 
continues
  endlessly?
  Rather
  than
  interpreting
  this
  speechlessness
  as
  a
  form
  of
 
stasis,
 this
 liminal
 state
 could
 be
 examined
 as
 a
 site
 of
 potentiality.
 Perhaps
 the
 most
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14

 Gilles
 Deleuze,
 "Bartleby;
 or
 the
 Formula,"
 Essays,
 Critical
 and
 Clinical,
 Tr.
 Daniel
 W.
 Smith
 
and
 Michael
 A.
 Greco
 (University
 of
 Minnesota
 Press:
 Minneapolis,
 1997),
 68.
 
15

 Deleuze,
 Bartleby,
 71.
 

 

 14
 
productive
 and
 profound
 experiences
 we
 can
 have
 are
 the
 ones
 that
 perplex
 us;
 the
 
questions
 that
 we
 can’t
 answer
 and
 we
 are
 left
 speechless,
 but
 continually
 seeking.
 
 
This
 dichotomy
 is
 present
 in
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem,
 we
 witness
 
both
 the
 spiral
 of
 going
 nowhere
 and
 the
 labor
 of
 the
 mind
 repeatedly
 attempting
 to
 
arrive
  at
  something
  –
  whether
  it
  is
  a
  thought,
  an
  idea,
  inspiration,
  or
  its
  very
 
opposite:
 a
 lack
 of
 thought
 and
 an
 empty
 mind.
 
Drawing
 on
 Aristotle,
 Giorgio
 Agamben
 suggests
 that
 potentiality
 is
 defined
 
by
 a
 state
 of
 “faculty”
 –
 the
 state
 of
 having
 the
 knowledge
 and
 ability
 to
 produce
 or
 
to
 do,
 and
 having,
 at
 the
 same
 time,
 the
 power
 to
 refuse
 such
 action
16
.
 Once
 one
 
transcends
 this
 state
 into
 that
 of
 action
 and
 doing,
 one
 is
 no
 longer
 in
 a
 state
 of
 
potentiality,
 only
 actuality.
 Utilizing
 Melville’s
 Bartleby,
 The
 Scrivener
 as
 the
 ultimate
 
paradigm,
 Agamben
 states:
 “As
 a
 scribe
 who
 has
 stopped
 writing,
 Bartleby
 is
 the
 
extreme
 figure
 of
 Nothing
 from
 which
 all
 creation
 derives;
 and
 at
 the
 same
 time,
 he
 
constitutes
  the
  most
  implacable
  vindication
  of
  this
  Nothing
  as
  pure,
  absolute
 
potentiality.”
17

 
 
Both
 protagonists,
 both
 Wesley
 and
 Bartleby,
 are
 not
 good-­‐for-­‐nothings;
 
procrastination
 only
 exits
 if
 there
 is
 something
 that
 one
 is
 putting
 off
 doing;
 it
 is
 not
 
possible
 to
 procrastinate
 on
 nothing,
 thus,
 pure
 potentiality
 can
 only
 exist
 if
 one
 is
 
not
 doing
 that
 which
 one
 is
 capable
 of.
 Bartleby
 remains
 a
 scrivener,
 despite
 not
 
scribing,
 and
 Wesley
 remains
 an
 artist,
 despite
 his
 act
 of
 endless
 procrastination.
 
Both
 remain
 protagonists
 in
 the
 true
 sense
 of
 the
 word.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16

 See,
 eg,
 quoting
 from
 De
 anima,
 Giorgio
 Agamben,
 Potentialities,
 (Stanford
 University
 
Press:
 Stanford,
 CA,
 1999),
 178.
 
17

 Giorgio
 Agamben,
 Potentialities,
 (Stanford
 University
 Press:
 Stanford,
 CA,
 1999),
 253f.
 

 15
 

 
VI.
 Conclusion
 
If
  we
  choose
  to
  adopt
  Agamben’s
  view,
  then
  Bartleby,
  and,
  by
  extension,
  the
 
protagonist
 of
 Wesley’s
 Poem,
 revert
 to
 a
 state
 of
 potentiality
 by
 taking
 refuge
 in
 the
 
liminal
  space
  of
  the
  open-­‐ended,
  non-­‐explicit
  refusal
  that
  leaves
  Bartleby’s
 
interlocutors
 and
 Wesley’s
 audience
 equally
 confused.
 
 

  Paradoxically,
  of
  course,
  Wesley,
  portraying
  himself
  in
  the
  process
  of
 
procrastination,
 is
 making
 art.
 As
 the
 artist,
 and
 not
 solely
 the
 character
 in
 the
 video,
 
he
 created
 an
 artwork.
 The
 procrastination
 is
 translated
 into
 a
 performance;
 the
 
protagonist
 transcends
 his
 state
 of
 potentiality
 and
 realizes
 it
 into
 a
 state
 of
 actuality
 
–
 unlike
 Bartleby,
 who
 remains
 forever
 in
 the
 pure
 state
 of
 unrealized
 potential.
 
 
Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem
 shows
 how
 the
 non-­‐work
 becomes
 the
 work
 
–
 an
 artwork
 was
 produced.
 When
 the
 protagonist
 transcends
 from
 “um”
 into
 “om”,
 
he
 seems
 to
 cut
 himself
 loose
 from
 Western
 expectations
 of
 productivity:
 
 “um”
 loses
 
its
 character
 as
 a
 halting
 stumble,
 but
 also
 as
 a
 stepping-­‐stone.
 There
 is
 nothing
 to
 
arrive
  at,
  because
  there
  is
  nothing.
  Yet
  contrary
  to
  this
  impression,
  Wesley’s
 
meditative
 depiction
 of
 non-­‐productivity,
 non-­‐doing,
 and
 the
 refusal
 of
 work
 is
 a
 
work
 of
 art
 itself;
 one
 that
 can
 be
 viewed
 online,
 exhibited
 –
 and
 sold.
 Watching
 the
 
11
 minutes
 and
 28
 seconds
 of
 his
 procrastination,
 of
 his
 emphatic
 and
 perhaps
 
religiously
 zealous
 refusal
 to
 do
 what
 is
 more
 important
 or
 meaningful
 –
 as
 implied
 
in
 the
 concept
 of
 procrastination
 –,
 we
 actually
 were
 watching
 an
 artist
 at
 work.
 
Ultimately,
 Wesley
 has
 not
 refused
 to
 produce.
 In
 this
 respect,
 he
 is
 nothing
 like
 the
 
artist
 who
 insists
 on
 being
 an
 artist
 without
 producing
 art:
 such
 an
 attempt
 to
 resist
 

 16
 
the
 expectation
 of
 productivity
 is
 notably
 described
 by
 Josef
 Strau
 in
 his
 essay
 “The
 
Non-­‐Productive
 Attitude.”
18

 Strau’s
 refusal
 is
 not
 procrastination
 but
 a
 statement
 
and,
 as
 he
 puts
 it,
 an
 attitude.
 
And
 even
 at
 this
 level,
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem
 refuses
 to
 cooperate:
 
the
  viewer
  is
  not
  granted
  the
  spectacle
  of
  the
  vexed
  creative
  genius
  in
  the
 
stereotypical
 studio.
 Rather,
 the
 moment
 of
 artistic
 creation
 is
 depicted
 as
 the
 apex
 
of
  boredom
  and
  creative
  barrenness.
  This
  is
  the
  final
  level
  of
  subversion
  of
 
Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem:
  the
  self-­‐reflective
  irony
  of
  an
  artist
  at
  “work”,
 
representing
 what
 is
 constitutive
 of
 a
 “work
 of
 art”.
19

 We
 are
 aware
 that
 anything
 
goes,
  anything
  can
  be
  work
  or
  a
  work,
  even
  the
  epitomized
  non-­‐work
 
procrastination
 pushed
 to
 its
 emphatic,
 meditative
 extreme,
 becomes
 a
 poem.
 And
 
thus,
 our
 minds
 are
 put
 to
 rest
 –
 productivity,
 eventually,
 was
 not
 refused;
 and
 we,
 
the
 viewers,
 do
 not
 have
 to
 question
 that
 we
 ourselves,
 when
 we
 were
 watching
 
Wesley
  procrastinate,
  invested
  our
  time
  wisely
  –
  we
  were
  consuming
  art
  and
 
therefore
 pursuing
 a
 socially
 accepted,
 culturally
 valuable
 activity.
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

   
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18

 Josef
 Strau,
 “The
 Non-­‐Productive
 Attitude”,
 2006,
 The
 Production
 Line
 of
 Happiness
 
(Whitechapel,
 2014),
 95-­‐97
 (with
 a
 vivid
 description
 of
 the
 art
 scene
 in
 1980’s
 Cologne).
 I
 
am
 grateful
 to
 A.L.
 Steiner
 for
 this
 reference.
 
 
19

 In
 a
 similar
 vein,
 Frances
 Stark
 reflects
 on
 the
 role
 of
 procrastination
 in
 her
 work
 “My
 
Best
 Thing”
 (2011)
 –
 which
 is
 the
 work:
 “Maybe
 art
 is
 an
 opposite
 of
 working,
 in
 the
 sense
 
that
 it
 is
 a
 form
 of
 resistance
 to
 productivity”
 (Mark
 Godfrey
 quoting
 from
 “My
 Best
 Thing”;
 
id.,
 “Twenty-­‐First
 Century
 Art”
 in
 Jennifer
 Papararo
 and
 Kitty
 Scott
 (eds.),
 Frances
 Stark.
 My
 
Best
 Thing
 (Koenig
 Books:
 London,
 UK,
 2012)
 39,
 62).
 
 

 17
 
Bibliography:
 

 
Agamben,
 Giorgio;
 Heller-­‐Roazen,
 Daniel
 (ed.,
 introd.,
 and
 translator),
 Potentialities:
 
Collected
 Essays
 in
 Philosophy.
 Stanford,
 CA:
 Stanford
 University
 Press,
 1999.
 

 
Deleuze,
 Gilles.
 Essays,
 Critical
 and
 Clinical,
 Tr.
 Daniel
 W.
 Smith
 and
 Michael
 A.
 Greco,
 
University
 of
 Minnesota
 Press,
 Minneapolis,
 1997.
 

 
Erard,
 Michael.
 Um…
 Slips,
 Stumbles,
 and
 Verbal
 Blunders,
 and
 What
 They
 Mean.
 New
 
York:
 Pantheon
 Books,
 2007.
 

 
Melville,
 Herman.
 Bartleby,
 the
 Scrivener:
 A
 Story
 of
 Wall-­‐Street,
 accessed,
 April
 20,
 
2015,
 http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11231/pg11231.html
 

 
Papararo,
 Jennifer
 and
 Kitty
 Scott
 (eds.),
 Frances
 Stark
 -­‐
 My
 Best
 Thing.
 London,
 UK:
 
Koenig
 Books,
 2012.
 

 
Rancière,
 Jacques.
 The
 Flesh
 of
 Words,
 Stanford:
 Stanford
 University
 Press,
 2004.
 

 
Steel,
 Piers.
 The
 Nature
 of
 Procrastination:
 A
 Meta-­‐Analytic
 and
 Theoretical
 Review
 of
 
Quintessential
 Self-­‐Regulatory
 Failure.
 University
 of
 Calgary:
 Alberta,
 2007.
 

 
Strau,
 Josef,
 “The
 Non-­‐Productive
 Attitude”,
 2006,
 The
 Production
 Line
 of
 Happiness,
 
Whitechapel,
 2014.
 

 

   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 18
 
Appendix
 

 
Transcription:
 
 Eric
 Wesley,
 Procrastination
 Meditation
 Poem,
 2012
 
 

 
Ummmmmm,
 Ahhhhmmmmm,
 Ummm,
 Ummma,
 Ummma,
 Ahhhhummm,
 
Ummmmmm,
 Urrmmmm,
 Ommmm,
 hmmmmm,
 Ummmm,
 AhUmmmm,
 Ummmm,
 
Hmmmm,
 Ummmm,
 hummm,
 hmmmm,
 hmmmmm,
 hmmmmmm,
 hmmmmm,
 
Ummm,
 hmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmm,
 Ahh,
 mmmm,
 Ahhh,
 mmmmm,
 
mmmmmm,mmmm,
 Ummm,
 Ummmm,
 Yaummmm,
 Ummm,
 Umm,
 Ummmm,
 
Uuuuuummmmmm,
 Uuuuuuummmmm,
 Um,
 Ummmm,
 
 

 
Ah,
 Um,
 Um,
 Um,
 Um,
 Um,
 
 

 
Aaaaah,
 Aaaaaahummmmm,
 Ah,
 
 

 
Umm,
 Aaaah,
 um,
 aaaaa,
 aaaaa,
 
 

 
Aaaaaaaaahhhhh,
 ahhhhhh,
 aaa
 (cough
 cough),
 ahh
 (clears
 throat),
 ahhhhmmmm,
 
um,
 ahhhhmmm,
 ummmmmma,
 ummmmmma,
 ahhhhmmmm,
 ahhhhhmmmmmm,
 
arrrrmmmmm,
 ummmm,
 
 

 
Um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 uuummm,
 

 
Um,
 ummm,
 uuummm,
 ummmm,
 ummmm,
 ummmm,
 ummmm,
 ummmm,
 ummm,
 
ummmm,
 ummmmm,
 ahhhhmmmm,
 aaaaammmm,
 
 

 
Mmmmm,
 mmmm,
 mmmm,
 mmmmm,
 mmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmm,
 
mmmmmm,
 mmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmm,
 mmmm,
 
mmmm.,
 mmmm,
 mmmm,
 mmmmm,
 mmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmm,
 ummmmmm,
 
ummmmm,
 ummm,
 ummm,
 ummm,
 umm,
 umm,
 
 

 
UUUUUmmmmm,
 UUUUmmmm,
 UUUUmmmm,
 UUUUmmmmm,
 

 
Ummmm,
 Um,
 Aaaaaummmmm,
 Ummmmm,
 Ummmmm,
 Ummmmmu,
 Ummmm,
 
aaaaummmmmm,
 aaaaaummmmm,
 aaaaaummmmm,
 aaaaummmmm,
 
aaaaaummmmmm,
 
 

 
Oooo,
 

 
Ummmm,
 ummmmm,
 ummmmmmmm,
 ummmmmmm,
 ummmmmmmmm,
 
mmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmm,mmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmm,
 
mmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmmmm,
 
mmmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmmm,
 mmmmmmmmmmmm,
 
 

 

 19
 
Ooooohmmmmm,
 ooooooohmmmm,
 ooooooh,mmmm,
 ooooohmmmmmmm,
 
ummmmm
 

 
Um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 um,
 
um,
 

 
Aaaaaaujuuuuummmm,
 aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmm,
 
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooommmmmma,
 ooooooooouuuuuuuuuuummmmmmm,
 
ooooooaooooaaoooooaauuuummmmm,
 uuuuuummmmmmmm
 

 
Ummm,
 uuuuuummmmmm,
 uuuummmmmm,
 ummmmmmmm,
 
ummmmmmmmmm,
 ummmmmmmmmmmmm,
 uuuuuummm,
 uuummmm,
 
uuuummmm.
 Oaaaaummm,
 oaaummm,
 

 
Ummmm,
 ummmm.
 Ummmmm,
 aaaahm,mmmm,
 mmmm
 yummmm
 ummmm
 
ummmm,
 ooooommmmm
 ooooom
 aaammm
 ummm
 

 
Wuuuum,
 ummm,
 ummm,
 ummmmmm,
 uuuuuummmmm,
 

 
Aaaaammmm,
 aaaaaaammmm,
 
 

 
Aaaam,
 aaaam
 aaaammm
 ummmmm,
 ummmmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmm
 
ummmmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmmm
 u
 

 
Aaaaammmmm
 ummmmmm
 ujmmmmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmmm
 
ummmmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmmmmm
 ummmmmm
 ummmmmmmm
 
ummmmmm
 ummmmmmmmm
 ummmmmmmmmm
 ummmmmmmmmm
 
 

 
Ummmmm
 ummmm
 ummmmmm
 ummmm
 ummmmmm
 ummmmmmm
 
ummmmmmm
 ummmmmmmmm
 ummmmm
 ummmmmmm
 aaamammmmmm
 
aaammmmmmm
 ummmmm
 aaaa
 ummmmm
 aaa
 aummmmmmm
 aummmmmm
 
ummmmmm
 ummmmmm
 

 
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
 

 
Aaaaaaaaaammmmmm
 

 
Mmmmmmmma 
Asset Metadata
Creator Riley, Alana (author) 
Core Title Accomplishing nothing: procrastination meditation poem 
Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance) 
School Roski School of Art and Design 
Degree Master of Fine Arts 
Degree Program Fine Arts 
Publication Date 07/29/2015 
Defense Date 05/13/2015 
Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital) 
Tag Bartleby,Eric Wesley,Herman Melville,OAI-PMH Harvest,Public speaking,self-help,TED,Toastmasters,um,YouTube 
Format application/pdf (imt) 
Language English
Advisor Steiner, A.L. (committee chair), Wedell, Noura (committee member), White, Charles H. (committee member) 
Creator Email alana.riley@gmail.com,alanaril@usc.edu 
Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-612620 
Unique identifier UC11303586 
Identifier etd-RileyAlana-3661.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-612620 (legacy record id) 
Legacy Identifier etd-RileyAlana-3661.pdf 
Dmrecord 612620 
Document Type Thesis 
Format application/pdf (imt) 
Rights Riley, Alana 
Type texts
Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection) 
Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law.  Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a... 
Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Abstract (if available)
Abstract Through an in-depth interpretation of Eric Wesley’s video “Procrastination Meditation Poem” (2012), my aim is to examine the signification of the verbal blunder “um”, and to propose it as a site of potentiality, refusal and enlightenment. 
Tags
Bartleby
Eric Wesley
Herman Melville
self-help
TED
Toastmasters
um
Linked assets
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses 
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