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Posts from the ‘Art’ Category

Jan 18

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The Notes Form the Song

Just as I fall into bed, tired from the day that was and preparing for the day ahead, I pause for a moment to pick up a book, to plant something new in my head, hoping for a harvest. Sometimes the seed sprouts, other times it remains dormant for another day. Suddenly, when least expected, the notes of the words mixed with those of experience meet to form a new song. And the hope is that in the sharing of the song, someone else may get the same lift.

“Within this journey, I plod some days like an ant so focused on the grain above my head that the next step holds all of life, and I feel in the lineage of slaves pushing the next stone up an unfinished pyramid. Then, without reason, life billows with an unearned ease I can’t describe. When it leaves, like a breeze of Spirit, I feel renewed and certain that God is in both the moment of lift and the moment of ease, in the moment of pain and after. So I’ve given up wishing for ease and running from pain. Everything on Earth moves by this inching between ease and pain. It’s how we grow. And praising both, surrendering to both, accepting both is the work of love.” – Mark Nepo, The Endless Practice

May we all keep practicing, inching and never giving up on the work of love, confident that each note will join to create the song that we are meant and made to sing. Find it deep within yourself each day to cast light and receive light, especially when you don’t feel like it and least expect it. Once light is cast, even if but a glimmer, the reflection returns brighter and stronger to show the path, to bring clarity. That’s the power of light.

Sep 11

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Crisp

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation.” – Richard Holloway

As crisp as a Fall morning, may you be acutely aware of , , ,

the beauty that surrounds you;
the peace that can only come from God;
the voice deep within that invites you to unfold;
the longing in your soul to be more, not do more;
the steady pull that slows you down while moving you forward;
the call that quietly brings you back to center of what’s true;
the hope and joy that remain steady amidst difficulty;
the brevity of this life that reminds us to let go of the minuscule;
the beating of the hearts of those who are on this journey too:
the laughter of the child that is your own;
the delight that’s hiding in plain sight to be captured daily.

May gratitude lure you back again and again to all that is in this very moment.
Crisp and clear, freely enter the mystery and gift of each day.

Dec 1

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Clay

“The rigid cause themselves to be broken; the pliable cause themselves to be bound.” – Xun Zi

To remain as clay, to be shaped and moved
Unfinished but evolving
Soft and pliable
Not the same as yesterday
Not what will be tomorrow
Ever present to what is now
Unfolding and grounded
Unwilling to turn to stone
Open to possibilities, to new beginnings
To be clay

Nov 24

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A Chip at a Time

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” – Michelangelo

It’s been particularly busy on many fronts the past few weeks and as I look at my calendar it’s not going to slow down any time soon. This is the same for so many of us.

We frivolously discard the gifts of each day waiting for the perfect time to start living, when it’s less busy or when this or that happens. The perfect time to start living is today. When we carve out our life each day no matter what’s going on, we discover joy and gratitude in the present.

On the eve of this holiday season as Thanksgiving approaches, amidst the hustle and hurry, anchor yourself in each moment, each day. Be the sculptor of your life, a chip at a time.

Jun 29

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Resistance

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

We let resistance prevent us from living the life we are meant to live. And for convenience, we identify resistance as other people and our circumstances instead of owning it ourselves. The best thing about ownership is that we can do something about it because we have power over it.

“The gracious, eternal God permits the spirit to green and bloom and to bring forth the most marvelous fruit, surpassing anything a tongue can express and a heart conceive.” – Johannes Tauler

“The gracious, eternal God permits the spirit to green and bloom and to bring forth the most marvelous fruit, surpassing anything a tongue can express and a heart conceive.” – Johannes Tauler

We dabble and dip our toe into our dreams. But until we commit and do the work, they remain dormant. We avoid weeding because we know that it’s a task that never ends. The weeds keep coming back. But if we weed correctly and get the root, we get the entire weed. We can then move on to planting flowers and the art of blooming. Blooming into the life we’ve left unlived for far too long. Overcome resistance by opening up to the possibilities held deep within and let them bloom.

May 28

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What We Leave Behind

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

I sighed when I read Maya Angelou passed away today. What an inspiration, artist, creator, model, survivor, thriver, poet, leader, writer, lover of life.

What will we leave behind?   Not just at the end of our life, but at the end of each day as we pass through people’s lives.

Seeds or weeds
Inspiration or angst
Light or shadow
Joy or pain
Laughter or tears
Kindness or callous
Soft or hard
Delight or doom
Passion or indifference
Faith or doubt

What power we have each day to leave a something lasting behind, to be missed when we leave, to cast light in an often dark world.

You will certainly rest in peace Maya Angelou since you offered so much peace and love as you passed through. We pass through for such a very short time. Carelessly and relentlessly scatter perennial seeds of love that remain long past our time on earth.

“I know for sure that loves saves me and that it is here to save us all.” – Maya Angelou

 

Apr 6

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Unseen

“We do not need more intellectual power, we need more spiritual power. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen.” – Calvin Coolidge

At first glance, Salvador Dali’s Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea is a naked woman looking out a window. A longer look reveals that the window is the shape of a cross and even closer, the crucifixion of Christ. There are several other elements, layers and meanings throughout the painting. And by stepping back 20 meters, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln suddenly appears. Layers on layers, depth, dimension, the picture in the picture, the unseen unfolds right in front of us.

When we realize that there’s so much that we don’t see, our world of people and places brightens and deepens, a story to be told and heard. Instead of seeing through eyes filtered by the past, judgment or assumption, we can look longer from different angles, asking questions to pursue what’s beneath the facade. In each of us, the unseen is waiting to be uncovered, revealed, shared, honored and asked to come out and play.

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” –Salvador Dali

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” –Salvador Dali
The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida

Apr 4

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HeART

“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” – Robert Schumann.

Art grounds us and lifts us at the same time. It pulls us from our limited view to show possibilities, beauty, hope, depth, our true selves once again. It can be found all around us each day.

While I was at a conference this week in St. Petersburg, I found art walking along the water at sunrise, on the street past the Chihuly glass exhibit and at an event at the Dali Art Museum. I found it in conversation with peers, in sessions learning something new and in being in a different place if but for a short time to break the monotony and familiarity we build into our daily lives to keep us “safe.”  It’s all around us ready to open our mind but more importantly our heart. To feel, to be jolted, to be thankful, to see light.

glass

Dec 8

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Create

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo Picasso

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

Everyone of us has a capacity to create, to be creative. We need to act on it.  Tapping into that deep well, exploring the unknown, letting the mystery unfold. The act itself is the end, the purpose. No answers, no right or wrong. Mere expression to release what yearns to come out of each of us, our spirit.

I’ve been interested in book arts for a while. Yesterday, I finally jumped in and took a class on stitching a leather journal. There’s something about working with your hands and seeing parts become a whole. Some thread, scraps of leather and paper merging into something tangible. Not sure how it will all come together, yet it does. Wandering a path with guidance but no map, the destination is found. Create.

Oct 22

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Forefront

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

“The hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

What do you see? Clouds or blue sky? What we move to the forefront defines our landscape, our path. We all have our days when the clouds win. But days turn into weeks, into years, into a life time. The most important people, moments, gifts become the backdrop, unnoticed as we search for something that is right in front of us. The scenery goes unseen. Wake up everyday and choose the blue sky. No more lost time, no more regrets. Make the blue sky the forefront and let the clouds fall back where they belong.

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